How can one refuse an
invitation to take tea with friends? We were invited to try the afternoon tea
at the Leeu Estates this week with other members of the media and they kindly arranged
transport from Cape Town to get us there and back. Should you wish to partake
of this lovely experience, the tea costs R190 per person and includes a pot of
tea. Afternoon Tea will be served from 2pm to 5pm every day of the week. The
Leeu Estate is the 17-room country house retreat and boutique winery in the
Franschhoek valley and it is part of the Leeu Collection owned by Mr Analjit
Singh
It was a lovely day, the gardens are looking
splendid and the vineyards have the buds breaking. Mr Singh is a partner in
award-winning Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines which are located on the
property
The views of Franschhoek from the terrace are
lovely. You can see the Franschhoek pass winding up the mountain in the
distance.
The invited media group was welcomed with a glass
of Bas MCC from the Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines - this is the nickname by
which Mr Singh is affectionately known
or some sherbet if you did not want alcohol
It makes a very pretty picture
PRO Nicolette Waterford chats to
Journalist/publisher Ingrid Jones
The Estate is filled to the brim inside and out,
with art, some of it very whimsical like this sculpture
Diana letting loose the Dogs of War
The main Leeu Estate building
Time for tea, or perhaps something a little
stronger? Refreshments for the hotel guests
We were seated in the main dining room
which has two magnificent lion sculptures
Executive Chef Oliver Cattermole came to chat to
us and tell us about the tea
Martin Senekal, who is a well known and respected
chef has joined the Leeu Estates and is the pastry chef
The Afternoon Tea Menu
One of these three tiered cake plates served two
or three of us. It is an overwhelmingly good selection, and vast. Lynne has
been watching a TV programme where professional pastry chefs compete for the
top award, many of these fine classic French and English pastries were part of
that programme and made one's mouth water. Now we had a chance to taste them
On the top tier were Leeu Pina Colada macarons, a guava Paté de fruit
a
fruit jelly topped with a crumble and fresh cream
On the next tier you can see a pastry shaped like
a little nun or choir boy, this is a Religieuse - the lightest crisp choux
pastry, crusted with nuts, filled with crème patissière (flavoured confectioner
custard), given a cream frill and topped with its own white chocolate halo;
scrumptious. The strawberry gateaux are more like a strawberry jelly and they
are filled with a lovely tart passion fruit gel
On the other side of the
second tier are the chocolate gateau, so light and fluffy and very chocolatey,
topped with roasted hazelnuts. And the Mille-feuille (thousand leaves), thin
layer of puff pastry sandwiched with creamy pistachio custard and given a
chocolate sail anchored with a pistachio nut.
On the bottom tier is the savoury selection - more
Lynne's cup of tea. Spicy Coronation Chicken sandwiches, tiny, well seasoned
spinach and feta quiches with crisp, crumbly and buttery short crust pastry. There
are mini Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato baps, small oak smoked salmon sandwiches on
Banting seed loaf with pickled cucumber and dill crème fraiche - could have
done with more of those. And then there are the lightest scones most of us have
ever tasted. Made with buttermilk, they nearly float off the plate. They are accompanied
with fig or apricot jam and real clotted cream
Mr Singh came to meet everyone
And both chefs had to answer lots of questions
about the pastries and other treats. It really is a magnificent tea. Three of
us shared one cake tier and we each just had half of each of the pastries. And
half a scone each. This normally would have been far to many sweet things for
Lynne but because they are so light and delicious, she coped. We drank some
lovely Earl Grey tea on our table, John stuck to water and another glass of BAS
MCC. If you come for the tea, the wine and bubbles are extra
Carriages awaited outside the reception area
Journalists Anel Grobler and
Ingrid Irma Jones enjoying some sun while waiting
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2017
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