One year to go to 2010 kick off

To get the spirit going Cape Town Tourism are going to kick a ceremonial soccer ball off Table Mountain at the sound of the noon day gun. At the same time they are encouraging us all to make a noise to live it. So let’s make our own statement and join forces to make a noise to cheer on a successful world cup next year.

Hermanus Tourism  has invited us to join them at the amphitheatre above the Old Harbour at 11h45 on Thurs 11th June 2009. The plan is to shake the heavens with a LOUD EXUBERANT clamour at noon. Bring along your horn, vuvuzela, whistle, trumpet, drum or just come along with all your staff, family and friends and let your vocal chords run riot!

There is strength in unity so lets join together to welcome 2010 with gusto and bring on the visitors to our beautiful home, village and country!

Michael Dyson, talented chef and popular Stanford resident, will be letting us know of his weekly menus on this blog. Scrumptious and perfect after a brisk walk through the village on a drizzly day.

“This week’s soups will include a new batch of Ham & Pea - using my home-cured gammon - and also roasted butternut and orange, which is a vegetarian delight. Butternut wedges, dusted with coarsely ground black pepper after a brushing of EV olive oil are roasted in a hot oven for 25 minutes, then liquidised with a vegetable stock lubricant before being blended with orange zest and juice, seasoning checked and then rounded with Jersey cream. Both soups are available at the Art Cafe and I shall have some at the Friday market, where I give complimentary wholemeal wheat-ear rolls to go with. I have now changed from normal commercial flour to stone-ground flour from Eureka Mills. What a difference! I use a mixture of 75% white bread and 25% wholemeal and a little dark molasses, plus a dash of EV olive oil in my wholemeal bread. The wheat-ear is a French tradition, an 80 gramme portion of dough formed into a wheat-ear shape and baked with a few sesame seeds sprinkled over. It looks interesting and the ‘ears’ are perfect for pulling off and dunking in the soup!

My new Stanford Pie made its debut last week, so stocks are available - using stoneground flour in the casing. The pie was commissioned by the Information Bureau - and I have based it on my English pork pie, but with an added slice of a Granny Smith apple through the centre, and a layer of caramelised onion on the top. The result is a more moist pie, which is delicious served hot - never mind the English tradition of eating pork pies cold! For a really filling, tasty meal, try heating a Stanford pie, put it in a soup bowl and pour over a cup of hot ham and pea soup.

I am kitted up for lasagnas - beef with a hint of chicken livers, and lemon chicken, also my luxury vegetarian. I prefer to make these fresh, to order, which is possible with a day’s notice, and also for my Cowboy Pie. This latter consists of a selection of my hand-made sausages - tasty or spicy - in a tomato, onion and bean sauce, with creamy potato topping and a gruyere cheese sprinkle.

The desert department has not been overlooked. I am now offering Sachertorte, the Viennese chocolate cake to beat all chocolate cakes - Belgian chocolate, butter, farm fresh free range eggs and Jersey cream are essential constituents - none of your commercial cake mixes ever cross the threshold of my kitchen!”

The Rotary club of Stanford has arranged a Bollywood Ball on Saturday 27th June, at the popular Birkenhead Brewery, just over the road from the village. There will be a 3-course dinner with a decidedly Indian theme, ably and deliciously prepared by Michael Dyson. This is a charity fund-raiser, and aims to support sport amongst the underprivileged members of the local youth. Previous projects have already kitted out 3 junior football teams. Tickets will be on sale - keep watching this space!  

The Southern Right Whales are back in town, and have been seen at that delightful restaurant “Coffee on the Rocks” at De Kelders, as well as from view points along the Cliff path in Walker Bay. Now we’re waiting for the tourists to arrive. In efforts to lure them out to our wonderful region, the Cape Whale Coast was represented at the International trade show in Berlin, the biggest tourism show in Europe. The Whale crier, in full regalia, was a huge hit, and the kelp horns were in great demand. At the Tourism Indaba in Durban, the Cape Whale Coast stand was beautifully decorated with fynbos, kindly sponsored by Honingklip farm.

Twitchers take note! A bird identification course, “Flight for Birders“  is to be held for novice and intermediate birders at The Great White House in Kleinbaai from the 13th to 14th June. The presenter is Dr Anton Odendal, from Birdlife Overberg,  and the cost is R300/head. The programme looks fantastic, and is geared to show the keen novice birdwatcher the basic steps to identify birds, as well as where to find rare species, and how bird watchers can become involved in conservation. Then once you’re up to speed, and know their names, you can click away on your camera and enter the Stanford Birding competition! Entries close on Monday 21st September 2009, and the winners will be announced at the annual Stanford Glendower Bird Festival dinner on 3rd October 2009. This exciting festival runs from 1st - 5th October, with loads of great programmes. With Avitourism becoming the fastest growing sector in the industry, and Stanford being well placed for great birding, we hope to welcome lots of visitors with binoculars soon!