Govino: The answer to stylish "plastic" picnic glasses

Although not locally made this product is so awesome and environmentally friendly that we can forgive the fact that it is an imported product. 

govino - 100% recyclable, shatterproof and reusable

Weighing a 10th of the weight of traditional glass it is shatterproof and 100% recyclable. Loved by Wine Spectator and Martha Stewart, govino is wines new best friend.
The govino "go anywhere wine glass" allows for enjoyment of fine wine in settings where breakable glass is not allowed or fine stemware is not available.

The stemless, unbreakable "glass" is not made of glass at all, but from a flexible, BPA-free, odourless polymer, which reflects a wine's colour and projects its aromatics much like expensive crystal.

Designed into the glass is an ergonomic thumb notch on the side, giving the user a secure and comfortable grip for swirling and drinking wine. The notch also acts as a stem without a stem, preventing heat transfer into the beverage and potential finger smudging on the crystal-clear surface of the glass.  Govino is made from PET, is shatterproof, reusable and 100% recyclable, and also works for other cold beverages such as cocktails and water.

govino was designed for commercial use and can withstand most industrial glass sanitation systems (1-2 minutes at 65°C).

Since domestic dishwashers are so widely varied, we cannot claim our product is 100% "dishwasher safe."

Reuse it, abuse it, but eventually recycle it! 100% recyclable &  SA’s greenest glassware.

The govino wine glass is meant to be replaced after an extended period of use. Please inspect your govino wine glass before each use.

Our personal favourite is the govino champagne flute. For us the perfect picnic always include a bottle of local bubbly and now one can still enjoy it in style with a govino champagne glass. 

For more information you can visit Entertain Outside's website.

Tasty Local Grown Olives from Willow Creek

I've just met with Mari Lise from Willow Creek Olives. She has brought me samples of their variety of olive oils, balsamic vinegars, olives and tapenades. I can not wait to start experimenting. I have had the privilege of visiting the farm during June this year, what a stunning location, Nuy Valley, Western Cape. They planted their first olive trees in 1999 and in 2002 pressed their first olive oils.

Although not organic their olive oils and balsamic vinegards are to die for. They have the most exotic flavours. From lemon flavoured to basil to parmesan flavoured oils. All of these are naturaly flavoured by extracting the oils from the lemon, cheese and basil. These oils are perfect for roasting vegetables, pasta and over your summer salad. Our personal favourite is the Cabernet Sauvignon balsamic vinegar. My husband use it in and on nearly everything. You can use it on salads, carpacchios and roasted meats and stews. 

What I am most excited about is their Snap & Squeeze range. This is the perfect accessory for a picnic. You don't have to pack the olive oil and balsamic bottles anymore! These bottles adds unnecessary weight to your already compact picnic basket. Once you start carrying the basket, the cooler box, the blankets, cushions, etc you soon realise that you need to minimize weight and this is good place to start. You can either get them in separate balsamic and olive oil sachets (8g) or in a salad dressing mix (12g). What makes this product even better is that it is much more user friendly than the traditional take away sauce satches. The Snap & Squeeze is smaller than a credit card and you just Snap and Squeeze. No mess no fuss. No more struggling to open the sauce with your mouth and getting it all over yourself and your car.

For more information you can visit www.willowcreek.co.za. If you want to order the satches for your next picnic you can do so via www.dialapicnic.co.za.

Photo Credit: Willow Creek

Celebrating Heritage Day with a South African Inspired Picnic!

 

For those of you who want to spend Heritage Day in nature, with your loved ones, but are not allowed to braai at your chosen location, we have compiled a proudly South African picnic. 

There are so many goodies that one can include in a South African picnic. Below we have listed our favourite items.

Suggested Picnic Menu:

Variety of Organic Dried fruit and nuts.

(My personal favourite is dried pine apple and dried banana)

Organic Beef biltong

Variety of home baked breads served with West Coast Snoek Pate &

Free Range Chicken Liver Pate

Variety of local Estate Cheeses served with Savoury biscuits, Purple Fig Preserve & Onion Marmelade

(I personally love the cheeses from Dalewood Fromage, especially the Green Fig Brie)

Home Made Mini Meatballs served with Mrs Balls Chutney

Oak Smoked Free Range Chicken

Vegetarian Malay Samoosas

Baby Potato & Herb Salad

Mini Milk Tart & Apple Tart (like your granny used to make)

Home Made Ginger Bear

Red & White Picnic Wedding

The great thing about a picnic wedding is that there are no rules. A picnic wedding can be a casual affair or an over the top feast. With red and white being the colours of the tradional checked picnic blanket, there is so many things that one can incorporate in this colour theme. Strawberries, fresh cherries and rose champers are romantic and yummy and toffee apples takes you on a trip down memory lane. One can even rent a candy floss machine.

Credits: Kelly Oshiro Events, Images: from left to right, top to bottom: {Row 1} 1. Lacey Style 2. Alexandra Grablewski 3. Kristi Blunt for Martha Stewart Weddings { Row 2} 1. Thayer Allyson Gowdy 2. Polly Wreford 3. Miki Duisterhof {Row 3} 1. Dasha Wright 2. Open Air Photography 3. Anna Skoog

Gone Picnicking!

So sorry for the silence the last 10 days. I have been busy coordinating a 50th birthday picnic in the beautiful karoo town of Matjiesfontein. We had the most perfect weather and the location was beautiful. There is something so special about the karoo. I love the sky, fresh air and the sunsets. We chose the perfect menu for the day, a variety of local organic tastes and treats. The guests absolutely loved the food.

Spring Bunny Themed Kids Picnic Party

Wow, look at this stunning spring bunny themed kiddies picnic party idea. This is so beautiful yet easy to do. We found the inspiration on Amy Atlas's blog. 

This is the perfect theme for the age group 3 - 5yrs. 

 

I love the simplicity of the party snacks. It is healty, colourful and tasty. It is often a challenge to do healthy kids party snacks, treats that they would want to eat and that looks yummy.

Head Outdoors this Spring!

We are so exicted that spring has finally arrived!

In celebration of Spring, Dial-a-Picnic would love to offer all their clients and fans a R 50 discount voucher towards their next picnic experience! 

Pack out the old picnic basket, dust off the blanket and head outdoors. There is no better way to celebrate spring than with a relaxing spring picnic. The spring flowers are out and brings so much colour to our natural surroundings and they make beautiful photos too.

On Saturday I met clients, getting married later this month, at St James beach in Cape Town. This picture was taken on a grassy patch next to the rocks. It immediately brought me so much joy, the knowing that we will be spending more days outside, in the sun, in the spring and summer months to follow.

So head outdoors, breath in the fresh air, smell the flowers and revitalise your soul!