We drive down island and stop at Averill winery in Cowichin. A lovely stop; owned by Andy and Wendy Johnson (former Edmontons who owned the Medi-Centres). We have a wine tasting and fall in love with their blackberry dessert wine.
Bottle in hand, we continue on and arrive in Oak Bay to the home of Dorothy and Bill Hamilton, a couple (formerly from St. Albert) who have been on many culinary tours with us (Dorothy has been on 10 of the 12 trips that I have organized and it didn’t take long for her husband Bill to realize that he should be joining her). Bill is a retired teacher and an avid gardener and upon arrival, we take a walk through their gardens complete with water ponds, waterfalls and many blooming perennials. Dorothy arrives home from work (family physician) and Bill prepares a dinner of fresh wild salmon coated in nuts, pan seared and finished with a leek, lemon zest cream sauce, freshly baby spuds and broiled asparagus. Paired with the Sauvignon Blanc from Forbidden Fruit Winery, it’s a pretty good combo.
