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Helvellyn Revisited |
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| When you stand on the top of the viewing
platform in Helvellyn and look north, it feels like the northernmost
tip of Grenada. Isle de Ronde, Kick 'em Jenny and Isle de Caille seem
tantalizingly close. You can watch yachts clawing their way northwards
or romping back south. Carriacou and Union are further away and
usually visible. On a really clear day you can see St. Vincent.
Helvellyn has just opened as a restaurant and I am delighted to review it, but I cannot in any fairness consider my judgement unbiased - I have known the house and its occupants far too long. It must have been nearly 30 years ago that I first came here. I was invited by a delightful young couple I had recently become friends with - Alan and Shirley Hooper. The occasion was the birthday of Shirley's father Alistair Glean and the hostess was his wife Phyllis, Helvellyn was the home Shirley had grown up in. I remember now the first time I drove in - the grand driveway, so many beautiful flowers, the wonderful lawn and the spectacular view. I soon found that the garden had other hidden delights waiting to be explored - like a small shaded knoll with views all round, and little pathways that led along the steep hill and down to the sea. Alistair told me he that he built the house during the war when there was no building iron to be had as it had all gone for the war effort. So he resorted to reinforcing his concrete with bamboo. The style of the house is typically Grenadian, similar to many houses owned by planters in the old days. He also pointed out a tree on the lawn to me and asked me what I thought it was. A safe bet at that time, as I had recently arrived and knew nothing about Grenadian trees. It was trick question anyway for this strange tree had a million bright yellow flowers and huge green fruits. It was a calabash tree into which he had trained a flowering Alamanda vine till tree and vine had become like one.
Wandering around Helvellyn today it strikes me that well maintained gardens are considerably more durable than human beings. The garden looks much like it did thirty years ago, but we don't. Alistair and Phyllis passed away a long time ago. Alan and Shirley brought two delightful children into the world and over the years I watched Robert and Karen grow from babies to adulthood whereupon they disappeared off to Europe to do their thing. Karen recently returned with a handsome young Moroccan by her side. He is called Badre, locally pronounced Bad which gives Alan and I excuses to make bad puns. Karen and Badre have opened the family home as a restaurant and bar so Jeff Fisher, Linda and I went up to sample the fare. Karen welcomed us at the little open-air bar on the lawn with fresh cherry and carombola juices made with fruits from trees in the garden. We decided to walk down to the beach before lunch. The trail is not hard for those who are used to walking on a pitching deck but don't suggest it to your great aunt with troublesome knees unless she's rich and you are the main beneficiary of her will. The beach, which is at the bottom of the property, is wild and beautiful - though the surf can preclude swimming in a northerly swell. Even though it was not high season for turtles we found two clear sets of tracks made by turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs. It would be a great place to turtle watch on a full moon night.
The hike back up gave us plenty of appetite which is just as well as after the fixed three course meal you are unlikely to need much dinner. The menu changes day by day, though it follows a pattern of offering a variety of traditional and newer dishes, all made from local ingredients. We sampled all the day's starters - a traditional saltfish souce - a callaloo quiche and a delightful cold yam soup. The main courses were Creole fish or chicken, and these were served with five separate local vegetables served in calabash bowls made from the tree on the lawn. For dessert there was a variety of homemade ice-creams and carombola pie. It was all delicious. For those of us who sail boats, beautiful gardens make a refreshing change. Helvellyn is a wonderful place to hang out for a day. Sit and read on the lawn - take a walk to the beach, enjoy a great lunch. It is best to go when you will not share it with a busload of tourists from a cruise ship. Just book in advance on a day they are not expecting a big group (tel:473-442-9252). And for those that like the idea of turtle watching, Karen and Badre plan to have some guest rooms sometime soon. Back to Grenada Back to islands
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