Local products

The second Challenge is upon us: ‘Brabant on your plate 🍽️”

Brabants Bont is another name for the provincial flag. The flag consists of 24 red & white squares in a chequerboard pattern. And, since february, the chequered flag at BoksheideBuiten has been flying proudly from our holiday cottages. The motif is particularly well known to the Dutch because of its use as kitchen curtains on farms and, of course, in the old-fashioned cosy ‘herberg in het wilde zwijn’ from grandmother’s time. The menu features food like in the old days: pan met spek met brood en verse worst met stamppot.

Sweet

The Bossche-bol or chocolate-bol, sjekladebol is a pastry speciality from s’-Hertogenbosch that is baked from choux pastry, dipped in melted dark chocolate and then filled with real whipped cream. Banketbakkerij Jan de Groot in Den Bosch is said to have the most delicious Bossche bollen, but to be honest, those from Bakkerij van Heeswijk, with a delicious thick layer of milk chocolate, are just as tasty.

Hemelse modder

Even tastier than chocolate mousse is the creamy, light Hemelse modder made of dark chocolate. The recipe comes from a mother of 11 children who made Hemelse modder at Christmas. My sister Petra is married to the second eldest son, Josef, and i was invited to come and taste it. The taste was like an ‘angel on my tongue (p..s)’. After that, i didn’t need to eat anything else, as this dessert is so rich.

Savory

The worstenbroodje is one of Brabant’s specialties. It is an elongated roll made from luxurious white bread dough and filled deliciously seasoned minced meat. In Irsel (Eersel), the sides are closed, as is customary for a Brabants worstenbroodje! The worstenbroodje was originally created to preserve meat for longer during the slaughter month by rolling it in dough and baking it. Traditionally, the worstenbroodje is mainly eaten at Christmas & Carnaval. Eating a worstenbroodje from a food truck during festivals is very trendy. Where the pan was used in the past, later the oven was used, and nowadays the Aifryer is used to heat up the worstenbroodje. For heaven’s sake, don’t heat them up in the microwave, it’s really inedible!

Genieten Mandje

During the successful online meeting with Brabant Partners, we learn to cater to each guest’s individual needs. In a sense, that is possible, but on the other hand, it also depends on the type of guests staying with us. For children, there is always a BoksheideBuiten basket in the holiday cottage with lettuce & bread ready to feed the chickens. The farm-fresh eggs are distributed among the guests upon arrival & during longer stays, and from now on we will draw happy faces on them in red & green. The second Challenge Brabant on your plate is about Brabant delicacies, Brabant customs and regional products.. Last autumn, we came up with the Genieten Mandje, which contains delicious organic jam and fruit syrup made from ripe seasonal fruit picked from the own vegetable garden, fresh Brabantse bloemenweide- & smaak van de Kempen tea, cruchy roasted granola & honey from the beekeeper. Most regional products are collected in het neighbourhood by Odette from moestuinwinkel de Wetering A few guests who have stayed at BoksheideBuiten several times where given the opportunity to taste the local products. When checking out, Kelly mentioned that she loves cinnamon and that there are few products with this flavour available in Belgium. This presented us with a great opportunity to surprise them with something special during their next stay in March!?

Lekker Brabant

We discover on Google that in the somewhat sophisticated Oisterwijk, there is a culinary company run by two enthusiastic brothers, Jochem & Jurgen. It would be great fun to record the video for this Challenge in this delicious-smelling shop selling local specialities. We immediately send an email and, curious as we are, we start the car and take the tourist route to the Lekker Brabant premises. To my great surprise, the automatic doors are also open on a Sunday, and we step into the brand-new, self service regional shop. The next day, we receive a surprising email from Jurgen saying that we are very welcome.

If you want to buy a Brabant delicacy and the packaging looks extra festive with the typical red & white ‘Brabants Bont’ motif, then the purchase is a no-brainer, right?

Brabants Streekgoed

The second Challenge is especially for the ‘Chefs’ among the participants to prepare a delicious regional dish. Guest speaker Corné van Roesel, owner of de Walhoeve in Goirle, talks about his passion for buying fresh vegetables, cheese, dairy products and meat directly from Brabant farmers. Inspired by this, we get to work and ‘Chef ‘ Theo lovingly  prepares fresh chips and stewed meat. Despite our costily furnished holiday cottages with fully equipped kitchens, our guests can still enjoy cooking with beautiful local products. In our Great Stay App, guests can easily place an order at Brabants Streekgoed, have it delivered to their holiday cottage or pick it up at a nearby collection point. Enjoy your meal!

How do the Lekker Brabant specialties taste? Like more…😋

Curious about the video?