A Moment of Madness

28 May 2011

In a sense, my life has been lived as a cycle of passions (some would say obsessions) that remain interests as the passion cools. Until my mid-twenties it was horse racing and breeding; don’t be fooled, though, by my apparent youth when I made the transition to wine. By the time I was ten years [...]

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Grazie, Graze

2 May 2011

Graze, in Stanford’s main road, is a fabulous little eatery, overflowing with character in a way that makes you want to eat the entire menu. I was there for lunch after a little mountain bike ride, hence my interest in eating was even greater. As you can see from the picture above, the menu is [...]

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The Eden Minstrels

2 May 2011

At the Olive Festival in Prince Albert, I used my iPhone to record this local band playing an Afrikaans favourite. The performance isn’t going to win any talent contests, but it’s a very real and typical part of local culture. What’s not to love about a bunch of guys with this much character in their [...]

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Planet Restaurant

29 April 2011

As a young adult, the Grill Room at the Mount Nelson Hotel was high on my list of special occasion outings. With jazzy-type live music (and mini dance floor), plush banquettes and dark wood it pressed all the right buttons. Most of what happens at the Mount Nelson has remained pretty much the same as [...]

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Vengeful Customers

22 April 2011

As a marketer, it is my job to tune into consumer behaviour, whether the purchase is happening online, or in a traditional face-to-face transaction. Through my connection with Dish Food & Social I get another angle on customer interactions, generally in the form of people who have been unhappy with the meal that’s been served [...]

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A-1 Pork Chop at DW Eleven-13

21 April 2011

I went through a craving for pork chops a month ago. It started when my golf group went for lunch after our monthly game at De Zalze (lovely course, by the way). Pork chops were on the menu at our chosen lunch venue (so bad I cannot possibly mention it by name), and instantly I [...]

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A Canter down Memory Lane

20 April 2011

I took a walk down memory lane (or should I say, a trot down the back straight) by attending the National Yearling Sales in Johannesburg over the weekend. Until 18 years ago it was an event I participated in every year, both as a small-time buyer (representing Form Bloodstock) and seller (assisting my parents’ Normandy [...]

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Beauty & The Beast

3 April 2011

This morning’s Vigne-a-Vigne mountain bike ride (someone of my ability couldn’t possibly call it a ‘race’) zig-zagged around the hills and mountains above Lourensford Estate in Somerset West. It is one of the most spectacular organised mountain bike rides of the year … but not for the faint-hearted. Take a look at the route profile [...]

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Where’s the Glory?

29 March 2011

Jon Krakauer’s book Where Men Win Glory is one of the most thought-provoking I’ve read. On one level, it’s the story of professional footballer Pat Tillman’s life, ending at the hands of ‘friendly’ fire that the US Army did its best to obfuscate. It’s a heartbreaking story, made more tragic by the knowledge that dozens [...]

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No-Moo Monday

28 March 2011

While our family quite often has vegetarian meals, these probably don’t occur on a weekly basis, and certainly not on a fixed day of the week. So, this evening we had our first-ever Meat-free Monday. I made a curry, with chickpeas and roast butternut, and it really was a hassle-free experience. The first step was [...]

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