A Mexican product demonstration at Wild Peacock, Stellenbosch

Wild Peacock in Stellenbosch stocks the things chefs and good cooks want; all the luxuries like oysters, freshwater crayfish, imported and local cheeses, fresh fish, game, charcuterie and chocolate. They have a retail shop in town and a huge warehouse in the industrial area. Last week, we were invited to visit and see a demonstration of Mexican food products (made in the USA) which they import. www.wildpeacock.co.za/

Following the tasting, we went to their Emporium and Lynne bought two packets of dried smoked chillies, a packet of Ancho and a packet of Californian chillies

Gaby from Aztec foods did the demonstration, supported by her husband

Here she is making a chilli paste. The range does include masa harina the flour you need to make tortillas and tacos

Some of the products come in tins

Here are some of them opened for us to taste

Gaby using a smoked chilli bottled sauce

Ready-made Mole, Adobo and other sauces to use from the pot, and packets of dried chillies

Here she is explaining how to use some of the more unknown products like Nopales, which are pieces of cactus. We tasted them and they are definitely an acquired taste and texture. We found them rather slimy and completely tasteless in a cabbagy way. Perhaps you have to grow up eating them

Azteca is the brand - you can learn more on Facebook

Tortillas should always be heated in a dry pan and, did you know, they have two different layers? The thin one goes inside and the thick layer must be outside

Refried beans are not refried and Achiote is a blend of chilli and other spices including Annato, which colours the food red. Tins of whole and sliced Jalapeno chillies

The range of dried chillies

Dishes Gaby cooked. Pork in Salsa Verde with Nopales

Chicken in Mole Rojo

Nopales salad

Chicken in Mole Verde

Beef in Adobo sauce

Ross Baker has now taken over running the business from his mother Sue, who started it in 2000

Sue Baker

Andrew Baker took us for a tour of the cold storage rooms, each has its own purpose. These are tanks for fresh crayfish

Freshwater crayfish

Fresh oysters

Beautiful sea bass flown in from Reunion

Charcuterie from many different destinations has a room all on its own

Wheels of Edam young and old, in the cheese room

Lots of other slowly ripening cheese

The dried goods storage and dispatch

Valrhona chocolate to keep everyone happy

The Wild Peacock Emporium at 32 Piet Retief St, Stellenbosch, 7600. Phone 021 887 7585

The inside will remind our old customers of Main Ingredient, but they sell lots of fresh foods which we never did. You can also have lunch or coffee and cake and more. Lots of interesting things to buy

And a nice selection of wines and other beverages

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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Swartland Survivor wine launch at Overhex, Worcester

So here is the story of the label

A truck carrying 33 Nguni cows went past one of their wine farms and, as they are wont to do, one leapt off the back of the truck into the vineyards. The truck continued and the cow adapted itself to her new situation, was adopted by the farmer and was thereafter known as the Survivor. Overhex has produced a range of wines to celebrate this cow and we were invited to have a 5 course dinner at the winery in Worcester and sample them over dinner in their newly finished restaurant tasting room 

As Worcester is a bit far to drive back to Cape Town at night, Overhex generously put up the media in The Habit bed and breakfast in Worcester. And very comfortable it was too

The breakfast room

A good pool and a place for us to gather in the late afternoon

We arrived by transport at Overhex as the sun was setting. This amazing transformation has taken place over the last 9 weeks

Apparently the restaurant was finished just that morning

It will be a lovely spot to sit out in the summer

Tables set, canapé first course arranged and wine on chill in the buckets

The menu was paired with the four Survivor wines

The two on the left went with the crisp and slightly tropical Sauvignon blanc: Pea puree, onion jam with a piece of artichoke on a sliver of toast and a smoked salmon twirl with an asparagus tip on a cream cheese crostini

With the Pinotage: a deep fried chicken drumstick topped with crisp bacon and a mini vol á vent filled with some sliced beef

The media tweeting in unison!

Michael Fridjhon is acting as a consultant to Overhex and he made a speech

Reporting on Facebook is Brett Hutton

Rather soggy and oily butternut chips with melba toast ...

... to accompany the large rather under ripe brie in a filo platter, topped with caramel onion & walnuts

The chef, Jaco van der Westhuizen

Shante Hutton

Main course was two lamb chops on top of sticky rice, with a couple of vegetables and a parmesan tile

The last course was dessert - chocolate truffles with Oude Molen brandy

Willie Malan, Overhex Production Manager with his wife Natalie, Overseas Marketing Manager for Overhex

Breakfast the next morning at The Habit. The breakfast chef was very good and very quick

Gathering for breakfast was a little slow as some had stayed up late to party. We were too tired to join them after our hectic week

Lynne’s full English Breakfast with very fresh farm eggs and some really delicious boerewors sausage. We would love to know where to buy this, it was excellent. She also had black coffee and a little plain yoghurt with honey

John's cheese omelette with crisp bacon. He had fruit and muesli to start

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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John Collins Trade wine tasting at Ottimo Cibo

The week started well with a great tasting of the brands represented by John Collins. It is a small but perfectly formed list of some of our top wine farms and brands: Diemersfontein, Jordan, Kleinood, Newton Johnson, Thelema Sutherland, Springfield, Keet Wines and, newly added to the stable, Le Lude MCC from Franschhoek

Nikki Booth, owner of Ottimo Cibo, does the catering in her beautiful Italianate house in Bishopscourt. We believe that she and her husband Advocate William Booth have now sold the house and we all await with bated breath to see what Nikki will do next

Ottimo Cibo has beautiful gardens

Le Lude showed this Magnum of Brut Rosé non vintage MCC with nice berry fruit from the 65% Pinot Noir showing beautifully

Grilled goats cheese topped with preserved green figs

Winemaker Paul Gerber of Le Lude with Anne Ferreira. Peter “Bubbles” Ferreira has consulted for Le Lude and Anne manages their PR

Tiny crustless quiches with an embedded sweet caramelised mini tomato

Michelle van Eeden from Thelema/Sutherland pours out a tasting for a member of the trade. The 2012 Viognier/Rousanne really impressed, lots of apricots and orange blossom, very complex and such a good food wine

Marvellous well spiced chicken sausage rolls

Marketing manager Dian Joubert and winemaker Francois Roode on the Diemersfontein stand. We loved their Carpe Diem 2014 Chenin and 2014 Viognier and the Thokozani 2014 Rose. The 2013 Carpe Diem Pinotage is our favourite; full of rich vanillins, plums and blueberries

Jessica Saurwein and Spicer de Villiers on the Kleinood table. The 2014 Viognier is smoky, with a lush mouth and lots of peaches. Lynne liked the pretty 2015 Katharien Syrah Rosé and their two Syrahs always deliver impressive fruit and elegance. This year, they have 2011 Syrah and the top of the range John Spicer 2009 Syrah.

Morsels of delicious rare duck which went so well with the Newton Johnson Walker Bay 2013 Pinot Noir, full of roses and violets on the nose and sweet berries, with a good acid balance on the palate

Fishy balls with lemon mayo. These went well with the superb Newton Johnson 2014 Chardonnay, a full tingle on the tongue of beautiful citrus fruit and gentle wood

Lots of tasters from restaurants, hotels and the wine trade attend, with a few media like us

Lots of food came non-stop from the kitchen

The Springfield whites never disappoint. Both the crisp and exciting 2015 Special Cuvée and Life From Stone Sauvignons Blanc are ready for drinking, the 2011 Méthode Ancienne Chardonnay is rich and full, and we loved the exciting Miss Lucy 2015 white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Pinot Gris, which we think might become a prize winning classic. If only SA would drink more white blends they would get this excitement. The Red Stumpnose fish on the label is known as Miss Lucy by the Southern Cape fishermen

Wine merchant Caroline Rillema with Gary Jordan. Jordan's newly released "The Real McCoy" 2014 Riesling is indeed that. It blew Lynne away with its concentrated, layered fruit, great balance and crisp acidity. The newly released 2014 Nine Yards Chardonnay is, as expected, a cracker of a wine with elegance, golden fruit, crisp, rich and sophisticated

Tiny parmesan biscuits topped with blue cheese cream

Small cups of tomato soup topped with cheese

Turnovers

Tiny pies with a tomato sauce

Chris Keet entertaining the trade with his newly released 2011 First Verse (the third vintage), a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec & Petit Verdot, all in harmony and balance, all promising a long life. It was the second time in a week that Lynne had tasted it and it confirmed her choice. This is her birthday wine for 2015 - which means that John has given her a case of this for her birthday on the 14th. Expensive, yes, but he will share it with her over the years. We recommend that you buy some to keep if you cellar your wine. It will drink well now, but it is sure to improve for many years. We have a selection of wines made by Chris over the last 20 years, and the oldest are still magnificent

Neil and Sue Proudfoot of Wine Concepts in Kloof Street with their daughter

John Collins with his colleague Marcha Cooke

It was a great tasting

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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This week's recipe: Sweet Potato and Turnip Dauphinoise

This week's recipe

is Lynne's take on the Sweet Potato and Turnip Dauphinoise we were served at the Quest for the Best Wellington wines . We had this with our roast lamb on Sunday.

1 large white sweet potato, peeled - 2 turnips, topped and tailed and peeled where necessary - 30 to 40g grated Emmental cheese - 4 T double cream yoghurt - salt and freshly ground pepper - 1 T butter - 3 T chicken or vegetable stock

Using a mandolin grater if you have one, slice the potato and turnips into thin slices. Layer them alternately in a buttered baking dish, seasoning the layers as you go and spreading a layer of yoghurt and cheese between each layer. Top with cheese and some small cubes of butter and pour the stock in carefully around the edges. Bake in a 180 ⁰C oven until well done and browning on top. Serves 4

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

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