|
TOUR REPORT
Skoonsustersbos
Farm is where Amanda Viljoen
and her family grow tomatoes. This was our
"out of the ordinary" destination
today. What an absolutely fabulous day it
was. The above photos show just how much
time was spent by the family and friends to
make our day a memorable one.
Our visit to Hopefield was motivated by an article
in the Country Life magazine exposing Amanda
Viljoen who grows tomatoes in tunnels on her
father’s farm, Skoonsustersbos. When
initially we approached Amanda she suggested
lunch in the garden – well we were blown
away by the family’s generosity and the
wonderful lunch we all enjoyed.
This farm, just outside Hopefield was our
venue for the day today and on arrival at
11h30 we immediately went on a tour of the
tunnels to see the little tomato plants.
Amanda has a real passion for what she does
and she made the tour of the tunnels
interesting for the ladies.
On arrival in their garden we were all
excited with what greeted us. They had laid
out tables for lunch neatly positioned in
the shade under specially erected awanings.
Their preparations were par-excellence –
huge jugs of iced tea, cold water were
waiting on the hot day.
The buffet table was laden with
Mediterranean treats – yoghurt cheese;
sundried tomatoes; decadent breads by Mathe
of Once upon a Bread; olives etc which the
ladies eagerly tucked into.
They had also set out a mini-market with the
delicious breads and cinnamon twists
to-die-for; jams, relishes and even a lady
who made lovely quilts. Yes Amanda also had
some of her "long life" tomatoes on sale.
Helena of Simply Bees gave the ladies a talk
on her products, which was very interesting.
So many products from bees, WOW!
Amanda, her sister, mom & dad waited on us –
quiches with fabulous salad followed by a
rich cheesecake. No sooner had we finished
this than they arrived with huge meringue
pavlova's; one topped with granadillas and
one with figs……..Nothing was too much
trouble – shortly after this meal the
tea/coffee arrived and we then had to be on
our way by 2.15 pm.
On leaving the farm we headed for
Helena’s Simply Bee store in the village of
Hopefield. Several purchases were made!
Thank you Helena for the gifts which we gave
out to lucky numbers – the ladies were
thrilled with this!
A short visit to Ilse Mostert and her quirky
art and jewellery under the Got2 brand had
many ladies saying how interesting the
recycled products were. It was then back
onto the N7 with direction Cape Town.
What an extraordinary day, which exceeded
all expectations. Also it was great that
there was a bit of a breeze and the heat
held off for a while. |
