Post Tagged with: "Destination Irene"

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Since as long as can be remembered, one of the most exciting events leading up to the BIG DAY is the ever popular Kitchen Tea. As with most things in modern times, the traditional Kitchen Tea of presenting the bride an item for her kitchen within which she is expected to cook many happy meals for her groom has long changed. Today’s Kitchen Tea celebrations are far more sophisticated (and sometimes naughty!).

Celebrations at Irene Farm are always a joyous occasion and so the impending nuptials of Pertunia to Hank have many tongues wagging in the fields. With what is said to be the biggest celebration of the year, donned with all the bells and whistles, we are all very excited to attend. And I’ll certainly report back to my followers after the fact – no need for FOMO friends!

Mooria was tasked with the exciting job of arranging Pertunia’s Kitchen Tea (to be a surprise, of course) and the first thing she did was head over to the lovely functions planning lady at Irene Farm. Together they discussed the various options and settled on an outdoor booking at The Barn Restaurant where the ladies can chat away for the afternoon.

The menu choices were a little more daunting as everything looked so delicious. After much deliberation, Mooria settled on the tea and cake menu with savoury sandwiches, a baked cheesecake and a decadent chocolate fudge cake. Naturally, famous Irene Farm scones were on the table too with delicious jams and the ever popular double thick Irene Farm cream.

We were all asked to arrive a half hour early, where we were met by the lovely staff who ushered us to our booked tables all beautifully laid for an afternoon of high tea. As a gift to the bride-to-be, Mooria suggested a recipe from each of the guests with the ingredients so that Pertunia could build up her recipe collection and practice before becoming Hank’s barnwife. Not too far off from a traditional gift but with its own personal twist. The younger crowd obliged but I did hear rumours of a more raucous party planned for the evening for which the local night clubs would be their destination. Us ‘older’ mooo’s were more than happy with our sophisticated Kitchen Tea option.

Pertunia arrived on time, screeching with delight and joy at the surprise of her much deserved celebration. Once seated and armed with a cake fork, she politely dished a slice for everyone. Many teas and cappuccinos later, after much laughter, stories and blessing wishes, Pertunia headed back to her barn with bags of ingredients and age old recipes that will surely keep Hank a well-fed bull.

Thanks to The Barn Restaurant, our Kitchen Tea celebration was one for the memory books. I’m guessing we might be hosting a Stork Tea there in the not too distant future! Honeymoon babies are always a welcome surprise…

Till next week,
The Dairy Cow

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Around the World in 80 bites!

Our middle calf has ambitious dreams of travelling the world. She mooo’s about grazing the fields in Europe and assures me that she might call home at least once a month! Bill and I had a good chuckle at her last week when we overheard her telling her siblings that she’s sure to still get delicious Irene Dairy Farm milk from the cafés in France…

We decided to take the opportunity to teach our calves a little more about diverse cuisine and so booked a Friday evening dinner for five at the Meadow Green Restaurant at African Pride Irene Country Lodge. Bill had chatted to the chef and he discovered that the Around the World in 80 bites buffet would be on offer.

Armed with very hungry tummies, we herded off across the road for our 7pm booking. (Thank goodness we thought to book ahead as the restaurant was full!).

Our friendly waiter ushered us to a beautifully set table and offered to show us around the buffet.

With delicious salad starters, breads and cold meats we knew that this was going to be a graze worth every bite. On to the mains including a selection of vegetables, a carvery of lamb and chicken, oxtail stew and ‘real time’ cooking of Chinese noodles and seafood – we were glad that this varied selection would introduce our calves to a little more than their usual fields of green.

One of the most impressive parts of our evening was that the Chef’s at The Meadow Green Restaurant were on hand to answer any questions. As we wondered around the buffet they offered information on the various dishes and the calves enjoyed the interactive station where they cook the meals while you wait. This allows for a festive environment where food is the topic of the day.

When it came time for choices to be made, we were all a little conflicted! Everything looked so delicious but we knew that we couldn’t have it all – we would end up rolling back across to the barn!

Bill opted for the meatier meal with what he described as an unbeatable oxtail and slices of the leg of lamb. The calves decided on Chinese noodles with their own extras of chicken, peppers and tomatoes whilst I settled on my some of my favourites – crispy fresh salad and seafood. Needless to say, we all added some extras here and there just for a taste!

After sipping on a bottle of gorgeous wine recommended by our waitron, Bill and I convinced the kids to wait half an hour before heading for the deserts. Best decision ever!

The desert bar was to die for!

Needless to say, we did end up rolling back to the barn that night, but it was worth every last bite…

Till Next Week

THE DAIRY COW

For those of you that missed my amazing newsletters and need familiarity as to who I am or the characters I often refer to in my updates, click here to read more…

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Moooi!

Craft and market are two of my favourite words, so when I recently spotted the street advertisement for the Irene@Smuts Market I decided it was time to pay it a visit…

With Bill and the calves in tow, we moooseyed on over to the Smuts House Museum last Saturday morning only to be met with the most wonderful vibe. Craft market heaven! Irene@Smuts Market is a deli and handmade goods market that takes place every second and last Saturday of the month. Proudly South African craft at its best.

Bill headed straight for the newly built wooden deck where live music set the tone for an enjoyable morning. Craft beer and great food options meant that he was quite happy to soak up the tunes whilst the calves and I strolled around the stalls.

Proudly South African handmade products resulted in us spending quite some time chatting to the vendors – getting to know their crafts and admiring their makes. From handmade glycerine soap (which smells divine) to perfectly sewn Barbie doll dresses, there is something for everyone at this market.

I was mostly impressed with the creativity and originality of some of the vendors. I purchased a lovely shopper bag, which I plan to use for my weekly Irene Farm Shop visit, made out of recycled washing powder packets – who would have thought! Not only did I enjoy every minute of exploring this market, but I felt like I was helping to save the environment in my own little way!

Another one which caught my eye (and my wallet!) was a vendor making Tree of life décor from old bicycle rims. Mine will be proudly displayed on our barnyard gate entrance. I’ll be sure to post a pic on my Facebook page as the Tree of life photos are all the rage right now!

Beautiful jewellery, clothing, paintings and more – you can see why we were there for the whole morning! Not forgetting the antique stalls. The calves and I had so much fun checking out all the old goodies, much of which I had to explain what they were!

It wasn’t long before my youngest calve was tugging at my hoof for something to eat and drink so we decided to stay for lunch.

Vetkoek, gourmet hot dogs, pizzas, paninis, pull pork sandwiches – you name it, they’ve got it! And the drinks aren’t far behind… We saw many happy market goers with a glass of wine in their hands and the craft beer vendor seemed rather busy too… I stuck to my trusty favourite – coffee – and it was a mooovelous one at that, whilst the claves had their all-time market must – bubble tea!

Together with Bill, we sat on the deck and enjoyed the time spent together. The market buzz in the air made the atmosphere complete.

On the walk home, the calves moooed about how much fun the morning had been and asked when we could go back! I’ve since discovered that they hold a Moonlight Market on the last Friday evening of each month – I’m going to pencil that into the calendar right now…

Till next week!

THE DAIRY COW

For those of you that missed my amazing newsletters and need familiarity as to who I am or the characters I often refer to in my updates, click here to read more…

As an effort to help better the community that we live, some happy volunteers from Destination Irene joined hands and assisted the Potato Foundation with their “Spread the Soup” project.

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Just wanted to say a BIG thank you very much to everyone who contributed to our “Paying it Forward” effort it was a great day and the kids really enjoyed it!!

Destination Irene sees much excitement from the 31 January – 2 February  2014.

The Irene Country Club hosts the South Africa vs Monaco Davis Cup tie.

I’m so excited 🙂 GOOOOOOOO South Africa 🙂