It’s been a while since I’ve treated you to a travelpost, but today you can read one about Delft and a visit to Royal Delft to be more precise!

A couple of weeks ago, on a very windy and cold Saturday, my friend Katrien and I did another daytrip. This time we would visit Delft.

Delft is known for a special kind of porcelain: Delft Blue. Delft Blue is a kind of tin-glazed earthenware or faience which became popular in the 17th century. When the import of Chinese porcelain declined because of civil wars in China, the Dutch potteries developed their own version which was the start of the Dutch Delftware industry.

Royal Delft is established in 1653 and it is the last remaining Delftware factory from the 17th century that still produces hand painted Delft Blue according to tradition.

 

The decoration process starts with the creation of the outline after which the Delftware painters carefully fill in the details. The paint is water based and color shades are created by adding more, or less, water to the paint. Due to a chemical reaction during the firing process, the design painted in black, hidden below the glaze, turns blue. The hand-painted products are to be recognized by the Royal Delft trademark.

During a visit to Royal Delft, you can see how Delft Blue is created. We visited the factory on a Saturday so there was no one at work in the atelier, but one of the painters was working on a new vase.

After our visit to the factory, museum and shop, we ended up having lunch at the brasserie of Royal Delft. You can also make a reservation for afternoon tea which looks like a treat!

Having done our cultural bit, it was time for some strolling around this beautiful town. I had visited Delft before, but my friend hadn’t yet, so we did the usual sights: the Old and New Church, the city hall, Prinsenhof, the canals,… and of course we did some shopping as well (check out next Saturday’s fashionpost I’d say!).

We ended up having diner at ‘t Postkantoor, a place where my husband and I had diner last year. This former post office is now a fabulous place to have breakfast, lunch or diner, or just to enjoy a glass of wine and some nibbles. The menu offers a selection of fusion dishes (France meets the Eastern and Dutch cuisine) and is surprising and on trend. Last time I was there with my husband, we shared a large diner platter (diner for two) and that’s just what we ordered now as well. This is a very versatile diner platter, offering several smaller dishes. Perfect for those who can’t choose what to order from the à la carte menu!

 

For those who want to know: we payed 21,5 EUR per person for our diner platter and it  consisted of the following dishes:

• Mushroom soup with spinach yoghurt and pistachio crunch
• Salmon marinated with red beets, pickled radish and a herb-cream fraîche
• Salad with tomato couscous, roasted cauliflower and tomato salsa
• Marinated and softly cooked duck breast with winter purslane, gravy and red cabbage mayonnaise
• Vegetarian wellington with green cabbage, pickled cauliflower and tomato-paprika pesto
• Potato tortilla

For dessert my friend had banana tarte tatin with salty caramel and banana mascarpone and I had orange pana cotta with citrus crumble and a scoop of vanilla icecream… to die for, needless to say 😛

Once again our daytrip was over before we knew it, but we had a fantastic time. Delft never ceases to amaze me. There is so much history in this little town. Definitely worth a visit once in a while if you ask me!

Do scroll all the way down as there are plenty of pics to explore!

Love, Kathleen