Cellarbake at Nitida

Now in its second year, Cellarbake pairs local bakers and their wares with Nitida Wines.  You buy some tokens and exchange them for mini tastes of each baker’s art and a taste of one specific wine. It was extremely popular this year, they sold over 700 tickets and the place was pumping.

Nitida winemaker Danie Keulder and his wife were enjoying the occasion. They had brought their twins

Waiting for customers

One stand had pulled pork sandwiches and they were the most popular stand, as everyone wanted one for lunch.  It caused a bit of a traffic jam in the hall though

Cooking the pork on a barbeque

Wordsworth books also had a stand and Lynne was being tempted by the Ottolenghi books

Some samples for tasting

The band played throughout

You have to have tea with cake

Cup cakes and tarts and biscuits to buy

The Dolce stand had good chocolate cake and all the stands were supported by students from Silwood School of Cookery

and baking courses were on offer from Nicolette van Niekerk of Le Petite Patisserie

Some sample wedding and celebration cakes on display

Kerry Prendergast of Nitida and Social Media Strategist Linda Harding of The Squashed Tomato had a busy day on their tasting stand

Denise from Denise’s Delight’s, our local Sea Point baker

Wicked gooey meringues

Queen of Tarts wares. We bought four of the tarts for dessert at a dinner we were going to that night

Handing over the precious box

Manager Jacus Marais of Nitida telling us about the wine

Everyone gets an arm band at the door

Time for some lunch on the terrace

There was seating in the middle of the hall, but it was very busy

Slaving over a hot stove to get out the hot sausage rolls and other treats

The Food Barn Deli had savoury tarts with olives and anchovies and a brochette with chicken liver pate topped with cherries. One small juicy cherry rolled artfully down Lynne’s pale green trousers. But their food tasted superb.

You could sit out by the dam

Or enjoy a glass of something under your umbrella - Lerato Moagi & Vusi Mabilisa

John’s lunch was a freshly baked chicken sausage roll with chilli jam

Owner of Nitida, Bernhard Veller, with his beautiful daughter Lara

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015

Solms Delta ATKV Oesfees 2015

We love this festival, which Solms Delta hold at the end of Harvest every year for their staff, and for the staff of surrounding wine farms, and the public. The music is very local and lekker and the atmosphere laid back and so friendly.

Happy faces cooking our lunch. The Braai lads cooking meat for all. It was very well spiced and cooked and very popular

Chicken legs cooked to perfection

Buying lunch vouchers

Salads at the ready

In the beer tent: Wine, beer and cold drinks were only sold by the (plastic) glass and no glass was allowed on the festival grounds

Some of the wares

The programme of artists for the festival, a walking display

and the programme

The Jaloersbokkies on stage at 10.55 am

At 11.35 Pieter van der Westhuizen accompanied by the enthusiastic Solms-Delta choir: Die Delta Soetestemme sang some local songs, some slightly risqué

The crowd taking up their ringside seats for the all day performance

Traditional dancers in the “Pit” while the Choir sings

joined by locals

And they put on a super display of country dancing

Spinning and twisting to the music

I love to dance!

A refreshing ale

Next came the Cape Jazz Band - Mountain Records’ premier recording artists

You could order all the Solms Delta wines on the day at special festival prices and they would then be delivered to your home (in Cape Town) free of charge

The wines on sale with some new and very exciting labels

Hot jazz from a mean saxophonist

This young fellow is only 11 and already at University. He put up a stunning performance on the drums accompanied by his dad on keyboard. They wrote the piece they played

Age doesn’t matter as long as you are enjoying yourself

Owner Mark Solms – “Die Baas van die Plaas”, as he introduced himself, giving the welcome address

And the proceedings were officially opened by Japie Gouws of sponsors ATKV

Elvis Blue, doing an endless sound check. They started late as well. Not too impressive a start

I am having a PARTY!

Lots of families enjoying the festival

Fans waiting at the front for their favourite performers

Celebrate!

A supporter of our local Rugby team. Go Stormers!

Elvis Blue starts his performance

And the crowd start dancing

Everybody, dance to the music

or chill on the lawn

He sang his own songs for about half an hour

Recording a memory

The Biltong stand is always one of the most popular

as is the ice cream stand

Fried goodies? Not for us

Queuing for cones

A photo with their hero

After Elvis Blue’s performance, Koos Kombuis quietly took up his seat, picked up his guitar and royally entertained the crowd with his amusing songs

He had the crowd in the palm of his hand, and directed proceedings

and then Hot Water took the stage

Huge crowds enjoying the music which went on till 8 pm and finished with Emo Adams. Sadly we had to leave earlier

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2015