ZINE #614 May 2014
Internationally Focussed An education that provides both opportunity and challenge inside and outside the classroom. A school where talent and excellence is fostered and potential is fully realised.
www.britishschool.nl Page 2
Internationally British
The British Photographer in Amsterdam WEDDINGS PORTRAITS CHILDREN’S PORTRAITS EVENTS FINE ART Call 06 83 94 35 52 to book your portraiture session and claim your exclusive Britsoc discount!
www.benjaminarthur.com
Timeless. True. You
Contents
chair/ “chairman” Page 7 events/ “sailing season start events/ “mass blind date” Pa events/ “social friday” Page 12 comp/ “king’s day photo co article/ “hard rock” Page 16 article/ “home is where the a britain/ “scottish vote” Page 2 P history/ “NL & WW1” sport/ “golf in NL” Page 26 food/ “nick’s nosh” Page 32 food/ “cooking coach” Page 36
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ts”
Colophon >
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age 10
omp” Page 14
art is” Page 18
ZINE
EDITORIAL
ISSUE #614
EDITOR IN CHIEF Alison Smith | editor@britsoc.nl EDITORIAL BOARD Ian Cherington | ifcherington@hetnet.nl John Richardson | webeditor@britsoc.nl Benjamin Arthur | benjaminarthur@gmail.com.
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING SALES Andy Symmonds | asymmo@gmail.com
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PUBLISHING
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FLIP MAGAZINE PUBLISHING PLATFORM www.issuu.com
6
PUBLISHED BY John Richardson | JohnTheCopywriter.com
PUBLISHED ON www.wordpress.org
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND FEEDBACK Alison Smith | editor@britsoc.nl www.britsoc.nl
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Small classes and personal attention. At the British School of Amsterdam we get to know each and every student. We provide an all-round education that develops the whole person and delivers academic success. From Early Years to Secondary School, we provide top-class British schooling for everyone from expats to locals seeking an international education. With pupils of more than 40 nationalities, the British School of Amsterdam offers a stimulating and inclusive learning environment for students aged 3 to 18. Non-native English speakers are welcome. Our curriculum leads to the respected British A-Level qualification accepted by universities worldwide. In addition to the formal academic subjects, we teach European languages including Spanish, French, German and Dutch, as well as English as a foreign language. Every day is an open day at the British School of Amsterdam. Why not come along and visit us? For more information, see www.britams.nl, or contact us at +31 (0) 20 67 97 840 or info@britams.nl.
“It’s a friendly, caring community”
TEACHING PEOPLE, NOT JUST TOPICS
Federico Age 14 Italian/Dutch
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chairman’s blog/ May 2014
Dear Members, Having now recovered from waaaay too much chocolate, it must be time to get ourselves into action for the spring/summer burst of sport! In perfect synchronicity, we are continuing to present our series of sports, available for members and guests alike and, in all cases, the more the merrier! We have tennis, squash, golf, sailing, bridge, badminton, Scottish dancing and more to enjoy so check our agenda. This month’s focus on golf is right on my fairway, so I hope we see a lot of involvement. It’s a tricky game but an awesome buzz once you can hit the ball. The Dutch British Chamber of Commerce are holding their annual golf event on June 24th. at the Naardebos course and we are invited to take part at a reduced (members) rate! Sponsored by KLM, this should be a great day out, with prizes and a BBQ at the 19th hole and the evening sees England play Costa Rica….live (on TV) in the clubhouse. Please register directly through me at chair@britsoc.nl In the last few weeks, I was privileged to be invited to a lunch with the British Ambassador, Sir Geoffrey Adams, who gave an interesting speech about the need to reform Europe. The background of rules that govern how we progress (or not) as a union, need revitalising by fresh minds and progressive thinkers. Change is imperative for survival. This reminds me of our position as BritSoc. We are changing some vitally important ways in which we operate and even how we think about ourselves as a club. We need all the input and energy we can find at this time. Please help if you can; with an opinion or some time. But do make sure to jog, run, jump, swim, sail, hit, chase or dance enough! See you out there.
Ian Cherington
Chairman chair@britsoc.nloc.nl P.S. There is a new contact person for BritSoc Bridge. If you would like to join in an evening of social Bridge please contact: Mark Ligtenstein at bridge@britsoc.nl or call 035-8878034. Weekly either on Wednesday or Thursday.
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Sailing 2 T
he new sailing season is upon us – hope you will join us. The sailing dates this year will be:
Starts Saturday May 10th (Kaag) Saturday May 31st Saturday June 21st Saturday July 12th Saturday August 2nd Saturday August 23rd Saturday September 13th
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2014
sports/ By Geoff Dudley
M
ost will be at Kaag but two will be at Loosdrecht. Which these will be will be announced later. As last year, Kaag sailing starts with lunch/ drinks from 12:00 noon. We sail in the afternoon and there is a BBQ afterwards. At Loosdrecht we meet at 10:00 h and sail to an island for a picnic lunch. For more details see Geoff’s sailing website at: http:// home.planet.nl/~dudle003/ BritSoc_Sailing/Start.html Or follow the link from the British Society of Amsterdam website. www.britsoc.nl
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T H E 17 TH A M S T E R D A M
Mass Blind Date The only date with a built in escape!
Friday June 20th, 2014 JOIN 100 OTHERS AS THEY SEEK THEIR PRINCE OR PRINCESS ON MASS BLIND DATE EVENING, AT BARS AROUND AMSTERDAM, DATEES SPEND 1.5 HOURS TOGETHER BEFORE RETURNING TO THE AFTER PARTY TO SWAP NUMBERS OR MAKE A QUICK GETAWAY. ALL DATEES MUST BE SINGLE. MUST BE STRAIGHT. MUST SPEAK ENGLISH. FREE! – CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES, SATURDAY JUNE 14TH.
FOR INFO:
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WWW. BRITSOC.NL
OR EMAIL:
REBECCA_TRACEY@HOTMAIL.COM
Café de Jaren to swap dates or swap
AMSTERDAM
Mass Blind Date Friday, June 20, 20.00 - 21.30
Where: in bars in the centre of Amsterdam for the date then Café de Jaren, Nieuwe Doelenstraat, for the after-party.
stories with everyone else on the date. To meet each other, men are told to go to a particular bar, stand in a specific area, and carry an identifying object – it could be a flower, an artichoke or anything else. Women call in to our blind date hotline on the afternoon of the date and are told the bar to go to, where the man will be standing and what he will be carrying. The rest is in the stars… *a top team of professional matchers (well, Tracey, Ian and a few other stragglers over a glass of wine), process your information and come up with the best match for you – up to 100 people take part so there’s a good chance of us getting it right….
Cost: because we’re such nice people, it’s free!
Look forward to hearing from you, Tracey, Marielle and Ian. What we need you to do: Send the following details before Saturday 14th June to rebecca_tracey@hotmail.com
The Amsterdam Mass Blind Date not only
Your name
gives you the chance to meet someone
Your mobile number (note: this will not
new, it’s the only date in town that gives
be disclosed to anyone, but is important
you the chance to swap them if they don’t
to add in case there are any issues and
work out! Here’s how it works:
we need to contact you)
You send us your details, we
Gender (Male/ Female – very important to
scientifically* match you, you go and
add this)
meet your date at a designated bar near
Age
Café de Jaren, you spend 1.5 hours
Star sign
together (gazing in to each other’s eyes
Height
or staring at your watch), you return
Two things about yourself you think
together to the after-party at
are interesting
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Social Friday Fr
| @The Tara 21 http://www.thetara.com/nld/
BLIND DATE COMING IN JUNE!!!! DON’T MISS IT! DETAILS IN THIS MONTH’S ZINE. Friday 9th May, 2014
Back to 2nd Friday of the month
No attendance list or Britsoc membership required—so just show up! Sean Jansen
http://www.britsoc.nl
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rom 1:00
|
events/
Venue: Rokin 85-89, 1012KL Amsterdam Trams: 4,9,14,16,24 and 25 tramstop Rokin. Contact: Tracey Taylor Email: socialfridays@hotmail.com
This venue is a well known bar amongst the expats.
This Irish bar has an interesting variation of rooms mixing from a trendy modern bar to the classic leather armchair corners and fireplaces. We will meet in the far end of the pub where the rear/ back bar area is exiting to the Nes backstreet entrance. Look out for us near the bar wearing a bright pink scarf. Social Fridays is a great opportunity to meet new people or catch up with friends - all welcome.
No attendance list, so just show up!
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BritPhotShot
of the month:
April 26th 2014 marked the 1st King’s Day of Willem-Alexander’s reign and once again the whole country dressed up in orange, and sold their unwanted stuff on the streets and partied like its, well, 2014. This picture was taken on my first Queen’s Day here in 2012 and for me it typifies the way the normally reserved Dutch people love to let their hair down on this very special occasion.
Benjamin Arthur – the British Photographer in Amsterdam. More information: Page 14
www.benjaminarthur.com
King’s Day Photo contest Zine readers and budding photographers submit your King’s Day images to our very special King’s Day Photography contest! The idea is as simple as can be. Submit your best King’s Day shots – up to a maximum of 3* – as attachments to the contest email address which is benjamin@ benjaminarthur.com. Instagrams are acceptable.
Nikon D700. AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED ISO 160, f/6.3 @1/400s.
PRIZE: Bottle of Pimm’s. The Summer’s most refreshing tipple.
We’ll be looking for images that captured the overall spirit of the day or that bring to life unique details that are only seen on King’s Day. Or simply wonderful portraits of people participating. *Pictures submitted should be not more than 5mb in size.
JUDGES: Andy Symmonds and Benjamin Arthur
Britsoc Photo Lesson #3 Kings Day / May 2014Page 15
An iconic bra something ne By Nick Nugent
W
hen you get an invitation to taste the updated menu of an Iconic Brand such as Hard Rock, then you jump at the chance. Your Chairman Ian, Andy (communications) and I were invited by Claire, the Sales and Marketing Manager, to test their new and improved menu, alongside some of the classic dishes which remain. If you have never been to the Amsterdam Hard Rock before, now is your chance to see it before it
undergoes a major renovation. The Amsterdam Hard Rock CafĂŠ is one of the busiest in the world and so to cope with future growth they are doubling in size. One of the other reasons for the increase in size is so that they can more regularly host live music, something which other venues in the chain do. Along with the announcement of the new
one interesting thing is that they are
their new Menu, which is an updated and
in the Amsterdam venue). Nina is a free
premises, launched late in March, was
revamped version, based on customer feedback of over 3,000 guests. The
idea was to provide healthier versions of
classic Hard Rock dishes and increase the number of vegetarian options available. One thing you may not know about the food in Hard Rock is that everything is
prepared from scratch, right down to the BBQ sauce, which means you get fresh
every time you eat there. Another unique aspect is that they have their own in-
house smoking facility which allows them to produce fresh smoked meat for the Smokehouse section of their menu.
Another great facet of Hard Rock in
Amsterdam is you get American service levels. Our host Nina from Poland was extremely bubbly and would be there
within a wink of an eye to attend to our needs. If you did not know about the
traditions of Hard Rock service staff then
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required to wear Pins (10 is mandatory
and scuba diver and so had a fascination with the sea, a theme which all her pins reflected, from the hammerhead shark
as a server for many years. If you manage to stay this long with the company the
rewards are that you receive a silver pin
for each anniversary and a pretty decent watch after 10 years, then after 20 they
add diamonds to it for you! Not bad eh! Of course the other thing Hard Rock is
known for is the Music and Memorabilia.
We were treated to some really fine rock music while we sat and ate, including a
blast from the past for me of Still of the
Night by Whitesnake. Takes me back to
my old rock music pub nights in St Helens
drinking Taboo and Lemonade, 3 of which would have me squiffy in those days!
to the mermaid. One other aspect of
Out of the Memorabilia, the Jimi
and you are recognised then you are able
the most popular with tourists. The
chain. We met a recent transferal from
Amsterdam location is a guitar from
10 pin rule yet, though I am sure she will
Golden Earring are also represented and
working at Hard Rock is if you work hard
Hendricks and the Beatles ones are
to be transferred to other locations in the
most expensive piece they have in the
Toronto, who had not been told about the
George Harrison. The Dutch rock band
correct that before the end of the week.
they are big fans of the cafĂŠ, hosting a
This pin collecting is big business and they
They have mixed up the music a bit more
host regular meetings for pin collectors to buy and swap pins. Apparently if
you own the original opening pins for a
venue or very rare ones like the ones for Queensday, then they can be worth a
fortune. Another server we met, Lauro, was in his 20th year with the company after originally starting as a busboy in
London. He has now been in Amsterdam
recent Platinum Album presentation there. these days and towards the end of our
stay it had become a bit more mainstream pop orientated. The atmosphere was
great with many families and couples all enjoying the music and food. They are
particularly family orientated in fact and will be hosting a Breakfast with Bunny for Easter (which of course will have
taken place before this is published).
and with ew.
from the menu. It was one of the tastiest breaded chicken pieces I have had in a long time. The spinach and artichoke dip was sumptuous, maybe not quite
as healthy as my brain would like me to believe!
Again, on recommendations from Claire, we tried the smokehouse section of the
menu. Andy and I took the same option of the trio combo (which is just over 1
euro more expensive than the duo, we were informed by Nina) with the same
3 meats: Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket and
Ribs. This is some plate of food! I had
enough on my plate for 2. In my opinion the pulled pork was the best thing on
the plate, I think Andy preferred the ribs. The beef brisket was quite tender and flavoursome. It could be the cocktails
which we tried alongside the food, but the smokiness was a bit lacking in my opinion, although the quality of the meat could
not be denied. The small amount of room
I had left for the fries, which were chipped potatoes with the skin left on and spicy coating, were very nice. Their home-
made citrus coleslaw was a bit too dry for me and I would have preferred a more
classical mayo based one, but the spicy cowboy beans were pretty good, from the one or two I could squeeze in. Ian
took the “the Texan” which is a hickory
smoked chicken sandwich with barbeque
sauce, but you will have to ask his opinion
directly as I was too full to steal a try from his plate.
We tried their signature cocktail with our starter which is the Hurricane. It tasted Thanksgiving and other major holidays
Signature Wings, Onion Rings, Tupelo
look out for the details on their website.
with Parmesan flatbread and bruschetta,
are also special occasions at Hard Rock so OK so what about the food? I have to
admit that this was only my second time
Chicken Tenders, Spinach Artichoke Dip served with honey mustard, hickory
barbecue and blue cheese dressing.
very much like a tequila sunrise to me, but with a bit more balanced sweetness. The classic Mojito which Andy and I also tried
was pretty good, although a bit too sweet for me - I would have preferred more lime compared to how it was served.
in Hard Rock, the first being in around
The wings were tender and spiced
With its great location overlooking the
have a reputation for a great burger and
them more fiery, and the blue cheese
American food choices the Hard Rock is
1990 in the London branch. I know they decent beer. Claire suggested we start
with the combo platter which has a bit of everything:
nicely, although for my palette I prefer dip matched well. Apparently the
Tupelo Chicken was Elvis’s favourite and therefore unlikely to ever be removed
canal, fantastic service and classic all
definitely one to look at if you have not
been there and one to try again if it has been a while
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This lovely little work by
In 2005 I went with a couple of
Carl van Niekerk was a very
friends to try my hand at paint-
generous gift from my friend
ing in artist Paul Smit’s Studio
Arie van Harwegen den
in Amsterdam. Paul was our
Breems for my 40th birthday.
guide but we were free to
He was, at that time, working
paint what we liked and, as I
for an art dealer and he
like Elvis Costello more than
obviously has a very good
is probably healthy, I decided
eye . It’s a lovely, restful
to paint my musical hero. This
composition and I love looking
is the result and I was quite
at it, so thanks Arie!
pleased with it, despite receiv-
ALISON SMITH
ing comments such as “I didn’t know you were such a fan of Denzel Washington” and “Is that Bono?” Well I think it’s Mr Costello to a T and he has pride of place on my wall. ALISON SMITH
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HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS By Alison Smith and John Richardson
I have an artist friend called
enormous pleasure. I love
This is another piece by
Cyril Vickers who is the
the perspective, the great
artist Cyril Vickers called Ray
doppelganger of David
expanse of sea with its great
Charles. Because he was blind
Hockney. He even paints
dollops of blue, and the sands
Ray Charles could ‘see’ notes
like him and, naturally, he
of Rye at the top. I always feel
nobody else could hear. But
calls his style Mockneys.
like I’m swimming across the
if I listen carefully I can hear
He very kindly gave me this
room on a beautiful, sunny
him singing ‘I can’t stop loving
painting of Rye Harbour that I
day. A perfectly balmy, blighty
you’ every time I look at this
absolutely adore. It’s in pride
afternoon just before I step out
etching.
of place over my fireplace
of the ocean of blue and into a
JOHN RICHARDSON
and there isn’t a day goes
dry towel and a welcome glass
by that it doesn’t give me
of cooling Pims. JOHN RICHARDSON
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WHY SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE WON’T JUST HELP SCOTLAND The Political case for voting YES to Scottish Independence
by James Mackenzie Page 20
britain/
Y?N > Storm clouds brewing?
Ross Hutton photography.
Page 21
I
n September Scottish voters will decide whether to set up Western Europe’s newest nation-state, or to stick with the UK we have been part of for centuries. Both sides make plenty of cultural arguments - typically nationalist whether of the Scottish or British nationalist variety - and both are determined to try to make an economic case for their position. But those are not the root of the issue. The Scottish electorate will above all be voting on a nonnationalist question: how we are governed, and from where. Currently, most domestic decisions are made at Holyrood, in Edinburgh (apart from issues Labour didn’t trust us on, like drugs and abortion). That means health, education, transport, local taxation and so on. Defence, foreign affairs, immigration, national taxes, macro-economic policy and much more is still dealt with by Westminster. This compromise was designed to head off pressure on Labour in Scotland from the nationalist SNP, not because it was necessarily best for Scotland.
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And it’s incoherent and problematic, especially when Scotland has two governments
In September Scottish voters will decide whether to set up Western Europe’s newest nation-state, or to stick with the UK we have been part of for centuries.
pulling in different directions on so many issues, from welfare to energy. A single administration representing Scottish voters would clearly offer much more coherent governance. But that’s a minor democratic improvement compared to the juicy prospect of effectively abolishing Western Europe’s least democratic Parliament, at least as far as Scots are concerned. Westminster’s second chamber is still composed of hereditary peers, cronies and retired politicians, bishops, and the
like: none of them voted for by the public. And the first chamber isn’t much better. Unlike Holyrood’s proportional system, the archaic first-pastthe-post system used for the House of Commons delivered Labour 55% of the seats in 2005 on just over 35% of the vote, a true democratic obscenity in the 21st century. All three parties which have run Westminster since the birth of the modern era have been in power over the last decade, and none of them has shown any inclination for proper reform, let alone the determination to make it happen. As I say to English friends concerned about Scottish independence, if they had a referendum this year to get themselves out from under this pale echo of democracy, I’d be down there helping them right now. Perhaps an external shock will make the remainder of the UK reconsider its current sclerotic way of being governed, and Scottish independence could be exactly that.
The last two decades have also seen a Westminster-led assault on the achievements of social democracy, no matter whether we’ve had a Labour or Tory Prime Minister. University access now depends on income, not ability, and the health service has been gradually privatised. Key state assets like the Royal Mail have been sold off. The Scottish Parliament has already preserved what it can, especially on health and education. An independent Scotland could go further, retaining and restoring parts of that public service ethos; and perhaps it might even be an inspiration to the rest of the UK when they tire of neoliberalism.
by James Mackenzie James Mackenzie is the former head of media for the Greens in the Scottish Parliament, and now runs Cutbot, an online media and parliamentary monitoring service. He describes himself as a non-nationalist for independence. Page 23
The Dutch Role In World War 1
Andy Symmonds There are many contributory factors behind the start of World War One (WWI), with almost as many opinions about which were the key causes, but the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by a Serbian terrorist triggered a series of decisions that in turn triggered the global conflict.
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Acoustic listening devices developed for the Dutch army as
history/
part of air defense systems research between World Wars 1 and 2.
D
uring WWI the Netherlands remained neutral. A large army was mobilised to defend this neutrality, with a genuine fear that the Germans would invade the south of the country. This potential invasion was thankfully never realized as the army was ill equipped for modern conflict. Even neutrality, however, can come with a cost. The conscript army remained mobilised for the duration of the war meaning that the soldiers were unable to partake in their regular work. Trade in terms of imports and exports also came to an almost complete halt and poverty and starvation were common features of society. The shortage of goods became further exaggerated in the final year of the war when
there was a total blockade of the Dutch merchant fleet by the British navy. The blockade was prompted by accusations that Dutch merchants were supplying the Germans and breaking the trading ban. In response to the blockade the Germans initiated a U-Boat war against all shipping in European waters, sinking any non German shipping regardless of the flag it sailed under. As a result of the Boer Wars that came before the Great War and the events of WWI, relations between Britain and the Netherlands were at an all time low by the end of the war. Europe and these relations improved quickly post war. It is difficult to imagine the formation of the British Society of Amsterdam in 1920 with this recent backdrop, but the society clearly went from strength to strength.
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Golf A
in the Ne
s summer fast approaches and winter becomes a distant memory, the focus of our sporting series this month is golf. This is a well-established sport in the Netherlands to the extent that the Dutch Golf Association (NGF) celebrates its centenary this year. Even with a relatively long history, the game is still growing and this looks like it will receive a boost with the local hero Joost Luiten having had an excellent 2013 and being a real contender to be the first Dutchman to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup later this year.
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sports/
etherlands The good news for the discerning is that there are some excellent courses to play. The top three at the moment, according to the locals, are the Noordwijkse, the Haagse and the Kennemer courses. All three are classic courses with excellent thatched clubhouses, links type setup in the dunes and a true reflection of the pedigree here. A wider audience could surely not ignore the newer and testing courses at the Dutch near Utrecht, and the International near Schiphol – a spectacular setting where a lofted tee shot could pierce the wing of an approaching 747!! For newcomers, the sport in the Netherlands has some peculiar features not found in the UK, the most notable being the Golfvaardigheidsbewijs, or GVB as it is widely known. The GVB is effectively a golf
ability license taking the form of a standardised test and licensing process that players of the game of golf must go through in order to be allowed to play on many courses in the Netherlands. The GVB was introduced because there are few golf courses in relation to the number of golfers. Because there was no requirement previous to the GVB, anyone could play on a public course. This led to situations that were hazardous or undesirable to other players. In the 1980’s the GVB was introduced to remedy this problem. The GVB is a pre-handicap process and guarantees a certain level of ability and knowledge of the rules and etiquette of golf. The GVB is required for entrance into a golfing association or to play on an official golfing association course although most clubs will have their own admittance policy. by Andy Symmonds Page 27
Britsoc Golf/
T
here have recently (April 2013) been some changes to the rules that not everyone is fully aware of, so we will try to help you through this. In the Netherlands there are three steps to follow: Baanpermissie (course permission): the local pro has determined that the player is good enough to go out on the local course (but only the local course). You naturally have to pay (approximately â‚Ź20) for your baanpermissie and you need to check with each club what their specific rules are. If you live in the Amsterdam area then you can currently play without a handicap or a GVB at Amstelborgh, the Abcoudebaan at Olympus, and Waterland.
Golfvaardigheidsbewijs (GVB): the player has taken a test and is deemed good enough to obtain the GVB. The player can play on any course where GVB is the minimal requirement. This test now comprises of a theory test (available in Dutch or English) that means you have to score a minimum of 23 from 30 multiple choice questions, and a practical test requiring you to play some golf. Under the new rules you now have to play nine holes with a maximum score per hole of three shots over the par. Handicap: the player has taken the handicap exam and has played the required amount of holes with a score deemed eligible for a handicap. The player can now play any course for which the handicap is the minimum requirement. Some clubs will not let players on their course with a handicap greater than 24. If you already have a handicap from another country you can exchange it for a NGF (Nederlandse Golf Federatie) handicap. There are additional costs for you to register (and update if appropriate) your handicap, and these costs vary by club. One relatively easy route is to register with United Golf (http://www. unitedgolfclub.nl ) at a cost of â‚Ź49.99. If you are new to golf or a seasoned player but new to the Netherlands and looking for some input, there is a British Pro working out of the Amstelborgh Golf Centrum called Steve Killin. Steve can help you get out onto the golf course whatever your level of experience is. He can be contacted at steven@skgolf.nl and is available for private and group lessons and can coach you through the exam process. Page 28
golf/
The British Society currently has a privileged set of three tee times on Saturday mornings at the local Hoge Dijk course in Amsterdam. At no extra charge, members are welcome to join in a social round and meet some expats. Sending an email to golf@britsoc.nl is all you need to do. If you are looking to join an informal club of other players then there is a friendly group of like minded golfers called the Banditos. This is a mixture of expatriate and Dutch players that play every other weekend throughout the year. If you are interested then please contact the club secretary, John Williams, at secretary@thebanditos.net By Andy Symmonds
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40 years of graphic experience All graphic and printing services Professional assistance with all your printing demands Or teliusstraat 362hs, 1056 PV AMSTERDAM Tel: 020 6275025 / 06 27305428 E-mail: ieee25qr@kpnmail.nl Member of The British Society of Amsterdam
British Language Training Centre
bltc
English & Dutch Courses Teaching English (TEFL) www.bltc.nl Tel. 020 622 3634
Page 30
ISA campus, main entrance
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Setting the stage. At ISA, we believe that great facilities can set the stage for great learning. ISA is housed in a space specially designed for international education. And inspiration. Our facilities include a four-floor library/media center, a 400-seat theatre, science labs and specialist studios for music, art, and drama. More than 400 computers are joined in a school-wide, online network. Students work with laptops and iPads in the classroom. Two state-of-the-art gyms, discovery oriented playgrounds and adjacent playing fields are large, well equipped and secure. ISA’s campus is not a luxury. It’s where ideas are born.
Exciting and developing young minds Sportlaan 45 - 1185 TB Amstelveen - The Netherlands - Tel. +31 20 347 1111 - www.isa.nl
Taste Life!
Kingsalmarkt, the world-famous foodstore! We are known for our wide range of products from countries all over the world. ‘Taste life’ is what we call that. Visit us for your favourite American cornflakes, brownies and soups, British jams and honey, Mexican tortillas, Spanish tapas and ham, Italian coffee and pasta and French cheese. Of course you can pick up the rest of your groceries too.
Rembrandtweg 621, 1181 GV Amstelveen-noord, tel. 020 643 37 51 www.kingsalmarkt.nl info@kingsalmarkt.nl Easily reached by car (free parking) and public transport (5 or 51 tram to Kronenburg) Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 9 am – 6 pm Saturday: 9 am – 5 pm
Page 31
Page 32
NICK’S NOSH
Britsoc food correspondent Nick Nugent Reporting from the four corners of the Amsterdam kitchen Food Festival Diary: Page 33
Food Festival Diary:
A
pril and May usher in the start of the food festivals in and around Amsterdam. Below I have given a selection to get you all the way until July. Don’t say I never told you. I have not included regular markets like Neighbour Food Market or Pure Markt, which I hope you have all found by now. If you come across any others that I should mention in a future issue, please contact me at nicksnosh@hotmail.com
Taste of Amsterdam 15-18 May 2014
15th 17:00 – 23:00 16th 16:00 – 23:00 17th 12:00 – 23:00 18th 12:00 – 21:00 Location: Amstelpark, Amsterdam http://www.tasteofamsterdam.com/ Tickets cost 9:50 euros for entry. Florijn for buying food and drink is 1.25 each If you want to get an idea of the event see my review from last year in the July/Aug edition of Zine under Nicks Nosh. I am away this year but if any guest writer wants to review the event please feel free to send us your review to nicksnosh@hotmail.com
Film Food Festival 9-11 May 2014
Location: Various http://www.foodfilmfestival.nl/en/ It is mostly a film festival about food,but there are some workshops. One features our own Chris Naylor giving a Masterclass on Eggs!
Rollende Keukens (Rolling Kitchens) 28 May to 1 June 2014 - 13.00 to 23.00 Location: Westergasfabriek Amsterdam. http://www.rollendekeukens.nl/ Tickets: Free
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This event returns for its seventh edition of this fun outdoor event with food served from mostly VW camper vans.
Dutch Raw food Festival
Viva las Vegas food festival
Location: Boerderij Langerlust, Provincialeweg 24, Amsterdam.
Location: Oldschool Gaasterlandstraat 5 Amsterdam
http://www.rawfoodfestival.nl/
http://vlvfoodfestival.nl/
Tickets: TBC
This free food and lifestyle festival is to showcase vegan, vegetarian, organic and local produce.
1 June 2014 – 11:00 21:00
This is the second edition of this festival. If you are interest to take a peek at this food movement then this would be an interesting place to start.
29 June 2014 – 9:30-22:00
Contact: nicksnosh@hotmail.com
Vlaggetjesdag
(Flag day – arrival of the new Herring or “Hollandse Nieuwe”)
14 June 2014 - time TBC Location: Scheveningen.
http://www.vlaggetjesdag.com/ If you want to try the freshest of the fresh herring then this is the place to be in June. It has lots of other activities to keep you interested but the focus is on the herring.
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Baked Salmon with Parsley Sauce Karen Vivers
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food glorious/
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food glorious/ K
aren Vivers, originally from Scotland, has lived here in Amsterdam since 1997, and has set up the Cooking Coach to help inspire people to get back into the kitchen. The basis of the cooking lessons are easy, tasty, healthy recipes. Each course starts with a free introduction session, to make sure that you only cook what you like to eat. As well as cooking lessons, Karen offers Culinary Tours in Amsterdam, is a passionate Food Blogger and works freelance as a Culinary Consultant, specialising in small and medium businesses, helping them get started, grow and deal with commercial challenges.
Spring Time Lunch. Baked Salmon with Parsley Sauce
In the depths of winter, I am cooking stews and casseroles. Meat based, marrow based, bones sticking out of the pot kind of meals. Lots of root vegetables, woody herb flavours and beer, mustard or meat stock sauces. I find it practically impossible, in those moments, to even conceive that I could ever want anything else. I cannot imagine that the weather will again influence my food choice. You’d think, after all these years, that I would have learned. Learned that yes, spring follows winter, and yes, as it does every year, my tastes will adapt and I will go from craving the deep dark dense delicacies of the winter kitchen to the light, lively, luscious spring and summer flavours. I must be slow on the uptake. And again, to my wonderment and culinary naivety, along with the change in the weather and the longer evenings, I reach for another set of ingredients. Not only do the ingredients change, but the cooking techniques too. Long gone are the slow cooks of the dark winter days. Now it’s all about quick and fresh meals. The heavy meats are replaced by a longing for lighter fish. The dark sauces are dumped for zingy options. The woody hard herbs give way to soft summer ones. There are some things that don’t change though. Whatever time of year I still like to have a nice lunch at the weekend. A proper, sit down, cooked lunch. I don’t say a Sunday lunch, because it can just as easily happen on a Saturday for me. So what do you do? Yes, of course, you could always still do a big piece of roast meat, I mean, what’s spring without lamb? Thing is though, as the weather gets better I want to be out and about in it, not staring through the glass of my oven, clock watching until the lamb is cooked. I suppose you could turn to that all year rounder, the god ole’ chicken. I don’t always want that though. I want real change. At this time of changing seasons, I want something that clearly marks it. So being
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the kind of person who is attracted to extremes, that’s what I do here. I go from my slow beer braised oxtail stews to fish. In this case, salmon. It’s something about the colour I think. The pinkness against the fresh green of the parsley that confirms for me that summer is coming and I have made it through another winter.
Preparation Time: Less than 15 minutes Cooking Time: Less than 15 minutes Ingredients for 4 servings For the salmon 4 x tbsp tomato ketchup 2 x tbsp light soy sauce 2x tbsp Chinese rice vinegar 2 x tbsp honey 2 x tsp Shao Xing rice wine (optional) For the Sauce 15gr / 0.5 oz. unsalted butter 15gr / 0.5 oz. plain flour 300ml / 10 fl oz. semi-skimmed (half fat) milk 2 x heaped teaspoons of Dijon mustard A large handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped very finely Salt (easy on the salt as the mustard can be salty)
Method To bake the Salmon 1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C / 400°F. 2. Place aluminium foil in a roasting tray. Enough so that you can wrap the fish in it loosely. Place the fish on the foil. Drizzle over the oil and the lemon juice. Sprinkle over the salt and the pepper. 3. Cover your fish with the foil, making a loose parcel. 4. Place the tray in the oven and allow to bake for 7 to 12 minutes. The cooking time will not only depend on your oven, but also on how thick the salmon fillets are. 5. While the salmon is baking you can make the sauce. To Make The Sauce 6. Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan. Not a non-stick pan.
food glorious/ 7. Add the flour and mix it, using a metal whisk, until it is covered with the butter (a few seconds) 8. Add about half of the milk, whisk vigorously, it will be lumpy, don’t worry. 9. Once this is thickened into a mass, add the other half and whisk until smooth. 10. Turn the heat down to low, add the mustard and parsley with a little salt and mix it through with a wooden spoon, let the sauce simmer very gently for a few minutes. 11. If at any point you feel the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of milk. 12. Check for seasoning and serve.
Tips and Variations • • • •
•
I like to serve this dish with some boiled new potatoes and either broccoli or green beans. You can use other fish too. Trout works very well, or milder tasting fish like whiting, cod or halibut. Try adding some chives to the sauce for an extra flavour. You can make the sauce in advance. It may seem thick, but when you heat it gently again, it should reach the texture you want. If not, just add some milk. For a really luxurious version, use cream instead of milk, or use half cream, half milk.
all skill levels. As well as the recipes in the book showing you what to eat, there is lots of information about how to eat to stay healthy. This book started life as a collection of recipes used by Karen to lose over 40kgs. Karen was diagnosed with a Binge Eating Disorder (B.E.D ) in 2003 and had lost and gained 100’s of kgs over her teenage and adult life. Karen realized that she had to face her fear (and her great love) – food - and take a whole new approach. This became the start of her successful and sustainable weight loss and the inspiration for her business “The Cooking Coach”. The book can also be downloaded to kindle and other E-readers and is compatible with tablets and smartphones as well as laptops and PCs.
Karen’s COOKING BOOK “Love Food, Live Healthy” now available on Amazon.
Learn How to Cook the Healthy, Tasty Meals you WANT to Eat!
Karen has recently published her first book ‘Love Food, Live Healthy’ ,which is ideal if you want to eat more consciously or lose weight without compromising on flavour or your enjoyment of food. A very achievable, common sense approach to healthy eating and cooking. With over 150 no-fuss, contemporary recipes suitable for cooks of
The Cooking Coach Love Food, Live Healthy www.thecookingcoach.eu Mobile : 06 1424 0009 Email: karen@thecookingcoach.eu Page 39
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