PHEW! WHAT A FEW MONTHS.

Jackie Cameron and Paula Mackenzie with the Hartford House Team
(Photo : Leigh Willson)

"Please click photo to enlarge..."

HARTFORD HOUSE RESTAURANT

Top South African restaurant at the House and Leisure/Best of South Africa awards : a Diamond class (one of only two in KZN) Diner's Club winelist in the same month, as well as recognition by American Express (under master critic, Victor Strugo's direction) among the outstanding fine dining venues, and then a top twenty finish in the "Eat Out" accolades, including top two hotel restaurants. All in a matter of two months. Phew!

But last evening, Prudential conferred a new dimension on the Hartford Restaurant's standards of excellence, when it included Paula Mackenzie among the nation's Top Ten sommeliers. Paula already enjoys credit for the Diamond class wine collection, and this is rich reward for her remarkable dedication, her great intellectual passion and her insatiable thirst for wine. What would the world be without it!

And, at the end of an exhausting schedule, master chef Jackie Cameron, has nabbed a bit of "R&R" with her greatest admirers, the Kirschkes, Rainer and Gabi in George, where she's charging her batteries for those of you who'll be descending on us over the next few hectic months.

DINERS CLUB DIAMOND WINE LIST AWARD FOR HARTFORD HOUSE

"DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER"

James Bond’s originator, Ian Fleming, once proclaimed that “Diamonds are forever”, and whilst you can’t say there is any permanence about your status as holding one of the best wine lists in the nation, Hartford House was on Monday night awarded one of only two Diamond class accolades in KZN, in the revered Diners Club annual contest.

Holders for nine consecutive years of the Platinum Award, Diamond wine lists are as rare as needles in a haystack, and this one comes alongside Hartford’s standing as the only KZN restaurant to feature in the nation’s Top Ten.

Paula Mackenzie receives the Diners Club Diamond Wine List Award on behalf of Hartford House
(Please click photo to enlarge...)

The truth is incontrovertible: The Best Value in the World.

The Hartford Zulu Dance Troupe
(Hartford House)

One thing you’ll always notice about the change of seasons in the Drakensberg area, is that each season has a distinct character, and this year Spring has been as spectacular as ever.

It’s not only the birds that are singing: undoubtedly the best boy’s choir in the world, the Drakensberg Boys' Choir, is situated just up the road from us and they’re preparing for their Summer and Christmas seasons. If you’re in the vicinity of Hartford House, be sure to let us arrange a visit for you to one of life’s most outstanding choral experiences. We can even pack you a delicious picnic lunch and direct you via South Africa’s art capital, Clarens, all in the same morning.

Besides a burst of greenery and the profusion of young buds, they’re foaling “royalty” at South Africa’s champion racehorse breeding establishment, Summerhill Stud. This weekend also witnessed the departure of more than 100 bouncing two-year-olds to the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Sale in Johannesburg, on their way to racing glory no doubt.

Most of these youngsters have never set foot on a moving vehicle in their lives, and it’s a joy to watch the skills of our young Zulu horsemen coaxing them aboard to the encouraging serenades of school children, wives and "gogos" (or grandmothers) at the loading ramps.

You don’t have to be Ernest Hemingway to get among the trophy trout on this property. Just a few weekends back, two of our young guests availed themselves of our "master-class fly casting lessons", and each came away with prize trout of between six and seven pounds.

Another couple, whilst enjoying a “bomb-proof” horse ride in the direction of the Boathouse and Magic Mirror lake, were thrilled by a sudden stampede of startled Reedbuck and the sighting of the endangered Oribi.

We continue to be surprised, (but oh so pleasantly) at the pilgrimage of foreigners who travel from so far to visit with us at Hartford.

While we’ve always enjoyed a healthy sprinkling of Brits and Europeans, and a throng from the horse-loving countries to the west and east of us, we appear to have new devotees from the United States and Australia. People are supposedly rediscovering their roots, and it seems this area (Hartford House and Summerhill in particular) offers one of the warmest, most hospitable and genuinely authentic experiences on the planet.

There are others who delight in the entertainment of our Zulu dance troupe, and it’s a source of considerable pride to tell you that in a couple of weeks, they'll be winging their way to their third World Traditional Dance Championships to be held in the United States. The troupe have already achieved 2^nd and 3^rd in Tokyo and Hong Kong respectively and believe they now know how it’s done, and we’re confident they’ll return home the best Traditional Dance troupe in the world.

We know we don’t have to ask you to join us in wishing them well on their way. It’s the visits of our Guests that have encouraged and uplifted our people to such a degree, and we’re forever grateful for the contributions you make.

We sincerely hope this note finds you in the “pink”. If you aren’t already on your way to us, please visit us on our website at www.hartford.co.za for the latest in what’s up at Hartford. There’s just a tiny chance we might be able to lure you back before too long!

With the Rand at unprecedented levels against the major currencies, South Africans will be staying at home more than ever, and our foreign friends will find us the best value in the world, by a country mile.

Warmest regards,

PAULA MACKENZIE
HARTFORD HOUSE

  Click here to view photos of the Hartford Zulu Dance Troupe