The Casa Hotel’s Sapori Di Casa is delighted to announce our Feast of St Martin – an evening of superb northern Italian cuisine and fine wines in celebration of Saint Martin’s Day, or San Martino as he is known as in Italy.
St Martin was the Bishop of Tours and the patron saint of vintners (wine-makers), and is typically celebrated Italian-style with traditional food and wines. The feast is all about enjoyment of the fleeting moments of our life and sharing the experience with our friends and loved ones.
This term comes from the famous tale of St Martin, who reportedly cut his cloak in two to share with a lowly beggar. Immediately, the weather changed from cold and rainy to sunshine and heat, and so coined the phrase ‘San Martino summer’.
It is also known as an Indian summer in some parts of north Europe and both are a reference to the last embrace of warmth before the final onset of winter sets in.
The 11th November was the period when the peasants would settle their dues following the harvest. They would re-establish (or not) the ‘sharecropping’ contract for another year, and often they would eat goose so they didn’t have to move with it! The traditional Cassoeula – a cabbage and pork stew – was also popularly prepared in the Po Valley with goose meat (also called bottaggio). ‘Fare San Martino’ is a phrase still common today, and means ‘to change place of work’ or move house.
Mid November is the perfect time for chestnuts and novello wines, which play an integral part in the feast for the community. An old proverb says “At San Martino every must becomes wine”. This is because at this time of year, the wine harvested between September and October is finally ready to be uncorked and shared with a toast and good company.
The San Martino Feast includes:
This sparkling wine from the Province of Brescia, Lombardy has DOCG status. It is produced using the traditional method from grapes grown within the boundaries of the territory of Franciacorta, on the hills located between the southern shore of Lake Iseo and the city of Brescia. It was awarded DOC status in 1967.
A starter of roasted chestnuts soup with grilled porcini and crispy guanciale bacon. Guanciale is a bacon that comes from the cheek of the animal. It is sweeter and tastier than traditional belly bacon. Grilled porcini mushrooms from the Bergamasco region are renowned throughout Italy for their exceptional quality. They are considered by many to be the best in the world.
A DOC white wine to perfectly enhance the creaminess of the chestnuts and porcini. Its production is permitted only in the province of Mantua.
This typical winter dish is popular in Northern Italy is sometimes Italianized as cazzuola or cazzola or bottaggio. Usually, cassoeula is served with polenta and/or a strong red wine. It is traditionally eaten starting 11th November, after the first frost of the season to let the cabbage be softer and tastier. This dish mainly uses less popular pork cuts like ribs, rind, trotters, ears, nose and tail. Verzino sausage and sometimes other meats like goose are also popular. They are cooked in a casserole with ingredients such as onion, carrot, celery and black pepper for about three hours. After, the cabbage is added and cooking continues for a further half-hour. No feast of St Martin is complete without it!
When young, these wines offer a very intense aroma of fresh red cherries and blackberries. In the lightest versions, hints of cherries, raspberries and blueberries are present. Notes of blackberry and black cherries are common in wines made with more ripe grapes. Many producers employ the use of toasted oak barrels to provide increased complexity, ageing potential, and hints of vanilla notes.
Cups of macaroons, chestnuts and mascarpone are deliciously flavoured with amaretto liqueur. This autumnal dessert is composed of a soft and delicious cream prepared with boiled chestnuts is the perfect finale to our Feast of San Martino. It is complimented with dark chocolate and mascarpone and finished with a handful of crumbled amaretti.
This dessert wine is deep purplish red and has intense violet reflections to the eye. This wine has a nose rich in blueberries, black cherries and wild strawberries, and can remind of overripe fruits and a jam-like sweetness. Sweet and soft on the palate, vinous, medium-bodied and persistent, it really is the perfect end to a feast. This wine is worked only in steel and refermented in autoclave, and so takes us back to the most deeply rooted winemaking traditions of the Oltrepò Pavese lands. It is best appreciated with eyes closed.
Last year, Christmas and New Year were far from the joyful celebrations we are used to. With all the lockdowns and restrictions that kept us from enjoying these special times with friends, colleagues, and loved ones, many of us didn’t get to have a Christmas Party. So, this year we are going to be making up for lost time. We’ve planned a lively calendar of extra special festive celebrations guaranteed to lift your spirits and make happy memories that you won’t forget.
For annual office Xmas parties or a stress-free Christmas day or New Year’s Eve without the washing up, we are pulling out the stops to make sure that 2021 ends on a high note. We all deserve it, right?!
Our corporate Christmas parties come with a twist. A Masquerade Style Celebration where you dress to impress and we provide the masks. With delicious set menus and a range of drinks packages, all you have to do is relax and enjoy the great company. Our live entertainment and DJ will help you party the night away.
We have dates available from November until the last weekend before Christmas, which come with 3 packages to suit all budgets. All come with a delicious 3 course set menu with a huge selection to choose from, with a glass of fizz on arrival, your complimentary Masquerade Mask, and the inhouse entertainment all night. Alternative packages include varying levels of alcohol.
If you find you or your company won’t have time to fit in celebrations before Christmas, we offer discounted Après Christmas Parties throughout January. So no one has to miss out on the fun! Who said Januarys are boring….? Check out how to survive the office Xmas Party.
Why not make this year’s Christmas Day even more special with a home-away-from-home Christmas Lunch. Our carvery comes with all the trimmings. Lovingly prepared by The Casa with none of the stress and mess! Our carvery is packed with the finest selection of hand-carved roasted meats, with a vast array of cold starters, salads and sides. We have delicious fish platters, a feast of hot foods to suite all palates including vegetarian and that’s before we even get to the deserts! (Children under 3 eat free.)
You can make it even more of a celebration to remember with our special Christmas Day Package. This includes Christmas Carvery Lunch, an overnight stay for two and breakfast the following morning! Make Xmas 2021 a year to remember at The Casa.
Make sure you see the year out with a bang! We can take the stress out of your New Year Party with our exclusive Masquerade Ball. You can choose from 3 packages. The Masquerade Ball ticket, Masquerade Ball Premium and our Exclusive Masquerade Package.
Dress code is super glamourous and we will provide you with your masks. Enjoy canapes and a glass of fizz on arrival before sitting down to a sumptuous five-course meal. Then you can enjoy yourself with live entertainment and dance the night away at our disco. All with no mess or washing up to do!
To discuss dates and availability, call 01252 873 275 and a member of our team will be happy to help.
See you this Christmas!!
Yateley, a beautiful suburb in Hampshire, is just an hour’s drive from London. If you are looking to escape the hustle and bustle of busy cities, a holiday in Yateley is just what the doctor ordered. Check out this Yateley city guide to know all the fun things you can do in Yateley and all the nearby attractions.
Take in the beautiful countryside with refreshing walks while you’re in Yateley. You could even rent a bicycle if that’s what you prefer. Basingstoke Canal, Horseshoe Lake and Yateley Commons are perfect places to explore on a bicycle or on foot. Visit during autumn and let the autumn colours bedazzle you into forgetting life’s little stresses. Yateley also has some great golf courses such as Blackwater Valley and Pine Ridge golf courses.
There are lots to see in and around Yateley. Yateley Park, Sandhurst Memorial Park and Wellington Country Park are some of the top local attractions. If you love museums, head over to Aldershot Museum, Milestones Museum or Farnborough Air Sciences. If you can head off a little further, plan a day trip to The Stonehenge or Windsor Castle. You can find more information on the official Yateley city guide website.
Yateley has fantastic restaurants and you get almost all popular cuisines here. Casa Hotel’s Sapori di Casa serves up the most authentic Italian food in Yateley. For Indian food, head over to Zee Dining. Rice serves the best South East Asian food and Kokoro Camberley is popular for Korean and Japanese.
Yateley has several bed and breakfasts and boutique hotels, but The Casa Hotel offers the best value for money. With 63 elegant rooms in a historic 17th-century building, immaculate gardens and several banquets and meeting facilities, The Casa Hotel offers a grand proposition no matter your requirement. And then there’s our excellent service and fantastic food too!
