Lomond Winery

 After doing two promotions for Lomond and loving the wine, I was very excited when I saw a new "Lomond wine tasting" board next to the road, on my way to my cousin's farm, near Baardskeerdersbos.

I arrived on Farm 215 just after 10 o'clock  and was told that Lomond is open from 11 till 4, Tuesday to Sunday, for wine tastings. 

What a lovely surprise when I returned just after 11 and discovered that there is a restaurant too. This is run by Lomond from 11 to 4 and in the evening  Farm 215's guests will be eating dinner here (evenings run by the guest house). The tasting room started just a week ago and is more an awareness campaign and promotional time, than a permanent thing.

Visit them before the 15th of January if you don't want to miss out on these great wines.

Sitting outside you've got a stunning view over the vineyards.  Sam explained to me where the Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah en Merlot blocks are.  Pinot Noir grapes also planted but no wine available yet.

 Inside the restaurant.

 I had some lovely bread with Olive tapanade and red pepper hummus.

 The wines are named after Fynbos  -(to name a few)  Conebush single vineyard Syrah, Cats tail Syrah (my first choice red), Pincushion single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Sugarbush single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc  and the very interesting Snowbush -  a white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Novelle, Semillon and Viognier. My favorite white, full bodied and elegant!

 Sam busy getting a table ready for wine tasting!

2009 GOLD AWARD WINNERS
2007 SUGARBUSH
Gold Medal, Best Unwooded Sauvignon Blanc,
Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2009
PINCUSHION
Gold Medal, Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2009 and 5 Stars John Platter 2009
SNOWBUSH
Gold Medal, London’s International Wine Challenge 2009

Beautiful nature!   Under the mountain, the vineyards!

Contact Sam on lomondtastings@farm215.co.za 

for food and wine pairing of wine tastings.

www.lomond.co.za

www.farm215.co.za

Lion and Rhino Park Johannesburg

  On a recent trip to Jo'burg we visited the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in the Cradle of Humankind.

It was a lovely sunny Saturday morning and within an hour and a half we saw lots of lion, buck, rhino, zebra, wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards and more.  It was a great experience.

 Lions next to the road, I was terrified!

 The white lions where in there own camp and waiting to be fed, so we couldn't go in.  You could see that they where really hungry, walking up and down the fence and growling and staring!  Very, very scary!
   

The Warthog or Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) is a wild member of the pig family that lives in grassland, savanna, and woodland in Sub-Saharan Africa.  (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Secretarybird a large, mostly terrestrial bird of prey. Endemic to Africa, it is usually found in the open grasslands and savannah of the sub-Sahara.   (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

 Friends eating together.

African buffalo, they apparently have a very unpredictable nature!

"I have to say my prayers before I start eating!"

"Please take a Photo of me too?"

 

 

 They keep lion cubs in a camp, you can pay to have your photo taken with them.  (they call this camp the creche)
 I didn't feel comfortable doing that, as to me it seemed like they where a bit anxious and disturbed.  But this one was really posing very relaxed for a photo on the rock, for some time!
 

 It was still the dry season, so the poor Zebra's stripes where more black and brown, than black and white.

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Photoshoot of the kids

Chicken fillet stuffed with spinach and feta

Tonight we had chicken fillets, stuffed with spinach and feta, on mash and  carrots drizzled with honey.

Not really very unusual, but easy to make and very tasty.  The Wellington's sweet chillie sauce makes the chicken soft and moist.

Four free range chicken fillets, sliced to be stuffed.

A few spinach leaves (soon from my own garden, for tonight I still had to get it from Checkers) chopped and 1 wheel feta cheese with black pepper.  I grated a garlic clove into the feta.

Put a squirt of Wellington's sweet chillie sauce inside the fillet and then add the spinach, feta and garlic.  Use toothpicks to secure the meat.  Cook in oven for about 1 hour 15 min.  (I put it in the oven and then turn the oven on)

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with some olive oil and soy sauce.

Mash your potatoes, I added spring onions from the garden.  Slice carrots and cook slightly in salted water, when starting to turn soft, add a little bit of honey and cook through.

 I mashed some ripe avo that had to be used and put it on the side.  The men enjoyed all of it! (Me too)

Ouma's Pickled Fish

Ouma is 85 and use to make pickled fish in Swellendam and Witsand, since we where little and we still love it!  Problem is, we don't have the recipe.  So I bought a Yellowtale and asked her if we could make pickled fish. Thinking that I will have the recipe after we're done.
 

The fish had to be cleaned and ouma was the best one to do that. 
7 Sliced onions for the sauce, topped with 1,5 lt white vinegar (no water to be added). Fish filleted and salted, ready to be fried. Make sure the fish is dry before you fry it.

Mixing the curry, turmeric and sugar for the onions was a big secret, as ouma does not measure with a spoon.  "Jy gooi net so en dan proe jy of dit reg is"!

 
Ouma watching that everything is going according to plan.

The end result. Layers of warm onion-sauce and freshly fried fish.  Topped up with the last sauce.

And now we need to wait for at least 3 to 5 days before we can taste!
I had a "skelm" taste and it sure tastes like Witsand!