A humble bumble bee
In the land of Londolozi,
Lolled upon a blossom
Of an old Marula tree,
Soft blue sky
Bright was the hour,
Pleased was he, that his world should be
As simple as a flower.
This year we decided to celebrate Bees and Bunnies, and with Easter Sunday falling on April Fool’s Day, it was a fun way to incorporate both!
With a glorious 30mm of rainfall the night before, the trees were glistening and the grass was washed to verdant green.
The fires were sizzling with bacon rolls, exotic mushroom kebabs and gammon & cheese jaffles as the first guests arrived back after game drive
Shakshuka Eggs adouned the fires and were scooped up with tremendous anticipation.
The Easter signature Mango Lassis – a delightful combination of fresh mangoes and coconut milk were once again a success.
Homemade cinnamon rolls, chocolate brownies, cheese & basil muffins with tomatoes and croissant decked the Beeze & Basil stall and were an instant hit.
With Bees in mind, one has to give back some of the sugar! Nothing better than a homemade donut with lashings of lemon curd, raspberry curd or to be totally decadent hazelnut chocolate ganache.
Welcome to the Londolozi Easter Market 2018!!
The calm before the swarm of guests descended on the lawn.
Ranger Rob Jeffery, tracker Judas Ngomane and their guests enjoy a rather unorthodox welcome back to camp from two of the local lagomorphs, Laura Hodgkinson and Jemma Brewitt.
General Manager Duncan MacLarty briefs ranger James Souchon and his guests about the layout of the Easter Marketplace.
Despite a few drops of late-season rain, the mood on Varty Camp lawn was jovial and buzzing with banter about the morning’s sightings in the bush.
Camp Managers Cry Sithole and Phil Selwyn-Smith, clearly on a sugar high from too many easter eggs!
Exotic mushrooms sizzling on open fires with garlic and thyme butter.
Even the local monkey troop has sweet teeth; we had to keep a close eye on the Boulangerie table as they kept darting hungry glances at the signature cinnamon buns.
The Easter Lamb Shack this year held thinly sliced ribeye with a new addition of Venison Cheese Grillers and of course the signature Pulled Lamb Pita – yum!
Newly engaged couple Thais Bassit (camp manager) and ranger Fin Lawlor welcomed guests in true Londolozi fashion at the hand-wash station.
Watermelon pops, Pineapple and pomegranates. The health option!
Bubbles on ice. Needless to say, mimosas weren’t in short supply!
Executive Chef Anna Ridgewell and her team: (l to r) Connie Mthabini, Sendry Kubayi, Juvenile Mabunda and Eric Ubisi.
Start like you mean to go on. The sweet side of the food selection had guests abuzz with delight. The only difficulty with the morning was deciding what to eat next!
…but the addition of fruit to the plate gives one all the excuses one needs to keep indulging in the sweet options.
Jaffles – although Australian – have been given a Londolozi twist. These were filled with honey-gammon, fontina cheese and zucchini relish.
The Londolozi Easter signature – and a firm favourite given how quickly they disappeared from the platter – BBQ slow-cooked pulled lamb pitas with minted tzatziki.
Londolozi Procurement manager and Sommelier Kim Drake and Bronwyn Varty-Laburn at the Market Bar; the aptly named Buck and Bumble Bee.
Operations Manager Will Ford, in his time-honoured role as a cocktail quality-controller, grows wide-eyed at his first taste of the parmesan vodka, basil bloody Marys on offer.
The Sizzle and Buzz (the local wok station) provided mouth-watering bacon skewers, as well as Londolozi Shakshuka eggs and exotic mushrooms.
Protea cynaroides, the King Protea, is South Africa’s national flower. A little bit of patriotism we felt was important, and beautiful clumps of these blooms, together with stunning arrangements of Scented Thorn acacia thorns, decorated the event.
All Photographs by Amanda Ritchie
Oh Anna you did out do yourself this year. At home for Easter I can’t wait for the blog to see what delights you have prepared. The jaffels sound divine. Beautiful table settings and a nice touch to add the proteas. It just get better each year.
Thank you Marinda! We had fun again after some glorious rain, it was cooler than usual! Happy Easter to you and Des.
The magic of Londolozi. Wish I had been there
Happy Easter Judith!
Thank you for the post. What a lovely, festive time! Great to see Phil in the photos as well. Please send him my regards. Next trip to Londolozi has definitely got to be during a holiday so that we too can partake in all the festivities!
Thank you Malavika! I will pass on your regards with pleasure and we hope to see you again soon.
Blog is looking stunning guys! And beaut beaut photos Mands! Love as always..
Thank you Amy! Happy Easter!
Those bunny ears, Duncan! Very fetching. Looks like an amazing weekend.
It all looks amazing (and delicious)!!
And fun was had by all!! Love all the photos but especially the lamb pitas and the gaggles – yumm!! Holidays at game lodges in RSA are especially sweet, no pun intended. I’ll never forget my Christmas Eve and day while in Sabi Sand thanks to Santa, nor New Year’s in wine country, accompanied by lots of bubbly and fireworks. Think I’ll plan my next trip to incorporate a holiday!?????
Wow! What a feast – and that was just Brunch? It also looked like a great deal of fun. x
Oh my gosh my mouth is watering! Thank you for that delish spread 🙂 enjoy the rest of the week 🙂
All of the pictures were terrific. It looked like a great Easter celebration!
Our Easter 2017 at Londolozi is still fresh in our minds as a wonderful event – and it looks as though you outdid yourself this year, Anna! A belated Happy Easter to you, your staff and everyone!
Anna, What a fabulous event as always! Our mouths are watering just thinking about all the goodies you served! We are sure the “lamb shack” was a hit and that the bubbles were flowing!!! We miss all of you!