The recipe for a weekend to remember is simple but specific: shared passions (gourmet food – tick!), a love for the good things in life (tick!), and a setting in which nature pulls out all her stops (double tick).
One such occasion was the recent Sandy’s Gourmet Weekend, hosted at Kurland with caterer Sandy Wood, which wowed guests from the get-go.
Friday
The weekend started with a Friday afternoon arrival from George, greeted by roaring fires in the Homestead; Brenda’s signature cakes, just waiting to be devoured; and thoughtful gifts in every guest’s room – a tote bag containing a recipe book, Kevin Collins ceramics, a pansy shell, and a hand-written note and quote.
Dinner’s ambience built up with a drive under night skies to the Villa, greeted by our Kurland hostess, Di, in an ethereal floaty dress, lighting the candles, putting her finishing touches on the table and gifting guests a guest towel with their names monogrammed on it.
It was an utterly elegant, all-white affair with poppies, crystal, silver and lights adorning the tables, romantically accented with Asian-inspired menus wrapped in personalized pale ivory ribbons. To top it all off, French bistro music playing in the background, interrupted by laughter, the sound of Champagne corks popping and the frogs chipping in their natural chorus.
The menu – sharing platters, made with love and served in a delightful mix of Di’s mother’s beautiful bowls. Some of our favourite dishes: Asian glazed salmon with wasabi mashed potatoes, a Thai prawn salad with fragrant lime dressing, Glass noodles with pork meatballs and chili lime dressing and ending off with unforgettable Vanilla lemongrass crème brûlée.
Saturday
Saturday started in Kurland’s welcoming Homestead kitchen with a hearty English breakfast, Burcher muesli (made by Thandi, who works with Sandy’s team), zingy citrus platters, croissants, goat cheese and ham omelettes, and roasted tomato and feta quiches. While they enjoyed breakfast, guests were once again surprised and delighted by local culinary gifts – Kurland’s Mandela honeybush tea and jars of honey.
Whilst comfortably sipping on chilled Rosé, flavoured water and Benji’s yummy cappuccinos, guests settled in for a generous, harvest-themed demonstration.
Saturday’s big platter culinary demonstration didn’t hold back with Moroccan harira soup with lamb, Marinated Korean-style griddled beef with miso slaw, Twice-cooked beetroot with spicy tamarind and minted labneh, flatbreads and dips and more…plus a sweet ending with Meskouta Moroccan orange cake.
After the demo, it was time for the guests to become creative. They were escorted through to the Homestead’s dining room and greeted by tables gorgeously set up with centre pieces made by the talented DP Ferreira. DP proceeded to direct a fun and interactive wreath-making afternoon workshop, which guests loved.
Next, it was time for our guests to move into the heart of the Homestead, the library, for a wine-tasting with Sue Lund from Newstead. A roaring atmospheric fire; soft, overstuffed sofas; and indulging in homemade Arancini balls with the perfect complement to the Newstead wines.
After a day exploring the Homestead’s many comfortable entertaining spaces, we moved on to experience Sandy’s favourite venue on the estate – Katarina’s, a countryside ‘barn’ with picturesque views across the paddocks. The setting was perfect for an Italian-themed evening – crackling fireplaces and hundreds of candles gave the room a dreamy glow, offset by hand-painted tomato tablecloths, and paired with formal candelabras creating a romantic décor.
Small finishing touches were noticed and appreciated by everyone – like adorning the tables with beautiful heirloom veggies, and Sandy and Di decorating the tables with rustic copper pots from the kitchen and Sandy’s cabbage green pottery.
In true Italian style, the evening’s gifting was a family affair – with Alex, Di’s sister, gifting each of the guests a pack of her special homemade pasta. Earlier in the evening, Alex gave a demo of her pasta (which she makes and sells at the local market at Old Nick Village) and told guests the sentimental story behind why she started the loved pasta evenings that take place at Katarina’s once a week: Annie, Di and Alex’s mum, always made pasta in the kitchen and her daughters have fond memories of helping with the rolling and kneading when they were growing up.
It was a late evening (thanks to the amazingly ample menu that was served below) but so relaxed and fun, and our guests retired to their plush rooms with big smiles on their faces.
The menu included Crostone topped with smashed butternut, whipped goat’s cheese and fig glaze, Sandy’s pea risotto with buffalo mozzarella and spring herbs, Pappardelle with osso buco ragu, ending with a showstopper, the Bitter chocolate and roasted hazelnut torte with lamponi e Prosecco.
Sunday
Sunday started at Gap Beach in Plettenberg Bay, with oysters and bubbles, set up on the sand. Bramon wines came along to host a delicious wine tasting. Following that, it was a natural progression to take a relaxed beach walk back to Sandy’s house for a ‘summer entertaining’ themed demonstration and feast.
Beachwood House demonstration menu pulled out all the stops with some of Sandy’s winning dishes: Hot smoked salmon with shaved fennel and lemon oil, Chargrilled chicken Maryland with pineapple som tum, Grilled hispi cabbage with coriander, garlic, chilli and lime oil, and then an Elderflower and pistachio cake to round it all off.
And just like that, another magical Gourmet Weekend came to a close, with guests reluctantly saying goodbye and shedding a few tears of joy for a weekend that was much-needed and much-appreciated. With friendship and food combined, you cannot go wrong!