Saturday, August 20, 2011

Olyven Houdt Farm - Stilbaai

Stilbaai - a sleepy hamlet on the Southern coast of the Cape and home to my parents-in-law - has a rather fascinating claim-to-fame. During the peak of summer, the waters are practically 'sardined' with blue bottles (also known as Portuguese men-of-war), so one has to be very careful while swimming (especially when a strong 'Easterly' is blowing). Mercifully, it was mid-winter when we arrived and rather than being exposed to the perils of the sea, we were charmed by a rather extraordinary olive farm on the outskirts of Stilbaai. My sister-in-law is in charge of the Press Room Cafe and cooks the most delectable meals (I witnessed the lamb shank being prepared and it looked mouth-watering). The sun-washed stone buildings and rustic interiors are so authentic that for a second, I was teleported to the heart of Provence...


Detail on the W&T Avery Scale




The early buds of Jasmine 

Japanese Koi 



Boules, anyone?


Menu


Jamón - (real-deal) and the award-winning olive oil


Little bundt cakes

A rather curious piece of wood

Read more about Stilbaai here

2 comments:

  1. A beautiful visual journey. Jamon and a baby bundt...sign me up.

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  2. Your post brings back pleasant memories !
    The best cheesecake that we ever had was here !
    http://tickingthebucketlist.blogspot.in/2014/08/stilbaai-well-kept-secret.html?m=0

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