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Orchards Cooking School & Guest Farm

Tulbagh Wine Route - South Africa

Email Orchards Cooking School & Guest Farm Reservations: booksa@madbookings.com

If you are looking for an escape from the stresses of life, why not relax in the countryside in your own private house tucked away between the apricot and nectarine orchards. This recently restored guest house has all the comforts of home, coupled with views that are out of this world! Orchards Cooking School & Guest Farm Accommodation The house is rented out on a self catering basis for up to 10 people. It has 3 spacious double, en-suite bedrooms which open onto a reed covered veranda with beautiful views of the surrounding orchards, mountains, spectacular sunsets and the tranquility of the countryside.

One of the rooms boasts a queen sized brass bed, another has 4 single beds and the last has a queen bed as well as a bunk bed.

The living area is open plan and has a fully equipped industrial kitchen (also used as a cooking school) with a separate scullery containing a dishwasher.
The spacious lounge is comfortably furnished and has a fireplace, TV with DSTV (please bring your own smartcard). There are French doors onto the terrace which has a built in braai.
The guest house is fully equipped with linen, towels, crockery and cutlery.

Orchards Cooking School Guest Farm Activities

Cooking Courses:
Weekend courses run from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning and include accommodation with en-suite facilities, meals, recipes and visits to wine and olive farms.

Our Middle Eastern cooking courses vary in duration from weekend to overnight to evening and are designed for any level of cooking ability.
Each course involves a “hands on” approach as well as practical tips and demonstrations.
While many cooking schools focus on the chef and complex cooking methods, our focus is to allow the everyday person to be more experimental and to realize that cooking is an adventure and can be a fun experience.

We keep our classes small to allow for a hands on class. Each session lasts approx. 3 hours and includes a 3-5 course meal. Weekend courses are made up of 3 sessions.
We offer evening, overnight and weekend courses

Activities on the Farm and in Tulbagh:
· Why not enhance your cooking skills or brush up on international cuisine like Italian, Lebanese or Thai at our cooking school on the farm.
· Discover the history of Tulbagh in one of the many museums in the village.
· Taste some of the award winning wines and olive oils of the valley, some within walking distance of the farm.
· Hiking, cycling, fishing, swimming, birding are just a few of the things available.
· Tulbagh is also centrally situated, making it an ideal base to explore many other interesting villages in the area.

The Chef:
The school is run by John Haddad, formally of Peasants Pizza and Pasta in Cape Town. He has many years experience in restaurants and will be able to pass on some of his knowledge to you. John is Lebanese and learnt to be passionate about food at his grandmothers knee.

He began his career during his school years, working weekends and holidays in a local restaurant in Welkom where he grew up.
After leaving school he did a 3 yr. diploma at the hotel school in Braamfontien. From there he worked his way up to owning his own very successful chain of Pizza restaurants in Cape Town.
In 2002 he sold up and bought a farm in the beautiful Tulbagh valley, wanting to spend more time with his family. It is here on Odessa Farm that Orchards Cooking School was born. In this little piece of Paradise he can cook, spend time with the family and grow his wine and olives.

Your Hosts:
John & Lisa Haddad gave up the busy restaurant business in Cape Town in 2002 and moved onto Odessa, a working fruit farm in the Tulbagh Valley. Since then they have planted two ha of Shiraz grapes and 1 ha of olives.

Directions:
Directions to Tulbagh
From Cape Town - Via Wellington
Take the N1, northbound, from Cape Town towards Paarl. Turn left at the (R44) Wellington / Klapmuts (Exit 47) off-ramp, heading left towards Wellington. After 20km you come to a four way stop. Cross over the four way stop and after approximately 2+ km's you will come to a traffic light, turn left, this is a continuation of the R44. This road leads towards Ceres. You'll drive through the scenic Nuwe Kloof Pass and after approximately 3km you'll see a turn off to Tulbagh - take a left here. Continue straight with the road until you reach a T-junction. Turn Left into the main road (Van der Stel Street).

From Cape Town - Via Malmesbury:
Take the N7, to Malmesbury. Turn into Malmesbury and follow the signs to Riebeek-Kasteel, Hermon. You will bypass Riebeek and Hermon and then the road joins the R44. Turn left to Ceres and Tulbagh. Drive through the scenic Nuwe Kloof Pass and after approximately 3km you'll see a turn off to Tulbagh - take a left here. Continue straight with the road until you reach a T-junction. Turn Left into the main road (Van der Stel Street).

Directions to Orchards
From Tulbagh:
Once you are in Van der Stel STR (The Main Road) you will reach a 4 way stop, just past the Spar. Turn left and drive along the road until you see a farm called Montpellier on the left hand side of the road. Turn right onto the dirt road and after about 2km look out for the ORCHARDS and ODESSA FARM sign on your left hand side, and turn in there. Follow the signs to the residence to collect the keys (unless other arrangements have been made). If you have not given us an exact expected time of arrival, please call when you get to the Nuwe Kloof pass so we can make sure someone is on the farm when you arrive.

Email Orchards Cooking School & Guest Farm Reservations: booksa@madbookings.com