We met Lesley Gillett of Bartholomeus Klip at the
recent Groenberg Festival and they went on to our mailing list. We were
delighted when they invited us to come and stay and write about Bartholomeus
Klip. We spent Sunday early evening, the night and Monday morning there and it
is a lovely place to completely relax and chill out. Everything you need is
provided in this small country house on a farm in the Swartland. It also has
its own private nature reserve and game drives come as part of the cost, as do
all meals. The only extra is wine. It reminded Lynne very much of English
country house weekends and certainly is attracting lots of British and other
nationalities, who return more than once to be spoiled. http://www.bartholomeusklip.com/
Twin sisters Lesley and Louise Gillett work at
Bartholomeus Klip. Lesley is the manager of the farmhouse, and draws on years
of experience in the hospitality industry. Louise is the head chef, who has
honed her skills in some of the top restaurants in South Africa and the United
Kingdom.
We learnt a
lesson on Sunday afternoon. We rely far too much on GPS and when you are in the
country you need to expect it not to work. We learnt that is essential to print
out directions sent to us by the people who invite us. Google maps sent us to a
Denel munitions factory and no one in the area knew where we were supposed to
be. The phone at Bartholomeus Klip has been cut off for a week so we were in a
bind. Luckily we found an informed shopkeeper in Hermon (he has only been there
for about 2 months!) who could direct us and we found it, eventually. They are
prevented by the authorities from putting a sign on the R44 (WHY?) so if you go
you need to look for the Bo-Hermon sign and turn off there.
A few
kilometres down the road you come to the entrance to the farm
and the Elandsberg Private Nature Reserve which runs from the gates right up to the
Elandsberg mountains in the distance
Our bedroom
(the Nerina) was comfortably furnished with a mix of classic Victorian and
modern furniture, screens on the windows, a ceiling fan and air conditioning. It
has a very comfortable modern bed
The en suite
bathroom is large and has a shower over the bath
We were
invited to "Take Tea" in the lounge
where we found
a splendid spread laid for us
In the interests of good journalism, we did
sample a few cakes and other delights with our tea and coffee
Cucumber
sandwiches, the best and lightest scones, caramel chocolate cakes and the
lightest and crispest apple tart ever were laid out on the buffet. This is a
daily occurrence and is included in your room rate
Next door is
the bar which works on an honesty system; you write what you have taken in a
book and help yourself. You are billed at the end of your stay
Next door to
that is the conservatory dining room which is very light and airy. Breakfast,
brunch and dinner are all held here and all are included in the room rate
Another lounge
to relax in and there is also a TV lounge and a desk with a laptop for the use
of guests
Very lush
gardens surround the Victorian house which has a covered veranda on two sides
This is where
we sat early evening for sundowners and they brought us, and other guests who
joined us, platters of smoked salmon blinis You pay for most of your drinks but
all the food is part of the deal
The covered
veranda facing the garden
The veranda and
the conservatory dining room from outside
It is also a
working farm and these are some of the cattle pens
They have a
large dam and you can take out canoes and boats should you wish to. There are
good walks around the farm
A lovely view
of the Groenberg over the dam
Wonderful
views and lots of birds to see
Walking back
to the house
A house by the
dam and the boat house where the kayaks are stored
Looking across
to the nature reserve
Is this Bartholomeus
Klip (stone) ? The farm was established in 1705 by Frantz Joosten van der
Lubstadt and his vivacious 24-year-old wife Maria Mouton who settled there
against the foot of the Elandskloof Mountains. It is named after the St Bartholomews Day massacre of the French Huguenots in 1572
Walking back
to the Farm house
One can laze in the
sun by the pool
Smoked salmon
blinis served with sundowners
Help yourself
to sherry before dinner, or chose some wine to have with dinner
All the wines
on the winelist are local to the area
The dinner
menu on Sunday 19th April
The dining
room ready for dinner
Specially made
charger plates
The house
chenin blanc is a wooded wine made by Mullineux. A little too much wood for
our palates. We started with a glass each
The twice
baked cheese soufflé to start
Romantic candlelight
The excellent
minted pea soup followed
Perfectly
cooked rare fillet of BBQ beef on a pumpkin risotto with a mushroom veal jus
was delicious. We found the caramel pinenuts a bit sweet with the meat. We
ordered a bottle of Saronsberg Provenance Shiraz to accompany the dish. John’s
came without mushrooms, as requested
A chocolate
mousse topped with a nutella sorbet surrounded by a chocolate vanilla custard
with added sugared pumpkin seeds for texture.
The drinks
tray should you care for an after dinner drink. It has lots of really good South
African port, liqueurs and alcohols plus some imported essentials like the
Cointreau. They also serve local craft beers
.......To be
continued next week
(the pictures from the next morning)
or
© John &
Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015
Quelea rising from the grass, where they were breakfasting on seeds
A secretary bird looking for his next meal
We startled a steenbok ewe, which suddenly appeared out of the grass
The track into the misty mountain
Leucospermums are everywhere
Bontebok, the image of Cape Nature Conservation
Another secretary bird
Then back to the farm to visit some new twin baby lambs
before breakfast, with a magnificent selection of preserved fruits
fresh fruit
and cereals
Something naughty, oats with a generous layer of caramel and chocolate
Cheese, figs, cold meats, stuffed eggs and croissants on the sideboard under a Carol Mangiagalli painting of the farm
Lynne's eggs and bacon with tomato and mushrooms
Johan had a delicious bacon and cheese omelette
Then it was time to hit the road back to Cape Town, 1½ hours away, with a last look at some steenbok
who ran away
over the hill and across the plain
