Amazing Elephant Photos

Some amazing photos taken by our very talented guides!!

Vanilla Iced Coffee

There is no need for you to sacrifice your cup of coffee this summer. Iced coffee is the perfect cool-down beverage when sitting on the veranda at RiverBend Lodge watching the animals at the watering hole.

Here is my recipe for the perfect Vanilla Iced Coffee:
600ml strong filter coffee
150ml milk
150ml cream
5ml vanilla paste
5teaspoons sugar
Add all the ingredients together whilst the coffee is still hot. Mix thoroughly and place in the fridge to cool. Use your favorite coffee beans when making your coffee and adjust the amount of sugar to your taste.
Serve the chilled vanilla iced coffee in a tall glass with ice cubes and enjoy!

Rooibos Milktart

Here is the fabulous recipe for our Rooibos Melktert as on the dinner menu at RiverBend Lodge.

Rooibos Melktert

2cups milk

½ cup white sugar

40ml corn flour

15ml cake flour

2 eggs

45ml butter

2 Rooibos teabags

Heat 1 cup of milk on the stove with the teabags. When boiling, remove from the heat and let infuse for 10minutes. Remove the teabags and bring the milk back to the boil.

Mix the other cup of milk with the sugar, corn flour, cake flour and eggs.

When the Rooibos flavored milk is boiling, add the mixture whilst continuously whisking. Cook the mixture over medium heat for 3 minutes until thick.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.

Pour into your prepared pastry case and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

Let set in the fridge for 2hours before serving.

Pastry case:

1 roll ready made puff pastry

1 medium size round pastry dish

Prepare the tin by rubbing with butter

Take your defrosted puff pastry and roll it out on a floured surface. Cut a round piece of pastry big enough the fit in your pastry baking dish, ensuring you have  abig enough piece to cover the sides too. Place your pastry dish in the freezer for 2hours before baking. Bake the pastry case at 180°C until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool down. When cooled, start to prepare your Melktert filling.

Enjoy!

Swimming Elephants!

The young elephants at RiverBend love swimming. They play in the water with wild abandon; climb about on the older group members and splash back in the water. Whole bodies disappear under the water and just the small trunk will peep out to take another breath. When watching the animals in the water, one is reminded of the sheer beauty that is RiverBend and the magic of the Addo Elephant Park. Come visit us to experience this first hand!

Going green with our own vegetable gardens

Samuel Vena works as a chef at Longhope Villa. He has taken it upon himself to start an organic Vegetable and herb garden for RiverBend Lodge. Several areas around the RiverBend gardens have been transformed into little vegetable patches that guests can wonder through. We also started our own compost heap using organic/vegetable waste from the kitchen and garden, aiding us with our organic ‘farming’.

Organic produce has become increasingly popular over the last couple of years as consumers have become more aware of the health benefits of eating organic foods.A major concern has been the pervasive use of pesticides in farming and the hazardous presence of the pesticides residue in food.

Having our own organic vegetable garden is not only healthy, but it is also very satisfying picking your own vegetables and herbs and using it in the kitchen, knowing that it is the best quality product. To name but a few of our home grown treats: turnips, leeks, celery, spinach, rocket, lettuce, cabbage, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsley, mint, spring onion, and many more.

European Roller (Coracias spatulatus)

Most of our migrant birds have arrived in larger numbers than the previous year due to the good feeding conditions. Along with the butterflies, the insects have also become numerous and they have attracted the attention of many of our summer visitors. This is most apparent in the European Rollers (Coracias spatulatus) that have been especially abundant this summer. These stunning birds tend mainly to hunt by still-hunting from a perch and then pouncing on their prey on the ground. This species is also a non-breeding Palearctic migrant which means this bird comes from as far away as North Africa, Europe and parts of Asia. These birds make for fantastic photo opportunities and are yet another beautiful species to look forward to when heading out on game drive into the magnificent scenery that is RiverBend Lodge.

Smoked Paprika baked Kingklip with sautéed butter beans, parmesan dusted aubergine, slow roasted cherry tomatoes and caper cream.

Smoked Paprika baked Kingklip with sautéed butter beans, parmesan dusted aubergine, slow roasted cherry tomatoes and caper cream.

Fish:
200g Kingklip fillet
½ tsp Smoked Paprika
Salt
Pepper
½ tsp live oil
Season the fish, rub with oil and bake in the oven till cooked.

Butter Beans:
½ cup of cooked butter beans
1tablespoon diced onion
2 sprigs thyme
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon butter
Add all the ingredients in a pan and sauté for 4minutes.

Aubergine:
1 slice aubergine (2.5cm thick)
Salt
Pepper
Dried herbs
Season the aubergine with the salt, pepper and dried herbs.
Dust in flour, dip in beaten egg and roll in breadcrumb parmesan cheese mixture.
Shallow fry on both sides over medium heat until cooked.

Caper cream:
1 tablespoon capers
1teaspoon butter
100ml cream
Salt pepper
Fresh thyme
Place all the ingredients in a pan and cook for 5minutes.

Enjoy!