12 snacks for the small appetite
The Snoeperke, '12 snacks for the small appetite', we thought was worth testing out. Because culinary enjoyment is what you do in the Kempen region of Brabant and we certainly don't say no to that! Jim Steenbakkers and I (Isabella Put) visited 4 of the 12 addresses affiliated with the Snoeperke. At each address there was a tasty snack for the 'little appetite', I mark little appetite,
because well-filled plates were not lacking!
Dinee Café De Kempen
Where we started at Dinee Café De Kempen, we received a warm welcome and started the day with a nice hot cup of tea. A tasty chocolate bonbon was not to be missed! The 'Snoeperke bonbon' of Dinee Café De Kempen was a well-filled bowl of soup with a freshly baked roll and various spreads. The choice of mushroom soup, spicy tomato soup or cream tomato soup made us hesitate for a moment, after which Jim chose the mushroom soup and I chose the cream tomato soup. With a full bowl of soup, a nice warm sandwich and a cup of tea behind us, we moved on to our next stop; Hoeve de Nachtegaal in Wintelre.
Hoeve de Nachtegaal
What caught my eye immediately was the striking, large red bull at the entrance to the site. This immediately caught my attention. Inside, we also found the Brabant characteristics and colours in the interior. We were welcomed enthusiastically after which we were asked what we wanted to drink. As we had already gone for a cup of tea during the first round, I strongly preferred something fresh, but with these oh-so-cute pots of tea, I could hardly help but choose from the various variants from which I could choose and scoop my own tea. How fun is that? I went for the 'heartwarming tea' which had the text 'gets you nice and warm' on it. Jim went for a "let the wind blow you away" tea, which made me laugh a little, because it suited the weather conditions.
As we sat longer, the owner joined us and we were served a delicious sandwich, topped with pineapple. As we still had several rounds to go, Jim and I opted to share this round. Where we didn't have time now, we would have loved to take another look at the sight-seeing stall. Here we could have enjoyed a nice piece of countryside afterwards. We were also told that Hoeve de Nachtegaal is wheelchair-accessible and that they have a wheelchair-accessible toilet. A nice and pleasant addition to this place if you ask us! Unfortunately, we had to move on.
Farm terrace De Spekdonken
The sun showed itself and we left for Boerderijterras De Spekdonken; an atmospheric place, where we felt right at home! This round, we both opted for a nice glass of soda. Jim took a Tonic and I took a Fanta myself. Although a glass of wine would certainly suit these atmospheres too. We again opted for a snack, after which we were served a beautifully made tray with a richly filled sandwich. Despite the sandwich from the previous round, this was an absolute hot runner. Before the sandwich had gone into the sandwich machine, it was smeared with a layer of butter, which made this sandwich tastefully crispy. After a2nd drink, it was really time to make our way to the last spot of our route; the Reintje.
The Reintje
Although it was still a bit quiet here, we could sit cosily at the front by the window. This allowed us to look outside and had a kind of outside-in feeling. Once again, we opted for the snoeperke one last time. At the Reintje, this is a delicious plate of homemade stew with fries. And how pleased we were to end our last round here. Because what could be better than ending the day with a good plate of fries and homemade stew meat!
Would you like to try the above route, or perhaps a slightly different one? The booklets of 'Het Snoeperke' are for sale at our Visit Eersel point.