Manager’s Report February 2016

by | Mar 30, 2016 | Manager's Reports | 0 comments

Salayexe's cub resting in a tree by Dawie Jacobs

Wild photo of the month. Salayexe’s cub resting in a tree by Dawie Jacobs

The shortest month of the year came and went in the blink of an eye. We had loads of wonderful game drive sightings, had some maintenance projects and also celebrated many staff birthdays. We experienced some strange weather patterns as well. We had very hot, humid days, coupled with warm, windy days and ended the month with some cloudy days. It is noticeable during the evenings that the season is now slowly changing. The warm humid nights are slowly being replaced by cooler, breezier temperatures. We can also notice the sunrise and sunset times changing a little more every day, as we slowly move towards autumn.

Breeding herd of buffalo by Neil Coetzer

Breeding herd of buffalo by Neil Coetzer

A few months ago I was contacted by one of our guests Chris Duffield who had a booking for February. He explained that it was him and his lovely fiancé’s biggest wish to get married while in South Africa and the breathtaking beauty of the African bush gave them an idyllic idea for their dream venue. On 9 February we celebrated their very special day at Elephant Plains. It was a lovely sunny day – perfect for an intimate bush wedding. Chris and Lucy wanted to keep everything as rustic and natural as possible. They were joined in marriage under a Leadwood tree on our open area next to the water hole. The ceremony was ended off with elephants trumpeting from a distance. Everything was perfect. Thank you for choosing us to host your dream wedding Mr & Mrs Duffield, I trust that you will keep memories of your bush wedding forever!

Salayexe the female leopard by Neil Coetzer

Salayexe the female leopard by Neil Coetzer

I mentioned earlier that we had a maintenance project this month. As you all know by now, most of our buildings at the lodge have thatch roofs. This month, 3 roofs were given a new look. The roofs still have the same structure but now wears a different outer layer. Harvey Thatch is a stone coated lightweight steel roof tile, resembling a natural thatch look, but without the associated problems which thatch roofs typically give. From the inside, you still see the natural thatch as the tiles are secured onto a wooden frame on top of the original thatch. With the colour and texture very close to that of the grass, the newly finished roofs fit right in with the rest.

This month we welcomed a new face to the kitchen. Juandré Jansen van Rensburg joined our team as a junior Sous chef on the 28th and is already part of the family. He has a great passion for cooking and being in the kitchen. Welcome to the team Juandré, I am sure you are going to spend many happy days at EP, while spoiling us with your delicious meals.

Trapcam photo

Trapcam photo

Our trapcam picture this month is kind of a family portrait. This little warthog family came past Rampan early one afternoon to cool down and have a relaxing soak session in the mud. We always get amazing pictures of buffalo, elephant, giraffe and impala at the waterholes, so I was very happy to find some warthogs this month.

February is a very busy birthday month at the lodge. Five of our staff members celebrated their birthdays this month. We started the month with our head ranger, Morné, who celebrated his birthday on the 1st.  I am sure all of you are already familiar with him, reading his monthly Ranger’s Reports. On the 2nd, our trusty tracker, Derrick celebrated his birthday. Derrick has been part of our team for a few years now and he enjoys sharing stories of his childhood with us. Another gentleman who celebrated his birthday was Dion, on the 4th.  Dion is also one or our trusty trackers, who always has a smile on his face!   Marlet celebrated her birthday on the 24th. Although we do not see her every day as we used to, now that she is based in Nelspruit with the children, she still visits the lodge as often as she can and is still very involved with the day to day running of the lodge. The last one for the month was another tracker, Thomas, whose birthday was on the 27th. Happy birthday to all of you! To all our readers who celebrated their birthdays during February, we hope you had a fantastic day, filled with happiness and laughter!

Each month our chefs spoil us with delicious new recipes from the EP kitchen. This month is no exception, with a delicious stuffed venison loin by head chef Jacques. The venison can also be replaced by beef fillet or chicken breast.

Stuffed Venison Loin

Stuffed Venison Loin

Stuffed Venison Loin

Ingredients

3 kg venison loin of your choice
Braai and grill spice
Garlic and herb spice
1 Tub Feta Cheese
1 Small Jar Mild Pepper dews
Trussing String (butchers string) or toothpicks to hold in place

Method

Place the venison loin on a chopping board and with a sharp knife cut length wise down the loin but not right through.

Place some cling film over and hit the meat with a meat mallet till it’s about 5 millimetres thick.

Chop the pepper dews and break the feta into pieces.

Season the loin with braai & grill and garlic & herb spice to your desire.

Place the pepper dews and feta length wise onto the loin.

Roll up your masterpiece and secure it with string or toothpicks.

Grill in a gridded pan to desired temperature (recommended medium rare).

When cooked, portion the meat into desired sizes and remove the trussing string or toothpicks.

Serve with vegetables and starch of your choice & enjoy!

Yields 4-5 portions.

Serve and enjoy!

 

All the best till next month
Tersia Fouché

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