Going Dutch.

To supper last night with the Dutch artist Aaat (no relation) Van Rijn at the holiday home of an Englishwoman for whom he house-sits. Penny and Paul had been invited but had to cry off because Paul had been struck down with a bad back. We first met Aat at Penny’s wedding last year. He subsequently exhibited at Pat’s gallery. Pictured above is one of his paintings, Luigi’s Cantina, held by Luigi. The other guests were a couple of Dutch guys who run an agriturismo in Montèlparo and an Italian banker, Livio, from Ascoli. The Dutch couple had spent two years restoring their home which had been empty since 1968 and learning how to tend vines and rear pigs. One of them, a psychologist, is returning to Holland for a few weeks to re-establish contact with former clients. In Holland if a firm fires someone because he’s failing to do his job properly the business is, as a consequence, fined. It’s therefore cheaper for the firm to pay a psychologist to sort him out. Matthijs is hoping to persuade his former clients to send their problem staff to him in Italy - RyanAir flights are cheap whilst conference facilities in Holland are very expensive.

Aat is an excellent cook. The antipasti included excellent homemade asparagus and tuna sauces and exquisitely marinaded artichokes. An excellent lasagna for primo. The pudding was Dutch - a semolina based coconut compote.