Slow food Snail Trail No.75

Newsletter of the Cape Town Convivium
Number 75, January 2010

Saturday 20th February at 10h30
A visit to the Noree and Nuy valleys in the Robertson area:
To Spaarkloof/Tierhoek Organic  farm ( Noree Valley), and lunch at Toontjiesrivier farm ( Nuy Valley)
Directions to the farms are attached to this message. Please allow an hour and a half for the journey from Cape Town.
We will visit Bruce and Alison Gilson’s certified organic farm Spaarkloof/Tierhoek. Bruce will show us around, and explain his organic farming methods to us. The following crops are grown on this farm:  apricots, peaches, plums, citrus, mangoes, prickly pears, grapes, olives and vegetables. The range of Tierhoek Organic jams and dried fruit is produced on the farm. Produce will be available to taste and for sale.
At about 12h00 we will go to Toontjiesrivier farm where Bryce Steytler will serve a lunch using produce from his farm and the neighbouring area.  The swimming pool will be available to us, so bring your bathing costumes along.
MENU
STARTER:

Chilled garden pea and lettuce soup with chiffonade of mint
MAIN COURSE:
Phyllo parcel of chicken breast, green peppercorns and braised creamed spinach with cranberry jus

OR

Malay almond and lentil bobotie perfumed with cardamom & cassia, accompanied by
sambals and crispy poppadoms

DESSERT:

Decadent chocolate pot with rosemary biscuit

Coffee/Tea

Wine and other drinks included with the lunch:

Homemade lemonade chilled with mint, Nuy sparkling white grape juice, Nuy sparkling wine, Nuy Chant de Nuit [a light fruity white] and Rouge de Nuy [a delicious red ]

The cost of the lunch, including wine, will be R175 each for members and R195 for guests.

To book your places, please deposit payment into the Cape Town Slow Food account at FNB, Grassy Park, code 203109, account number 62023929378. Please do not deposit cash, as this costs us R15 per deposit. If you need to deposit cash, add R15 to the amount to be deposited. When making payment please put your name as a reference on the deposit slip or EFT payment. Payment will confirm your booking.

Please let Lorna know the number of members and guests attending the lunch by Monday, February 15th.  Also, please let her know which main course you would like, as we need to place our order before the day of the lunch.

If you would like to spend the week-end or a night in the district, there is accommodation available on both farms.  For more details go to the websites:
http://www.toontjiesrivier.co.za  www.tierhoekcottages.co.za

Provisional Date for the annual wine pressing and brunch:
Joostenberg  on Saturday March 13.

Cape Town Slow Food Convivium: Hon. Secretary: Lorna van Besouw, 3 Lutgens Road, Rondebosch, 7700.  Fax 021 685 1577.
E-mail vbesouw@iafrica.com Website www.slowfoodcapetown.co.za

DIRECTIONS TO TIERHOEK FARM:

DIRECTIONS FROM TIERHOEK TO TOONTJIESRIVIER FARM

The following directions were supplied by Bryce Steytler, owner of Toontjiesrivier.
Please chat to Adrian Rademeyer if you’d like more details of the two possible routes.

On your way back from Tierhoek  which is on the Vinkrivier road you come to a junction just before the railway line with a very good gravel road turn off to the right. It should say Agtervink road. This is a short cut through the farms and you come out at Toontjiesrivier on your  right. It is approx  9 km. from Tierhoek farm.
You also pass the lime plant on your right. It is a scenic route.

Otherwise you connect up with the Robertson /Worcester road at Rooiberg cellar. That is the R60.Travel about 15km towards Worcester. Turn right at the Nuy sign. It is 6 km up to the Nuy cellar. Turn right, and we are 4 km from the cellar on the left. It is a longer way round for anyone worried about travelling a gravel road.

The gravel road is an A grade ( good gravel road) and is a scenic drive along the base of the mountains and much shorter. If you have a map I’m sure you will see the road I have described. It was the road betweem Robertson and Worcester in the old days. We always use it to go through to Robertson.