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parmalat bed & breakfast e-newsletter
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Dear B&B Owner,"Winter either bites with its teeth or lashes with its tail." There has never been a better excuse to add another layer of luxury to the bed. With winter closing in it's time to fluff the down pillows and light the eco-friendly fires. In this edition of Fresh News we cook with the champions, get to know the story behind a beach-side guesthouse named after a crustacean and catch up on trends in bedroom decor.
Regards,
Your Fresh News Team
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What's in a NAME?Sandra Kern shares the story behind the name of her Crayfish Lodge Sea and Country Guesthouse in De Kelders, the picturesque coastal village near Gansbaai: a worthy winner in our 'What's in a Name Competition'.
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We knew it right from the beginning - even before the first plans were drawn and the first brick was laid. Having experienced the most beautiful coastline of DE KELDERS while catching our first crayfish during our holiday - it was clear: the name of our guesthouse will be CRAYFISH LODGE. The sea right in front of our plot was full of them: the most tasteful seafood ever - West Coast Rock Lobster. As a symbol of fine dining and luxury it was just perfect to give our lodge the name. And despite the luxurious touch - when living in Gansbaai/De Kelders it is normal to catch Crayfish and eat it with friends. When we opened in 2005 a friend gave us a most unusual opening gift. He painted a big red crayfish on a wall between oven and braai: copied from a painting by a former pupil of Picasso - matched perfectly with our modern interior.
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 The crayfish was - of course - also part of our logo and guests can see it as an illuminated sign high up on one of the exterior walls. Going out for crayfish became a rare activity for us, as we have to be there for our guests in order to offer the best service possible. As everyone working in hospitality industry knows: in season there is no weekend or holiday! But the crayfish - our crayfish - is and will always be a strong symbol for hospitality.
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Parmalat shines at National Dairy AwardsParmalat SA racked up another first-class performance at the 2008 SA Dairy Championship Awards held in Stellenbosch in April. Against stiff competition, particularly from smaller dairies, Parmalat secured four prestigious Qualité awards and no less than 13 first prizes in the SA Dairy Championships.
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This is the fifth consecutive year that Parmalat has secured the most awards at this event. which serves as benchmark for South African dairy quality. Parmalat took the prestigious Qualité awards in the following categories:
- Parmalat Bon Blanc;
- Simonsberg Matured Gouda;
- Melrose Cheese Spread;
- Parmalat's Bonnita Unsalted Butter.
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Parmalat's Dairy Championship first class winners were:Baby Gouda; Simonsberg matured Gouda; Simonsberg extra matured Cheddar; vintage cheddar; Simonsberg feta with condiments; Simonsberg blue cheese; Simonsberg flavoured cream cheese, Bon Blanc - a semi-hard cheese; the iconic Melrose cheese spread; flavoured butter, innovative Bonnita unsalted butter, flavoured ice cream and low fat cultured milk.
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Simonsberg cream cheese brings home the gold |
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The wonderful new book "1001 Foods, the greatest gastronomic sensations on earth", published by Pavilion, is a compendium of culinary delights.
It comes as no surprise that cream cheese, the soft white cheese no bagel wants to be seen without, is featured on this have-to-eat-list. And no self-respecting New York-style cheese cake is a classic without this indispensable ingredient. Cream cheese was invented in the United States in the late 19th century, adding to the surprise of American cream-cheese aficionados that a South African cream cheese -
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Simonsberg low fat cream chese - would walk away with the honours as the Best of Class at the 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest. The Contest featured just under 2000 entries from 19 countries. Simonsberg's triumph came in the largest World competition ever hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. According to Ryk Coetzee, Parmalat's Marketing Manager: Cheese, Butter and Powder, winning this prestigious international award just once again proves that exceptionally high quality standards and committed cheesemakers make Simonsberg cheese the best in the world.
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 Bring out a good Cabernet/Merlot blend and surpirse your guests to creamy bowls of pasta in front of a roaring fire. They would never guess it's food in a flash. The browned butter and crispy flash-fried sage add a deliciously nutty taste. 1 packet of pasta
Salted boiling water
Knob of butter
1 tub Simonsberg Low Fat Cream Cheese (plain or flavoured)
24 sage leaves
Roasted red pepper
Salt and pepper
Feta or parmesan shavings for topping Cook pasta al dente and strain. Stir through Simonsberg Cream Cheese. Melt butter in pan over medium heat, till just before it starts changing colour to brown. Remove from heat and quickly cut in sage leaves. The leaves will turn crispy. Stir in the cooked pasta and place in a large antipasti bowl. Add strips of roasted red peppers, coarse salt and pepper. Olives can also be added. Top with crumbed Simonsberg feta or shavings of Parmesan.
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Bring modern glamour to your guest house: Even a contempory styled bedroom can be opulent with the use of velvet, silks, faux fur and walls with a suede paint finish. (Pic credit: Decorex SA) |
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Luxury bedrooms,the top décor trendThis is the Year of layered luxury. Reigning supreme are pamper products for night-time heaven - from organic Italian linen and down bedding to luxury mattresses, soft rugs, ornate mirrors and couture reading lamps on designer bedside tables.
The bedroom is now the favourite playing field for decorators, as more and more people fork out a small fortune on mattresses and bedding. We spend around 24 years of our lives in bed, so why not be extravagant when furnishing it? The last time beds created such a global stir was at the arrival of the waterbed - a symbol of freedom in the 1960s and 1970s. Charles Hall, a student at the University of San Francisco, named his design the "Pleasure Pit", causing a sensation. Hippies first got their hands on the new invention, but pretty soon this symbol of anti-establishment became a mainstream phenomenon. From Las Vegas to Benoni, everyone had to have one. 
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Beds have come a long way since our Neolithic forefathers' primitive attempts at comfort. Then came the pharaohs. While Egyptian commoners snoozed on palm branches, King Tutankhamen spent his nights elevated on a gold and ebony construction. It was left to the Romans, however, to finally get it right. They filled mattresses with hay, reeds, wool and feathers; adorned frames with gold, bronze and silver. Many centuries later, Louis XIV loved staying in bed so much he was quite content to run his court from his royal cot. According to Bettersleep.com, his royal highness owned all of 413 beds - each as ornate as the next.
Strange bedfellows to coil-
sprung comfort
The iron bedstead and cotton-filled mattress only made their appearance in the late 18th century. For the first time there was a measure of protection against the nighttime vermin that had for centuries been the unwelcome, yet unavoidable bedmates to which not even royalty were immune. On the market today you'll find mattresses with memories, made possible by space-age, viscose-elastic materials. Though the first coil-sprung mattress was patented back in 1865 already, the upholstered spring mattress would only really take hold in the 1930s. And who would have guessed that the humble futon would make its American debut in the 1940s, a full decade before foam mattresses and pillows? When size matters
Throughout the centuries it was the size of the bed that remained an indication of luxury and comfort. In Shakespeare's day there was the giant 3.33m x 3.33m Great Bed of Ware that caused a sensation for being able to sleep a crowd. Today, the fascination lives on in its display at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. And yet it was only in the last few years of the 20th century that king- and queen-sized beds usurped the more puritan twin bed's place as the biggest sellers. Fourposters make a comeback
The fourposter, king of beds, is making a comeback. Modern versions, however, are stripped of ornate embellishments. Instead of heavy velvet curtains, expect drapes of organic, transparent materials for a ethereal look - and a soothing seclusion.
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See you at theParmalat standFresh from Indaba in Durban and on to Hostex Cape 2008, South Africa's International Hospitality & Catering Exhibition. Parmalat will be at this tradeshow, the largest of its kind in the country, taking place at the CTICC from 28 to 30 May.
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Visit us in Hall 4 at Stand G9 where chef students of the Stellenbosch-based Institute of Culinary Arts will prepare dishes specially created for the hospitality industry. From Gluehwein, made with PureJoy Light Cranberry Cherry Juice and spices; Simonsberg Mature Gouda fritters and apricot dipping sauce to Creamy Blue salad with apricot and blue cheese dressing and an innovative Simonsberg Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese and Melrose Parfait with home-baked crostini. Taste it, then take the recipes home.
According to Hostex organisers the tourism and hospitality industries are booming on both domestic and international levels. South Africans are exploring their country more than ever and the international market continues to grow, especially with the promise of 2010 on the horizon. Visit Hostex Cape 2008 to be prepared and ready.
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Spotted andposhed outOver 500 B&B's and guest houses across the country were visited in the highly successful 'Spot the Parmalat Product competition' held recently. To our delight 60% of the establishments visited by our product-spotters stocked up with Parmalat products, and all were rewarded with prizes on the spot.
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