Nothing quite slows down time like a lazy long lunch shared with family and friends – exactly why owners Garry and Leanne first created their lauded gourmet vineyard platters.
Have you had one of The Lake House Denmark’s delicious vineyard platters before? Laden with hand-shaven cold-cut meats, local cheeses, seasonal veggie dips, housemade Vinofood chutneys and pickles and freshly baked bread, the Lake House’s vineyard platters represent a taste of the good life in every single bite.
It’s a taste that’s more than just flavour. For Leanne, it’s a taste of The Lake House’s ethos and philosophy; to slow down and embrace the speed of life.
“It’s taking time out of our busy lives to relax, reflect and contemplate in nature,” Leanne explains. “To share good food and wine with family and friends… It’s what Garry and I wanted for our own lives, and it’s something we want to share with our visitors and staff.”
After Leanne and Garry produced their first vintage back in 2006, they decided to open The Lake House Denmark’s Cellar Door and Restaurant.
“We wanted our visitors to feel welcomed onto the property just as we would welcome a guest into our home,” Leanne says. “And with a passion for making things and cooking, it made sense that food would be a part of this.”
“Neither Garry or I had experience in hospitality – I had retail and customer service experience but food is another area of expertise – but we knew what we liked when visiting other restaurants, so that was a good place to start.”
A little research and a lot of hard work later, and the couple are now renowned for their charming lakeside restaurant and cellar door, complete with lake/vine/tree views, award-winning cool-climate wines and a menu suitable for all-day grazing.
We only ever considered doing vineyard platters as they captured the essence of what The Lake House was (and is) all about – a place where you can sit and relax, have fun with friends and family and connect with each other while sitting in a tranquil country setting,” Leanne says. “Our platters first started out as cheese boards, but they quickly developed to a more substantial offering with cold cuts, salad, housemade bread and dips.”
And now feature the business’s specialty food range, Vinofood, devised by Leanne and made right here at the lake.
“I used to make condiments as gifts for Christmas, so when we created the vineyard platters they made the perfect additions,” Leanne says. “As The Lake House is a winery, we thought it would be good for the condiments to have wine or grapes, to keep with the wine theme.
“The first condiments that I created were our fig, apple and chardonnay chutney, merlot wine jelly and seeded chardonnay mustard. Customers started to ask if they could take them home, so we started bottling and named them Vinofood.”
Now, you’ll find Leanne’s favourite Vinofood selections on the Lake House’s vineyard platters, which you can enjoy by the lake, on the lawn and/or in a takeaway picnic hamper, too!
Hungry? Book lunch by the lake and try one of our Lake House vineyard platters today. You can also purchase Vinofood at The Lake House, at selected providores and online here.
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[…] Lake House Denmark winery was soon established, and with it our vineyard platters – lavish gourmet spreads featuring the very best in South West produce and small batch specialty […]