WAVERLEY HILLS ORGANIC WINE AND VINEYARDS
Report by JP van Niekerk
    
The well-researched ingredients provided a most successful recipe! On Saturday 22nd October 22 Slow Food Convivium members and 4 additional Rademeyer family members enjoyed an outing to the Waverley Hills Vineyards, known for their prize-winning organic wines, olives and olive products.
Waverley Hills is a leisurely 2 hour drive from Cape Town. We took the route via the Agter Paarl Road, Wellington and from there through the scenic NuweKloof Pass on the road to Ceres. The destination is just after the turnoff to Wolseley.

       
We were first entertained by an informative review of the olive industry, both on the farm and in South Africa. This included tasting of green and black olives, olive tapenade, extra virgin olive oil and air-dried Kalamata olive halves.
   
The lunch comprised a five course food and wine pairing (all Waverley Hills Organic Wines) presented by Fina Prinsloo and her pleasant and competent staff. The excellent meal was enjoyed in a relaxed atmosphere and the menu below tells the whole story:
  
Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Smoked salmon on rösti with cream cheese, capers and salsa
  
Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 no added sulphites
Black olive, tomato, basil and red wine tagliatelle with parmesan cheese
   
Shiraz 2009
Best slow oven roast oxtail served with basmati rice
   
Shiraz Mouvèdre Viognier 2009
Fillet steak topped with blue cheese and red wine onion marmalade
   
Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2009
Lindt-chocolate phyllo basket
   
Their internationally reward winning Shiraz Mouvèdre Viognier (a big red with 15.11% alcohol!) was for me the highlight of an exceptional food and wine experience.
  
   

END OF YEAR SPITBRAAI AND FUNDRAISER
   
On Sunday 27 November Slow Food members gathered at the lovely home of Stephen and Pat Flesch for our annual Spitbraai and fundraising event. On the lawns sloping down to the edge of the ZeekoeVlei, we sat at long tables, shaded from the sun overhead by a marquee, sipping wine and catching up.

The genuine wood-fired spit-roasted lamb was, as always, braaied to perfection by Leon Patterson. It was accompanied by a truly splendid selection of salads and followed by a sumptuous array of desserts, all provided by Slow members. The afternoon was rounded off by the draw for the stupendous prizes from our very generous donors (see list of donors and their prizes below).

As a result of the raffle, we were able to hand over R7 000 to the Peninsula School Feeding Association, whose representative, Kristi White, joined us for lunch and told us about the Association.

List of Donors and Prizes
 
Leo Foods:
The Luxury Gift Box - containing a special selection of indulgent Italian confectionery treats, from Leo Foods and their flagship store Emporio Leone
Damyanti Gajjar, Slow Food member, and author of the new cookbook Conscious Cuisine:
1 copy of the book
Aubergine Restaurant, Cape Town:
A voucher for R1000.00
Nice Ice Cream:
One 'PRIZE' coupon will be supplied for 4 X 600ml ice creams, sorbets or yoghurt ice (winner chooses flavour).
Charne le Roux:
Green Spa Gift hamper of products
Silwood Kitchen:
Gift voucher for one of Silwood's famous cakes
Jordan Restaurant with George Jardine:
A voucher for lunch to the value of R800.00.
Casa Labia:
Voucher for R350 and wine for a meal for two at Casa Labia
Waterford:
A magnum of Waterford Cabernet
Rustenburg:
Rustenburg wine
Reuben's restaurant:
“Reuben Kook ' Reuben's Afrikaans cookbook
Book Lounge:
R500 voucher
Armin Hallermann:
A pack of three bottles of 1995 Delheim Cabernet Sauvignon
Elena Dalla Cia of the restaurant Pane e Vino, Stellenbosch:
A meal voucher for 2 for R300 & Grappa tasting menu voucher for 2 + a goodie bag with home baked polenta biscuit and a 50ml grappa bottle.
Wesley Clarence
A pack of products from Oded's Kitchen

OUTING TO GRAZE SLOW FOOD CAFÉ AT STANFORD

Despite the scorching heat, the Slow Food year got off to an excellent start on Saturday, 28 January with a lunch in the charming village of Stanford, prepared by husband and wife team Jero and Catch Revett, who own the Graze Slow Food Cafe. Members of Slow Food, both are passionate foodies who love to experiment and share. They believe in carrying on the traditions, passed down by their famiglia Italiana, of respect for the land, using what is at hand, and focusing on natural, unprocessed, seasonal and local food. The produce not grown in their organic home garden is bought from neighbours and local farmers,. importing from Italy only some of their deli meats. Jero’s home-baked Pane di Mare (a unique artisan ciabatta made using sea water) is now famous, as is their particular version of ‘Slow Food’.

      
Of their life in Stanford Jero writes: ‘Chooks in our garden, horses grazing next door and an owl on the lamp post outside, the neighbours with a lamb and a couple of ducks. A surf in the ocean, a paddle down the river, a hike to a waterfall – we’ve got it all. Homemade yogurt and cheese, a farm butchery and lots of local enterprise offering fresh seasonal produce. With all this we are very aware of the environment and so of course we recycle and do our bit wherever we can - it all adds to the charm of living this lifestyle and how we enjoy, how we play, live and eat.’
    
The morning began with a visit to Jero’s organic vegetable garden, where he described and demonstrated his innovative method of recycling and fertilising to produce the magnificent tomatoes which he later served in the Caprese salad that formed part of the first course at lunch. The excellent mozzarella for the Caprese came from local cheesemaker Elsabe, which members had earlier had an opportunity to purchase at the Stanford Saturday morning market. The other half of the antipasti was bresaola, air-dried beef, made by a friend, and accompanied by the famous Pane di Mare. It was followed by grilled geelbeck, or butternut ravioli, and the meal ended with a very good tiramisu and Jero’s homemade Limoncello. Lunch was served at long tables in the café, spilling out onto the verandah overlooking the street.

TOMATO TASTING AT PAUL CLUVER ESTATE, ELGIN
  
The winding, tree-lined driveway leading from the turnoff to the Paul Cluver wine estate already created an expectation of beauty and tranquillity, which was fulfilled on arrival. Saturday 27 November was a perfect late summer’s day: not too hot, and with no wind. Just right for lunch on the lawn under the trees at Fresh restaurant on the estate.
   
The vegetable garden, started by Norwegian food writer Andras Viestadt several years ago, has been taken over by Joan Lancefield, proprietor of Fresh, who has rescued it from neglect and turned it into a culinary and visual delight. Sadly, there is no longer the stunning variety of tomatoes grown in tunnels, but still a great selection which provided the delicious Caprese salad which began our lunch. The seeds are germinated at a nursery in Stellenbosch, and brought back to be planted in the garden alongside the lettuces, basil and artichokes. Besides vegetables, the garden boasts an orchard of figs trees all laden with fruit bursting with ripeness, in which Slow members were let loose to sample the : green, yellow, brown and purple varieties. There is also a plantation of lemon trees.

     
The delicious lunch under the trees on the lawn in front of the restaurant was a relaxed and convivial occasion in the Slow tradition. The Caprese was followed by a choice of main courses: .Chicken Cacciatore or a corn cake served with tomato and coriander relish, and the meal concluded with a chocolate browie muffin and tree tomato coulis.