Lunch at Iona with Andrew and Rozy Gunn

The Iona Manor House sits high up on an escarpment with beautiful views across the Elgin valley

You need to book for this enthusiastically attended lunch

Humus, and lots of Ottolenghi salads, plus roasted aubergine with lebneh

The dessert table kept being supplemented. Here is a gooey date and almond cake,  a classic apple  tart tatin, meringues, cream and ice cream

Andrew and Rozy Gunn, owners of Iona. She is a very talented cook

Lynne and Rozy share similar  tastes in food and cookbooks, here swapping notes on which are good recipes.     

A Gunn dog, relaxing in the sunshine

The house has lovely views across the vines as well

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013

A visit to Mike Kreft at Belfield, Elgin

They have turned an old stable building into the tasting room

Owner winemaker Mike Kreft

Beautiful pencil drawings by Mike’s talented daughter adorn the walls

Belfield’s three red wines

Taking the midday easy with a tasting on the stoep

Finding out what goes into the wine

Healthy vines

Workers are trimming and training vines at this time of year.  The vineyards run East West, so the prevailing winds blow along the vines and cool them

Belfield's price list and contact details

A walk in their stunning gardens which were open on the Elgin Open Gardens weekends

Koffieklip, the local rock on which the vines thrive. Lots of iron in there.

And it makes the flowers grow so well

A malachite sunbird in the garden

© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2013