Article
Breakfast with a view of the Kupe
Source: Magazine 'Gazet van Antwerpen' and 'Het Belang van Limburg'
Read the original article here (part 1 | part 2)
Haringe? Even my partner from west Flanders has never heard of this place. On a dark December evening we bravely defied a rainstorm and made our way towards 'Pluto's Black Hole', as Liesbeth's husband from the Sint-Maartens Tuin B&B likes to call it jokingly. Twenty-four hours later we couldn't bear to leave. From the panoramic veranda of Sint- Maartens Tuin you can see the sun rising above the IJzervlakte, Liesbeth the hostess spoils you with her culinary delights and just around the corner your private sauna puts you in seventh heaven.
B&B
Sint-Maartens Tuin B&B opened its doors at Easter of last year. The preserved farmhouse offers accommodations for maximum 8 persons in 4 double rooms. Everything is still sparkling new and has been tastefully designed. Natural hues dominate the choice of colours, combined with olive green, burgundy, blue and chocolate brown. Two rooms have baths; the other two rooms have spacious showers. The showers are located right below the roof. The beams give the place an extra touch. Flat TV screens are everywhere, but if you immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Sint-Maartens Tuin, you'll find them redundant. The really impressive part of the place is the spacious living room, which is the shared space of all the visitors. This room reflects the true character of this historical farmhouse. The play of the gigantic beams leaves you speechless and equally gigantic sofa and large dining table (for 12 persons) invite you to take a break. Even the Christmas tree towers over you. Everything is so large and bright that you feel like Lilliputian in Wonderland. In the living room - without a TV, phew - Liesbeth serves her homemade dishes based on a menu that she devised herself. You take your breakfast on the adjacent veranda, the second big trump card of Sint- Maartens Tuin. This panoramic glasshouse is made of 180 degree clear glass. You have a wide view of the IJzervlakte and can see hares passing by in the distance. That's certainly sufficient for waking you up.
The story
This is an ideal moment to leaf through Liesbeth's photo album. The story behind Sint-Maartens Tuin unfolds. This is something that intrigues you the moment you step into the living room because of the large old photograph that dominates the wall. It is a photograph of the Cappoen family, the original owners of the farmhouse. Liesbeth Criem and her husband Thierry (from Aalst) took over the farmhouse from her parents. Her parents bought it in 1994 from the Cappoen heirs with the intention of living there themselves. The renovations that dragged on and on changed these plans. In 2000 a construction violation was detected and consequently, the work activities stood still for five years. Liesbeth, who in the meantime developed into a popular hobby chef, came up with the idea of turning the farmhouse into a guesthouse. A new architect got it rolling again. Approximately one year later and after a great deal of work, Sint-Maartens Tuin became a reality. Don't think for one minute that you will encounter old-fashion décor at Sint-Maartens Tuin. On the contrary, renovation ultimately became reconstruction. The beams are made of relatively young wood and the interior is bright and modern. The aspects that were preserved are the layout of the building, the craftsmanship and old materials. It's quaint know that the wonderful breakfast panorama was previously the privilege of the farm pigs.
Kitchen
The last bachelor of the Cappoen family kept the farm running until 1994. In the photo you can see that another one of the five children was a customs officer. After all Haringe is a stone's throw away from the French border. There is no road crossing the border, but that did not stop the local smugglers. Liesbeth not only delves with flair into the details and funny anecdotes related to this subject, but you can also discover more about this topic from her selection of books about this area. You can learn about the history of Haringe and its church (see box). You will also find out quickly that the name of Sint-Maartens Tuin derives from the monumental church: in the garden of Sint-Martinus. In contrast to the farm, the guest rooms do not have any names yet. "I'm waiting for the opportune moment", says Liesbeth. "I have yet to find what I'm looking for". And this more or less typifies her. Our hostess knows exactly what she wants and does not compromise easily. This is reflected in everything she does, also in the kitchen. "I work with seasonal products, not with regional ones," explains Liesbeth. "You find regional products everywhere in this district. For those products you are better off going to a restaurant." But why bother with a restaurant if what is served in Sint-Maartens Tuin can easily compete with any restaurant: samples of black pudding and goat cheese, pumpkin soup, scallops on a bed of salsify with orange sauce, pork tenderloin with a puree of savoy cabbage and parsnip, etc. No panic: you can walk off the extra kilos in the IJzervlakte. Next to the Sint-Maartens Tuin B&B is an old footpath that brings you to the meandering Dode IJzer walking route (7.5 km). As it was, we changed the order: first walked, then sauna and afterwards pampered by Liesbeth's exquisite culinary creations: that's the ideal formula. Better believe it!
Text: Sarah DE BEUCKELAER
