| It all starts with an idea. The idea is expressed in words. From the words the images, the sounds, the actions, the stories flow. Here we demonstrate our talent for telling smart, innovative (for the most part moving) stories, in words, mostly.
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You want me to do what...go watch a choir? |
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 While most of you woke up this morning to the sound of alarms, hairdryers and traffic, we were treated to a thick cloud of mist drifting through the valley surrounding our hotel. Yesterday’s after dark arrival yet again proved to be a blessing in disguise. When the cloak of darkness finally lifted off the mountains we were treated to the Drakensberg in all its glory. It was as if the mountain was boasting with its snow capped peaks.
Day two of our trip ... |
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An Englishman, an Irishman and a South African walk into an airport. |
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 What do you get when sixteen Brits who don’t know each other from a bar of soap arrive in South Africa? It’s easy: sixteen people who stand around awkwardly trying to suss out who they’re most likely to strike up a conversation with. That was the scenario that greeted us as we touched down at O.R. Tambo International Airport this morning, 5 May. But our 12-hour flight from Heathrow wasn’t the last of today’s travelling. Awaiting us was a 5-hour bus ride to our eventual ... |
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The feast! |
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 Today is the big day! All the training of the past week will be tested at tonight’s big dinner and boy, are we nervous!
We had done most of our preparatory work the day before and we confident that we could rise to the occasion. Having said this, it was wonderful to have Prue Leith herself offer a few words of encouragement. It really helped get us into the right frame of mind.
By late afternoon the front of house team had began polishing cutlery and laying crockery. They made sure ... |
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So much wine, so little time … |
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 When your subject is wine, it’s best to start with anything that requires concentration early in the morning. The Cape Wine Academy at Nietvoorbij near Stellenbosch is a very good place to find out more about wine and how to drink it to enhance your experience of eating and socialising with friends.
Our morning was well spent scratching the surface of the wine culture: The effect on the nature of wine of the different climates of the coastal, mountain and inland regions of the Boland and adjacent areas, ... |
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A very busy day in the kitchen |
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 After the sightseeing over the weekend our whole group was simply itching to get busy in the kitchen! The day started early when we were picked up from the hotel and dropped off at the Prue Leith Academy in nearby Pretoria.
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Run... Feast... Run... Feast... |
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 The day started with a rush. The ferry to Robben Island waits for nobody and fifty yards from the terminal building our guide got a call to say we had three minutes to board. We sprinted and made it in time for the start of an exceptional experience.
The weather was fine with just enough waves to remind you that you are on a ferry on the sea and to listen to the safety instructions, and be thankful that the crew was professional and the trip uneventful.
After disembarkation, the passengers, who came from all over the world, were directed to ... |
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On History, Insights and Sumptuous Feasts |
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 Bright and early we began the day with a tour of the kitchen facilities of the Palace of the Lost City hotel. It is amazing to witness the hive of activity that occurs behind the scenes in this well organised and expertly run kitchen. After seeing first hand how a busy hotel of this calibre handles so many orders with such ease is was a pleasure to sit down to a full buffet breakfast and enjoy the serene setting of the restaurant.
From there a trip to Johannesburg and a tour of the city was ...
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A Change of Plans |
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 We arrived at the District Six Museum in Cape Town a short while before closing time, but that was good news on a day when everything did not go exactly as planned.
Our flight was delayed so that by the time we arrived at our hotel where we were welcomed with refreshing fruit juice, it was too late to go on the scheduled drive up Table Mountain and Signal Hill to witness the firing of the noon gun. Which was a good thing, because the weather was misty with drizzling rain and the beautiful ...
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A Different Taste of Africa – Mopani Worms and Dirt! |
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 The Palace of the Lost City is aptly named and we were truly astounded by the splendour of the accommodation. We were made to feel at home and welcomed a shower and a change of clothes, given that we had been travelling for well over ten hours! Little did we know that however refreshing this shower might have been, we were soon to get a little dirty!
Since we were delayed at ... |
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