With just 40 days to the start of the eagerly awaited  Soccer World Cup and the arrival of plane loads of frenzied fans, the locals in Stanford have come up with their own solution to home grown hospitality. The Village has an impressive collection of talented chefs, artists, wine makers, bakers and warm wonderful people who are pulling out the stops to ensure that visitors, both local and from abroad,  experience the warmth of the Overberg.

The renowned country restaurant, Marianas, is offering cooking workshops  and her foodie fans will be delighted to hear that she will be open for Friday evening meals during June, with a special menu showcasing local produce.

Mosaic Farm invites their guests to indulge in a weekend of  ‘Slow Food and  Good Wine’ at the Spookhuis.

If you’re still hungry for culinary knowledge, you can join a cooking demo at Blue Gum Country Estate’s “Ready Steady Cook” while Dad and the children head into the outdoors on a nature exploration.

Children will be entertained while their parents enjoy their time out - adventure camps, playgroups, soccer tournaments on the village green, horse cart rides and a ‘Kidz Kamp’ on a nearby farm have been arranged to keep them happily and safely occupied.

There will be no excuse for feeling frazzled, or not being well groomed. Lots of specials are on offer at the spa, and Moms and the teenagers will be indulged and pampered.

The local pub will have live music and a cabaret show in the evenings and a foot-stomping, good ol’ fashioned Barn dance will be hosted by Stanford Hills Wine Estate. The regular Evening Market will ensure that guests sample the delicious local produce. Galashiels Lodge will share the secrets of the Scottish tipple at a Whisky tasting evening. For a touch of refinement, a traditional English High tea is also on the cards.

Our close neighbour in Baardskeerdersbos, renowned artist Niel Jonker will be sharing his bread-making secrets at the 2 day “Sourdough Experience”

Great specials are on offer for accommodation, so don’t let that long winter holiday get you down. The village of Stanford is warm and inviting, any time of year.

Be part of the world wide celebration of Earth Hour on Saturday 27th March 2010 at the Village Green in Stanford! After the success of Stanford’s 2009 Earth Hour,  it was decided to enhance this event and create a fund-raising opportunity in support of Overberg Conservation Foundation.

With the Cape Town Jazz Fest taking  place 3 days after Earth Hour, the timing was perfect to organise a Mini Jazz Festival in our own village.  The Stanford restaurants will function as Jazz Venues for that evening, and the purchase of a ticket for R60 will gain entrance to all restaurants bordering the Village green and the High street. You are encouraged to meander the High Street restaurants and sample all the delicious foods, company and music on offer.

The event is proud to host Chad Zerf, pianist and vocalist from the UCT school of Jazz, getting ready to perform with George Benson himself at the Cape Town Jazz Fest; Morne Katz - brilliant guitarist and vocalist/pianist; Michaela Faye Kruger in an excellent chocolate Jazz trio at the Art Cafe; Overberg’s very own icon, Piano Ben, will charm audiences with his professional smooooooth sounds at Evergrines; Les Witz at Paprika’s on Saxophone - toe tapping Dixie Jazz man, hat and all!  Johan Dowries from Hawston with the Gospel for the King Jazz Band will be on at Stanford Arms Hall.  On the Blues/ Jazz side famous SA musician Valient Swart, guitarist and vocalist, will be at Gypsies! For those looking for a great ‘knees up’, Mississipi Disco will be at La Finestra.

The Street Market begins at 3pm. The High Street will be closed to traffic and Stanford will turn into a mini New Orleans with treats and eats, pumpkins and pony rides.  The stores and antique shops will stay open late spilling their wares onto the High Street and the stoeps of Stanford.

The Earth Hour picnic on the Green will start at around 6pm. Local award winning produce will be on sale, and visitors can fill their picnic baskets.

The Church bells of the area will peal across the Kleinriver to mark the much awaited 100 million strong global movement of  Earth Hour, when the lights suddenly switch off at 8:30pm plunging the Village Green into Galaxies and Starlight.  The Hermanus Astronomy Society will have star pointers and be available for anyone interested in learning about the night sky.

At 10pm, the Jazz Fest will begin in the restaurants bordering the Green and along the High Street, introduced by a Sax playing “Oh what a wonderful world” across the Village Green. Contact Stanfordinfo or the Art Cafe to book your tickets.

Lovers in the Overberg region will have no excuse for not having something special to do on the Valentines weekend.

Mosaic Farm invites you to a Valentine Dinner on Saturday Feb 13th at the 1892 Spookhuis with a complimentary glass of Villiera Rosa Brut and  Canapes. Stay the weekend and enjoy the special Valentine’s accommodation package.

Start the day of romance with a Sunrise breakfast at Boschrivier Wine Estate. Enjoy a glass of chilled sparkling wine as you gaze lovingly into your partners sleepy eyes.

Meander across to the Klein Rivier Cheese farm, pick up your lovingly prepared picnic basket of delectable goodies and head down to the river for a quiet snooze.

Lunchtime will present agonising choices…..should it be a surprise at THYME at Rosemary’s Restaurant with a glass of bubbly - or the Valentines Day Lunchtime Special at Paprika? Fruity Lamb Roll with Feta & mint Jus  followed by a Dessert Buffet.  Perhaps a platter of love bites to feed your beloved at Gypsies,  followed by Grape- stuffed love birds

Your choices are endless - make this your best Valentines weekend ever!

The House and Leisure magazine’s prestigious Best of SA awards, have announced the country’s top five hotels, spas, lodges and restaurants for 2009. We are immensely proud of Mariana and Peter for being selected Runners up in the Restaurant category.

“South Africa has some of the most exciting, luxurious and welcoming leisure destinations in the world, and it was a wonderful challenge having to choose just five in each category,” says Naomi Larkin, editor of House
and Leisure magazine. “Our shortlist includes destinations with a unique South African touch and a global appeal.”

The finalists were:
• Hartford House (Mooi River, KwaZulu-Natal)
• La Colombe (Constantia, Western Cape)
• Marianas (Stanford, Western Cape)
• Ritrovo (Waterkloof Ridge, Gauteng)
• The Tasting Room (Franschhoek, Western Cape)

A lunch at Marianas is a delight to the senses. From the minute you walk into the quaint, unpretentious house and smell the mouth watering dish slowly roasting in the open country kitchen, you know you’re in for a treat. While you gaze out onto the vegetable patch and to the mountains in the distance, Peter will entice you with the daily specials on the blackboard, delighting you with his  wicked humour. Mariana builds seasonal flavours with a strong South African twist, harvesting vegetables from her garden. It’s all so fresh, so innovative, so pleasing - you won’t get closer to real, unprocessed food in a restaurant than at this country bistro.

Bookings essential:  028 341 0272. Thurs-Sun lunch. NB No credit cards
12 Du Toit Str, Stanford.

This weekend, Stanford proudly welcomes the well known chef, Marlene van der Westhuizen, to the Village. The delightful Domaine du Cap, our very own French inspired home decor store, has invited Marlene to launch her latest cookbook, Sumptuous, on Saturday 17th October between 1 - 4pm at the store in Queen Victoria Street.

Marlene is a celebrity chef, and shares her time between her kitchen at the Food Studio in Green Point, and her French home, Bagatelle,  in the medieval village of Charroux in the Auvergne. She describes her style of cooking as “brasserie luxe”.  Simple, real food that looks as good as it tastes. Marlene shares her passion for good food, good wine, and good living in the pages of this beautiful book, a journey through the heart of France and to the tip of Africa.