Showing posts with label Bastille. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bastille. Show all posts

Vive le Franschhoek

Posted by BrettGarner - 0 comments

If you've left buying a ticket to the Franschhoek Bastille marquee (or the tres cool VIP marquee) a little late, all is not lost...

The press release: Inspired by Franschhoek’s cross-cultural SA-French heritage, Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa’s Executive Chef, Oliver Cattermole, will be presenting culinary savoir faire during this year’s annual Bastille Festival celebrations from July 14-15.

Having recently evolved the culinary direction of Le Franschhoek’s Dish restaurant (and taking the stage at this year’s Good Food & Wine show), Oliver is embracing the festivities by offering visitors a choice of local produce and French-inspired plates. 

All of this is in keeping with the SA-French Seasons 2012-2013, an exciting collaboration between France and South Africa where a multifaceted bilateral agreement sees the two countries uniting through arts and culture. 

In his use of locally sourced produce, Oliver will be preparing Salmon California Rolls for visitors to enjoy while exploring the attractions while, if traditional cuisine is what you are looking for, the chef extraordinaire’s spinach and feta quiche will add Gallic flavour  to your culinary journey. Fudge squares in the colours of the French flag, meanwhile, will be a must for anyone with a patriotic sweet-tooth. 

Capturing the essence of five star luxury, Le Franschhoek represents the most romantic of Cape Wineland retreat-style resorts. Leisure facilities include an award-winning Camelot Spa, tennis court and a large, sparkling pool, while offering a gastronomic feast under the direction of Executive Chef Oliver Cattermole at the hotel’s two restaurants which include the elegant Dish Restaurant and the outdoor Le Verger, a restaurant set within an orchard.  

Le Verger Restaurant at Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa, - open for lunch and dinner. For more information contact 021-876-8900 or go to www.lefranschhoek.co.za.

Dish Restaurant at Le Franschhoek Hotel & Spa – open for dinner. For more information contact 021-876-8900 or go to www.lefranschhoek.co.za.

Big On Bastille

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On the 14th of July, says the Editor, you'd best be in Franschhoek! | The Month July 2012


"The Franschhoek Wine Valley is inextricably linked with the pursuit of freedom as the destination where the French Huguenots sought refuge from persecution. Aside from the European legacy, the thematic link with freedom is also evident in a local context with the Drakenstein Prison (formerly Victor Verster), from which Nelson Mandela was released, just outside Franschhoek. Bastille seeks to marry the collective leitmotif of freedom, drawing from both French and South African stories of emancipation from oppression, at the heart of both. It promises to be ‘A Celebration of Freedom’.” - Siegfried Schaefer, 2009


Historically, Bastille Day commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, to celebrate the storming of the Bastille on the 14th of July, 1789. The storming was a violent act of unification which brought people together with a simple but passionate desire for freedom; the people of Franschhoek are well-known for similar passion on the day!

This year’s festival will include a number of refinements to a programme renowned for its food and wine
marquee, the largest and longest running boules competition of its kind, The Waiters’ Race, the Franschhoek minstrel parade, fencing, barrel-rolling, a farmers’ market, craft market stalls, musicians, children’s activities, the Marche de Franschhoek – with an array of French and French inspired food and lifestyle products – and many extra’s on offer in the local restaurants and businesses over the weekend.

The most notable refinements include a VIP marquee that will offer, amongst other things, access to bona-fide French winemakers from the Rhône-Alpes Region in France, their fabulous wines and a platter of French-inspired fare and a change in venue for the main Food and Wine Marquee – which will now take up the space between the village’s Dutch Reformed Church and the Town Hall, bringing it right into the centre of town.

For those in search of a little quieter time, The Screening Room at Le Quartier Français will screen French movies throughout the weekend and many of the accommodation establishments and restaurants will offer special menus prepared exclusively for the festival.     

If you had any thoughts that Franschhoek might take it ‘easy’ with this year’s festival – think again, bringing people closer together and throwing a whole lot of Frenchmen into the mix can only mean one thing: the PARTY to end all parties. You have been warned… and despite rumours to the contrary, festival goers will be forgiven for wearing berets.

Tickets to the VIP marquee cost R395pp with access to the Food and Wine  Marquee and a tasting of the French wines and French-inspired food included; tickets to the Food and Wine Marquee are R150pp and includes a tasting glass and a complimentary booklet of tasting coupons. Tickets are available through www.webtickets.co.za, but numbers are limited and once the venues are full, no further patrons will be admitted.

For more information visit www.franschhoekbastille.co.za, follow them on Twitter at #fhkbastille or contact the Franschhoek Wine Valley offices on 021 876 2861.