Manager's Report - May 2006
Before you know it almost half of the year has passed and you can feel the winter chill outside. Winter in the bush is not as harsh as elsewhere, but the wood fires still serve as an excellent gathering spot to relax and tell tales of the days sightings over a glass of sherry or port. Due to later sunrises and earlier sunsets the game drive times have been adjusted to 06H00 in the morning and 15H30 for the afternoon game drive. May has been another excellent month of sightings as you will see from Stephen¡¯s Ranger¡¯s Report.

Indaba, the tourism show that took place from 7 to 10 May in Durban was a huge success for Elephant Plains. It is always lovely to meet with familiar faces in the tourism industry and to build mutually beneficial business relationships with newcomers.

The construction of the Spa is going very well with most of the roof already finished. The view over the plain in front of the camp is awesome and we hope to open our doors in mid July. Suzanne is working hard on ideas to indulge guests even more and we are sure that the new setting will compliment any treatment! After the Spa is finished, we will move on to the construction of an exclusive honeymoon suite and a conference facility and gym. As you can see, we never stop trying to improve our product!

Rul, Daleen and Steven celebrated their birthdays respectively on the 5th, 16th and 23rd of May. Congratulations and we hope that the year ahead holds only the best for you guys! Big congratulations also to Wayne and Daleen who got engaged on her birthday. Wayne, to pop the question in front of so many people that takes guts! Good luck with all the wedding arrangements. We wish you both the best. Nomsa and her baby girl Shiluvelo that was born on the 23rd of April are both doing very well.

Lorien has decided to do a Snack Platter for this month¡¯s recipe. It is ideal for a cocktail, as snacks for a rugby game on TV, a picnic, or as we use it, during sundowners on game drive.

Snack Platter:
Mushroom Quiche (12)
Ingredients:
60ml dry bread crumbs
250ml grated cheddar cheese
¡¾200g sliced mushrooms, lightly fried
1 small onion, shopped and lightly fried
15ml fresh, chopped parsley
2 eggs
150ml milk
30ml cake flour
1ml mustard powder
A pinch of salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 180¢ªC. Grease 12 quiche pans. Sprinkle bread crumbs in pans.
Keep 50ml cheese to sprinkle on top. Mix all the ingredients, divide between pans.
Sprinkle cheese over and bake in oven for about 30 minutes.

BBQ Drumsticks (15)
Ingredients:
30 small chicken drumsticks
2 chopped onions
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 medium green sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
15ml cooking oil
50ml brown vinegar
1 x 410g tin whole tomatoes, chopped
1 x 65g tin tomato paste
30ml Worcester sauce
2 ml Tabasco Sauce
50ml brown sugar.
5 ml French Mustard
30 ml Fruit Chutney

Method
Fry the onions, garlic and sweet pepper in heated oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan until the onions are translucent
Add the heated vinegar and the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool
Marinade the chicken in the sauce and bake in a pre-heated oven of 180¢ªC for about an hour.

Arrange in a platter together with other snacks and enjoy!

Please remember that our winter special starts on the first of May and carries on through the cold months until the end of August.

To all our regular guests, we hope to see you again soon. To all our future guests, we are looking forward to welcoming you into the Elephant Plains family!

Until next time,
Etienne & Marlet Swart
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