Well, you can't have Fairytale Food without having your OWN FAIRYTALE, now can you? So Witch Gretel decided to make her own story. A real fairytale story with kings and trolls, and witches and of course.... a hero child (that's YOU!) Go on and read, you will like it and for a while you feel just like many, many years ago when your mother told you a bedtale, just before sleeping. Or perhaps you read books full of enchanting tales..... I know I did!

At this very moment, we only have the fairytale in the English and Dutch language, but very soon, this page will be tranlated in other languages too. Or just use the translation tool at the bottom of this page to put the story in your tongue. Click to read the Dutch fairytale/Nederlands sprookje lezen...

Click on image to see who´s behind the Witch....

Once upon a time there was....... a beautiful southern region where they already had everything when it comes to food and restaurants. But never say "everything" because you always see people who are able to find something that is NOT yet there. And so Witch Gretel came up with the idea of opening a delightful and scandalous delicious pancake restaurant. Not just a "small crepe", oh no! Giant pancakes! Filled with all kinds of sweets and savory so that when people tasted it one time, they immediately became addicted to the delicious savour and nice & happy feelings that got over them.

And so it happened that Witch Gretel announced a grand opening, with a super stunt as introduction. Soon it caused a stir around the Algarve kingdom of King Bravura, that there at the reservoir a very special eating house was about to open. The witch had hired many town-criers to proclaim the news loud & clear in all corners of the Algarve.

And it worked.
The people in the Mediterranean region, who only remembered the pancakes from their far childhood, started to recall the memories and immediately it made their mouth water. One person still knew the delicious bacon pancake, another one recalled that old-fashioned sugar pancake with pineapple and whipped cream and couldn't wait to taste it again. Someone painted a picture in his mind of a pancake stuffed with raisins, apple and cinnamon.

And king Bravura himself? King Bravura who married Princess Barragem many years ago, saw his son Prince Lagos and his daughter Princess Odiáxere already enjoying a pancake with goat cheese and honey. And he himself fancied a pancake with fresh fruit, icecream and cream. Thus dreamed the whole kingdom of King Bravura on the delicacies that Witch Gretel had announced.

And finally, after a long wait and many dreams on March 15. and 16. 2008 the day came that the residents of the warm south could make acquaintance with the concoctions of Witch Gretel. In large numbers they came up to the eating house of the witch and without exception everyone enjoyed the delicious food. Because even those who didn't like pancakes, were spoiled with other joyful foodproducts such as omelets, sandwiches, fresh apple pie, homemade soup, etc. etc. And of course there were drinks in abundance. It was truly busy and guests were coming and going on the large terrace at the lake and in the restaurant itself. The witch had hired a huge amount of trolls to prepare and help cooking all the enchanting food.

And her magical formula had great effect!

After taking a few bites everyone was pleasantly surprised and immediately hooked on the food formula of the cooking Witch. In addition, it was so cosy and pleasant that everyone felt an inner pressure to come back every day. Even King Bravura was enchanted with such a cooking delight within his kingdom.

But the royal head-cook in the palace was not happy. Watur was his name and he was the only one in the whole country, who out of pure anger, had not tasted the delicious pancakes of the witch. He saw with great reluctance that the king and his family no longer had any appetite, because the only thing they wanted was Witch Gretel's food. And all the while he cooked the most appetizing courses and exquisite meals...... but nobody ate it....aaaarrggh!

And the Royal family was not the only one that didn´t eat at home anymore. Everyone was enchanted by the cozy atmosphere and the delicious food, so that each day everyone was going back to the dam and the delicious brews of the witch. Soon, the grocery shop in the village closed its doors and the bakers could not sell their bread to anyone. The butcher had already gone broke, because he and his family were in the sun on the terrace at the pancake house all day long.

Addiction has many faces, because the nice lady of the chocolate shop pretended that her store was still running very well and hid the chocolates from her shop in her own garden. Meanwhile she ordered her little son Hansel to go to the eathouse at the lake every day to buy her the most delicious dishes.... And Hansel neatly did what he was asked to do.


But one day he didn´t feel so good. Hansel had slept poorly and was tired, but nevertheless his mother commanded him to go and get a few super-large pancakes at the Royal Reservoir. Royal Reservoir? Yes, because of the big success King Bravura had been naming the water after himself. And since the witch had not given a name to her restaurant the popular phrase people in the region frequently used was ....... "I'll go and eat at the Bravura".

THAT SPECIAL DAY
That day would turn out to be a very special day. Hansel never could have suspected that he would be declared the big hero of the country on this particular day. Because do you know what happened ....?

On the way to the pancake house, he met Watur, the royal head-cook of the king. Together they walked to the top of the hill. Cook Watur was a strong and proud man, but he was constantly complaining that no one was eating his delicious courses anymore. So he wanted to see with his own eyes what this terrible witch was preparing in her kitchen. And why everyone was so wild about her cooking skills, while he himself had been studying for many years to achieve his status.

Little Hansel heard the lamentation, and told that his mother was exactly the same. They just ate pancakes, soup, omelets, pastries and sandwiches of witch Gretel. Once they arrived at the restaurant master-cook Watur ordered the very best pancake in the menu. Little Hansel, however, didn't feel like any food and passed over this time. However, he correctly ordered dinner for his mother.

While he was waiting for his order Hansel took the time to walk around the restaurant. The building was covered with all kinds of sweets, but today he had no intention of tasting anything. And before he knew it he was standing at the back at the premises near the kitchen door. He heard a woman screaming to the trolls that they had to work harder. She had a high pitched voice with a terrible sound; "That must be the witch" he said to himself. He became curious and put his ear on the steel door to be able to hear what was being said inside.


"Don´t forget to put the magical potion on all pancakes!" the witch screamed. "You know how important that is. Haha, they have no idea how addicted I make them with my brew. They will come to me their whole life and I will be the onely one left to cook dinners. Most shops and restaurants have already been closed and the few last ones will follow soon!." lisped Witch Gretel.

"And then, hahahahaha!" she squealed in an ice-cold voice, "everyone is depending on me and I can do whatever I want. In their faces I act nice and friendly, but they don´t know what my plans are. That will be the worst surprise of their lives." And again she screeched from victory, it went straight through the bone...

The words he heard startled little Hansel and by accident he knocked down a few empty bottles, with a big noise they fell against the kitchendoor and scattered in hundred pieces. The witch in the kitchen heard the tinkle of the fallen glass and screamed to her trolls "Quiet you all! What´s that I hear outside? Is there anybody out there?" And with a quick movement she opened the door and there was Hansel frightened to dead.
"Well well, little spy, did you come here for eavesdropping? I will teach you a lesson once and for all, because nobody can ever bring out my secret. You know now that everyone is bewitched immediately after eating my pancakes. For this I use a special elixir that my trolls are pouring over the food, but this has to remain a secret and may never be known to others. So as punishment I will lock you up in the cage next to the oven." Hansel was struggling but the witch suddenly grab his neck and threw him in a shed and locked the door.

Hansel started to cry softly, but all of a sudden he felt a huge force coming up in his body. "That wicked witch! I must stop her!" he said to himself. "I wont' stay in this cage. I will free the people of kingdom Bravura from their addiction. But ... ... oh, oh, oh .............. those pancakes are so incredibly gorgeous! How can I ever succeed?"

While Hansel was talking to himself on the other side of the building Royal master cook Watur had taken place at a table on the terrace. While enjoying a mild beer he had a good look around. He was still waiting for his fruit pancake. That was the flavour he choose after a long and difficult gaze at the menu. He had big doubts on what flavor to pick, out of the huge list with extra ordinary savours. He was very curious how it would taste and roused his expectations with the thought.


But he was most curious about one thing: how witch Gretel cooks all these pancakes so well that everyone wants to eat them every day? "You know what, I just go and ask", he said to himself. Many little trolls were doing the waiting so he approached one gnome and said "I'm the head cook of King Bravura and I'm very curious about the witches' recipes. Can you ask her if I may take a look in her kitchen? "

A little later the troll came back and asked Watur to follow him into the kitchen. "Blimy!" he thought, "that's easy..." They walked through a narrow hallway and after a few steps stood in front of a large steel door. He heard the troll say a word that he had never heard before. That obvious was a kind of secret password because immediately after he heard the sound of various locks and chains that were unlocked on the other side of the steel door. 

The witch opened the door with a wide gesture and said on very friendly tone: "What a great honor to receive the master chef cook of King Bravura in my kitchen. Of course you are more then welcome." "Well well, that's a friendly witch", Watur thought and replied:" I hear so many good stories about your pancakes that I am very curious about the recipe that you use. "

"But of course sir. But first let me offer you the taste of my ultimate pancake. I have baked this one especially for you." She had much trouble to remove the harsh crack out of her voice, because otherwise the cook probably wouldn't trust her. What Watur didn't know was the 3-double portion of magical potion on this special pancake. "Hahaha", the witch thought to herself, "as soon as that idiot tasts my recipe, he will be addicted for the rest of his life, hihihi!"

Unaware of the danger ahead chief Watur walked along the pots and pans and saw all the delicious ingredients and spices the trolls used while baking the pancakes. As an experienced cook most things looked very familiar to him, but at the end of the kitchen stood a large round kettle in witch an unknown sauce bubbled. "Madam Witch, as the renowned chief cook of the King himself, I surely recognize almost all the food items you use, but what is this sauce here in the cauldron? It smells so strange...."

Meanwhile, small Hansel in the shed next to the oven overheard the conversation. He recognized the voice of the king's cook and screamed as hard as he could: "No! Do not eat it sir! No! Don't eat the pancake! The witch has put in her magic potion! If you eat it you are addicted forever! "

Watur first didn't know what he heard, but that voice was familiar to him. "What?" He said on a loud low tone, "Who yelled?" And even before the witch could say anything, small Hansel once again shouted at the top of his lungs: "The witch is putting magical sauce on the pancakes!" "WAAAH!" The witch tried to exceed Hansel's voice and on a crackling creaking tone she said: "That's just a small brat. I caught him stealing my recipe and now he's just making something up, because I seized him."


"I commend you to immediately open that door. How dare you to lock up a small innocent boy." And with huge steps he walked toward the shed near the cooking oven. "Oh no, never!" cried the Witch and simultaneously ran to the big cauldron. "Please sir, do not touch the potion in the kettle, because then you're addicted forever!" That was once again the voice of little Hansel who understood what was about to happen.

AND THEN ?
With all her power the witch pushed over the cauldron with the magic potion streaming into the direction of master chef cook Watur. But he had understood the words of Hansel and with a wide curve jumped over the sauce and violently enforced the door of the shed from it's hinges. He grabbed little Hansel at his arm, lifted him up and then quickly walked through the kitchen heading for the back door. Meanwhile Hansel knocked over several cooking pans, resulting butter, fat and half-baked pancakes slipping on the ground.

The back door however, appeared out of solid steel and the cook wasn't able to open the locks so quickly. The witch had taken a big ladle (spoon) and scraped the sauce with the potion from the floor, then she run to Hansel and Watur yelling and screaming and wanting to pour the sauce right over them... But on her way to the door she forgot the butter, fat and pancakes on the ground. She slipped and with a big splash she fell in her own magic potion.
She was was covered with the brew and immediately the potion began its magical powers. Instead of being angry at the Hansel and chief Watur she only had eyes for the stack of pancakes that were ready for the guests in the restaurant. She began to eat like crazy and could not stop.


Hansel and Watur stood there and watched the scene. The witch dispatched one pancake after the other. They couldn't understand how someone could eat só much! Soon the witch felt an aching pain in her stomach, but still she continued eating more pancakes. Finally with a fat, crammed & greasy belly she fell down on the ground and immediately fell asleep.


Hansel eventually managed to open the steel door, went outside looking for a garden hoose and then blasted off the magic sauce in a drain and ensured that there was nothing more to find in the whole kitchen. Even the witch was sprayed clean with lots of water. Then Watur grabbed the stuffed witch from the ground and tied her onto a chair with three big ropes....

AND THEY LIVED…..?
Two weeks later there was another grand opening of the Pancake House at the dam. This time King Bravura and princess Barragem themselves executed the opening and the new name was revealed:

"Restaurant Hansel & Gretel"

Their son Prince Lagos and their daughter Princess Odiáxere were the first to eat the pancakes out of the kitchen from ... .... the witch! The king had posted permanent guards in the kitchen and witch Gretel was obliged to bake her delicious pancakes every day... ... ... .... but without the magic potion! To be absolutely sure the King had ordered to remove all the special ingredients and herbs that were necessary to make the concoction. In the entire Algarve region nothing was found anymore, so it was impossible to put a new spell on the guests of the Restaurant.....

Because it was little Hansel who had exposed the witch and had rescued the entire population of the Bravura kingdom from eternal addiction, his name was written large in history books... .. and .... on the facade of the restaurant. Witch Gretel had to be the most enjoyable woman every day again, otherwise she would end up in the dungeon.

So to this day on people of all sorts and conditions from the all over the world visit the pancake restaurant "Hansel & Gretel."
Because one thing must be said in all honesty: "This witch can make incredibly tasty pancakes! And not only that, the omelettes, soups, pastries and other homemade recipes are delicious..... SUPER! And she's big fun too .... hahahaha!

...click on the pictures to enlarge