BEDFORD\u2019S feisty foodies and their support teams have clocked up hundreds of kilometres over the Easter season catering for large weddings at picturesque destinations on farms, a game reserve, in the mountains and at the beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFine food is part of Bedford\u2019s economy and the district\u2019s itinerant chefs help promote local talent and the exceptional quality of local meats and fresh produce,\u201d said Estelle Gathercole, general manager of The Duke of Bedford Inn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all about teamwork.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This coming Saturday, chefs Marelise van Niekerk and Tanja L\u00f6tter will head up into the mountains to present a formal feast for 230 wedding guests on a historic farm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They recently travelled even further into Bedford\u2019s hinterland to present a plated five-course wedding banquet for 200 guests at another historic farm \u2013 a 65km drive on a treacherous gravel road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDestination weddings are right on trend and it\u2019s awesome that professionals like these Bedford chefs are prepared to improvise kitchens away from their comfort zones,\u201d said wedding planner Debbie Johnson, who is based on a farm near Fort Beaufort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She and another farm talent, Lea Davies, run Country D\u00e9cor Specialists. They pride themselves on excellence, no matter how remote the destination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their recent Winterberg mountain wedding was featured in the UK Brides<\/i> magazine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe can pull it off even where there is no Eskom power or cellphone communication \u2013 let alone GPS to guide the couriers. And the weather doesn\u2019t always play along. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have even been towed to a venue by tractor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In spite of the rain that has blessed Bedford recently, their vehicles coped with the terrain for the March wedding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The festivities took place in a marquee and the wedding kitchen popped up in an adjacent tent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ironically, one of the main logistical challenges was keeping the food and the plates hot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Visitors came in from far and wide for both weddings, typically staying in the Bedford district for three nights, filling local accommodation establishments and keeping farm cooks busy catering for scores of before and after meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Going the extra mile<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the same period, Karen Morgan, the well-loved foodie of The Butcherbird restaurant fame, reinforced her reputation for destination wedding catering. She has a true countrywoman\u2019s resilience when it comes to transporting superb food over long distances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The current wedding season has seen her go the extra mile for three events \u2013 each catering for well over 100 guests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On March 17 she travelled from her home kitchen in Bedford to a wedding on a game farm near Morgan\u2019s Bay. \u201cYou seldom get to see the venue in advance,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what the working conditions are going to be like and you have to hit the ground running.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To reduce the stress of transporting a large contingent of staff (or working with staff she hasn\u2019t met before), she encourages her clients to opt for platters on the tables \u2013 the middle route between a buffet and a plated meal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fewer waitrons are required to place the platters and guests can remain seated but still interact as they pass the food around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFortunately this is now a trend,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is less wastage when people help themselves to what they want to eat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The weekend of March 24, saw Karen Morgan setting off on a six-hour drive to Barkly East to cater for a wedding and this coming Saturday, she will whip up some culinary magic for a wedding at Kenton-on-Sea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I started more than 10 years ago, I would drive home in the middle of the night after an event, but now I write stay-over accommodation into my quote.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Morgan, her husband, Keith, and their son, Kieren, have a farm butchery in Adelaide, with a branch in Bedford. In addition to special events, they migrate The Butcherbird brand to Grahamstown in late June each year, setting up a full restaurant for the duration of the National Arts Festival. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt means a lot of awkward packing and shifting equipment around but at least it isn\u2019t for one meal, like a wedding! We love it and we have made such good friends over the years we have done it.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEDFORD\u2019S feisty foodies and their support teams have clocked up hundreds of kilometres over the Easter season catering for large weddings at picturesque destinations on farms, a game reserve, in the mountains and at the 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