Thursday, January 16, 2020

This Week’s MENU. Franskraal summer, Cape Agulhas, Marietjie’s, Strandveld Wines, Tuna pepper pasta, De Morgenzon Chenin

Cormorant squadron, Cape Agulhas

So here we are again in another new year, the last of the second decade of the 21st Century and so happy to be back with you all. We expect some argument about the decade but nothing starts with nought, unless it’s nothing. A child is one year old at the end of its first year and ten at the end of its tenth, its first decade. Moving on... 

 At a time like this one is very thankful that we are no longer a retail trader. The challenges for small high street businesses are immense – on-line trading, government imposed obstacles, and a declining economy. To all of you in your own businesses, we wish you well. You are the best vehicle for bringing our economy back into shape, while big business is retrenching staff everywhere. We need you.

 To everyone else, wherever you are, we wish you a happy, blessed and prosperous 2020. Thank you for your support; it is more valuable to us than you could ever know. For all the challenges we and other parts of the world are facing, we are blessed to live in a wonderful country. Let’s have a wonderful year


We long for the end of the year, so we can stop work and take a real break, one without deadlines and late nights, to breathe deep, sleep and rest. We live by the sea and we love to holiday by the sea. Over the last few years, we have headed up the beautiful West Coast, mainly because we found the prices better than on the South Coast. This year, Lynne went on line and searched the coast from Mossel Bay to Stanford to find us the perfect summer place. Read on…
Discussing where to get fresh fish locally with the owners of our AirBnB, they invited us to join them on the first Friday night at Marietjie’s in Baardskeerdersbos, which they said was one of the best, and they had booked a table. It was a lovely warm evening, so we sat outside. It is a very unpretentious place that locals and visitors alike love and support…

On another perfect summer’s day we headed due South to visit the southernmost tip of Africa, Cape Agulhas.  It was about an hour and half from Franskraal. There is a quicker route via a 35 km dirt road but we decided we had all the time in the world and didn't fancy a dusty ride. Read on…
A visit to Strandveld Vineyards, Elim

While we were on holiday in the area, we wanted to go to Strandveld wines and taste their new wines and we had an absolutely wonderful time. And, of course, bought lots of wine. We so recommend that you go to this winery if you are in the area. They have had a great year with much international acclaim, and British wine writer/judge Tim Atkin MW scoring the wines that he tasted very highly, in fact their 2018 First Sighting Sauvignon Blanc scored the highest that any Sauvignon Blanc world-wide has ever achieved in the Decanter annual awards. Read on…
On the MENU This Week, Red Pepper Tuna Pasta with Lemon

If you want a quick and easy supper that is delicious try this one, it is fresh and piquant. It is easy to prepare all the ingredients in advance and then , make the sauce as the pasta is cooking. You can use any pasta you like, we love using Fusillata Casareccia as we find it holds sauces really well, but spaghetti, shells, penne; all would work. Read on…

Richness and a hint of honey on the nose, with peach, pear drops and apple notes. Fresh lemon & lime flavours initially on the palate excite, then nectarine and pear develop in complexity & in layers. Lees and some light wood show on the end. Read on…

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