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Adios, Adieu, Arrivederci, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye St Helena

2/8/2016

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It has taken me a while to plump up the motivation to write this piece as I really don’t want to draw a line under my time on St Helena.  But needs must and I am now back in the UK having completed my contract on the island. 
Almost five years has gone by since I first started this blog, which was initially to keep family and friends informed of my time on this remote island.  The blog has taken on a character of its own and has a loyal following with sometimes over 2000 people a week reading it. 
Where is it going to go from here?  Well I will be posting some other articles on the island given the massive amount of photographs I have on a variety of subjects.  So watch this space as they say and feel free to comment or request subject matter for the articles.
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Farewell Sweet St Helena
There is still much to do on the island as we are still waiting for the green light with regard to the airport operating on a commercial basis.  In the meantime life will go on as it always has, the Saints are a resilient lot and for them it’s just another day ……..waiting for the RMS to arrive with food supplies and loved ones. 
Once we do have commercial aircraft making scheduled visits I know there are many businesses just poised to welcome visitors from all over the world, many of them having planned their growth around the new arrivals.
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The ESH Gang all waiting for Lunch!
In the run up to my departure, which was via Ascension Island and the subject of another blog, I was blessed with a leaving party organised by my colleagues at Enterprise St Helena.  I shared the day with Merle Peters who was leaving to join the local Bank. 
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Cara and Charlene
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Sabrina and Mike
Lunch was served at KJs place in Longwood.  Pub Paradise has been famous for its Steaks for many years.  KJ the owner takes great pride in the quality of meat he buys and how it gets cooked.  Also KJ has been a staunch supporter of my work within the Hospitality Upskilling Project.  I was therefore thrilled when I learned of the location for lunch.
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The girls enjoying the Sunshine
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Susan saying nice things about us
PictureThe lovely gift from my ESH friends
The turnout was great with almost all my colleagues able to make it over to Longwood. 
The meal was lovely and enjoyed by all, including the homemade ice cream in large quantity. Speeches were made and both Merle and I received gifts.  
The locally hand carved box I received is truly exquisite and something that will be treasured and put on display here in England once it arrives with my belongings.

A few days later I was on the wharf with many other travellers, saying goodbye to friends and co-workers.  It was all a bit surreal and in some ways I still can’t believe that my time on St Helena is over .  Well over for the time being anyway!
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Merle with Gift
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Gill with Gift and Cake!
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My ESH Colleagues and KJ in the green shirt. What a fantastic bunch of people!
So goodbye St Helena and hello to Family and Friends over here who haven’t really seen much of me at all for the past few years.  Perhaps when the airport opens I can bring some of my family over to visit the island in the middle of the South Atlantic they call St Helena.

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More of the team with me instead of KJ in the pic
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St Helena Day Parade 2016, the last one for the RMS

23/5/2016

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Miss St Helena 2016 and her co-contenstants
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St Helena people love parades and parties. 
There are around three or four major celebrations through the year and a number of lesser ones when the Scouts and Guides march with the local police force and the local brass band. 
The St Helena day parade celebrates the day that St Helena was discovered by the Portuguese navigator Joao da Nova on his voyage home from India in 1502.  Over here it is always a public holiday and more so this year as we were expecting the opening of the new airport this weekend.  Sadly that is not yet to be but it didn't stop the party from happening.

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a little later, On the Consulate Hotel Balcony
The year 2016 is noted for it not only being my last St Helena Day, at least for a while, but also that of the RMS St Helena, moored in St James’s bay ready for one of her last voyages to the UK which set off a couple of days later.
These celebrations actually started earlier in the year when each district of the island planned the assembly and theme of their floats.  Considering we are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, it is amazing the amount of items are sourced for the floats and the amount of ingenuity which goes into each project.  The theme for this year was transport through the ages. 
Weather was pretty much perfect for a day in the open air.  Not too much sun but enough to make the temperature a pleasant 24 degrees.  As quite a windy island, with dusty blasts sometimes gusting debris into people’s eyes, it was a relief to know that today the wind stayed away. 

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The formidable ladies from Sandy Bay
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Baywatch Girl?
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Councillor Eddie Duff
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Girls just wanna have fun!
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The parade line going back toward the hospital
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The RMS St Helena coming through!
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Entertainment by one of the island's dance troupes
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  Eventually things got off to a start around 3.30 with the procession winding its way down upper Jamestown toward the market and the main town and onto the sea front.   
Although in terms of distance it’s only around a mile from start to finish the convoy takes its time and eventually arrives at the finish having entertained the whole island with displays of music, colour and laughs. 
The winning float was chosen to be the St Pauls District entry  which was the donkey and cart.  A not so long ago form of transport used here up until very recently.  The entry was complete with sound system which brayed loudly across the valley just in case we didn't know it was a donkey.

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The Winning Entry. Donkey and Cart complete with fieldworkers
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The RMS makes it past the newly refurbished market
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Captain Thomas Hickling
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Heading toward the seafront or seaside as it is known here
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The parade makes it to the sea front
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Into the Mule Yard

Following on from the parade were celebrations at the Mule Yard, Donny’s bar and Sea Front which lasted until the wee hours. 
I missed the firework display at 8.00pm which was a shame.
I went home to check on my photos and never made it back out of the house. 
Must be something to do with my age! 
I did however get some nice pictures of the town in the early evening sunlight and managed to start this blog.
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The RMS complete with flags
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Parking in Jamestown at its worst, right up both of the main roads out of town
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View of the celebrations from the top of the ladder
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RMS St Helena and the RFA Gold Rover sharing the bay with local craft
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Sun going down over 2016 St Helena Day with the RMS in the bay
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An Antiques Roadshow and Napoleon:  Just another week on St Helena

11/4/2016

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Antiques valuations and a local market guaranteed half the island made it into town
PictureOne of the first treasures to be valued

Antiques on St Helena are quite common as many families have been here for years and have gathered artefacts and mementos from many parts of the globe. 
The Napoleonic era obviously has an impact on island collectables with pictures, ceramics, tapestries and other works lovingly cared for. 

When asking folk what antiques they have and do they know about them, the usual answer is, “no its been passed down to me”.  Consequently the heralded visit by Bargain Hunt and Antiques Roadshow celebrity Tim Wannacott was met with much anticipation. 

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How old is this Violin?
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Not the only Napoleonic item brought in.....perhaps one of the most memorable
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Lovely Ceramic Jug
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Tim and his Wife Helen studying coins, some as much as 250 years old
Tim visited the island last week with his wife Helen to write articles about St Helena for the Harrods Magazine and Mail on Sunday. 
Whilst they were here, we took advantage of his valuation skills and set up an event in Jamestown’s Grand Parade for locals to bring their treasures. 
It was estimated that we would get enough interest to keep the ball rolling for around two hours, in fact Tim was still going strong seven hours after he started!  The queue started at around 8.30am for the start at 10.00am.
We saw paintings, wood carvings, coins, ceramics, glassware, statues, jewellery and much more.  Some items could be valued on the spot but most were photographed and the owners details taken for a more accurate valuation to be sent from the UK.
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What about the Hat?
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Pictures and Lamps
Did we unearth any rare finds?  Well if we did, no one is shouting about it. 
There were some items valued in the thousands but the owners want to keep them under wraps.  Probably because they just want to keep them in the family, just where they have been for the past 200 years.
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The General's Quarters Longwood House
An invitation to Longwood House for last Tuesday saw many of us up there to mark the opening of the exhibition “Napoleon in Saint Helena” at the Musée de L’Armée in Paris.  The museum is running an exhibition to illustrate Napoleon’s time on St Helena and includes much of the furniture which was used by Napoleon whilst here. 

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Tim and Napoleon?
The museum description of Napoleon’s time on St Helena includes the following narrative which in the context of today’s opinion of the island, couldn’t be further from the truth.
“On the rock of Saint Helena, the fallen Emperor launched his final battle, that of posterity, making his last residence a place for writing and creating the legend. Isolated in the midst of the Atlantic, everything conspired to make Longwood a tragic hell on earth.”

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Helen, Darrin, Tim, me, Sharon.
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(Probably) My Last Trip on the RMS St Helena

7/2/2016

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Sunset on Deck
PicturePortside Deck, a favourite place to sit

Having enjoyed my first Christmas in the UK for three years it is now time to head back to St Helena.  The trip takes almost a week from UK to the island and longer if time is spent in Cape Town. 
This trip is different in as much as it will probably be my last voyage on the RMS. 
She is scheduled to finish her service to the island in July 2016 by which time planes will be taking off and landing at the airport.  The travelling time to the island will be vastly reduced to a tolerable five hours from Johannesburg. 
As this is to be my last trip I am documenting some of this voyage for posterity…  Although I am sure there will be many other records to keep the memory alive.

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Arriving at the dockside in Cape Town is more like a homecoming for many, as anyone who has been to the island before, whether Saint or Expat, will know someone else on the Ship.  Also many of the local Cape Town Saints will make the journey down to the Seaman’s mission at the port to hear news about their island and loved ones at home.  Now passengers are transited through a smart new ocean terminal complete with clean toilets and electronic immigration and security which makes things more efficient. 
Travelling home on the same ship is Giselle Richards who had to travel to Cape Town for the birth of her baby.  What happens to the new born’s nationality when you have to travel to another country to give birth?  Giselle informs me that Baby has a full British passport as this has been pre-arranged with the British Consul in Cape Town.  Always something interesting going on!
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"A" Deck Corridor
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A Typical Cabin on A Deck
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Checking in at the normal time, we are informed that the ship would be delayed as the cargo ship carrying frozen food from the UK to Cape Town is still in Cape Town bay due to the high winds which the cape experienced the previous week.  There is a back log of ships in the bay all waiting for their slot to unload their cargo. 
Later, there is a communication that the cargo ship is not going to get unloaded for another 24 hours so Captain Andrew Greentree has to decide whether to wait or not. 
The decision to set off without the frozen consignment is made and we set off at around 11.00pm, around 6 hours behind schedule.  I make a mental note to get to the shops in Jamestown as soon as I get back as there isn’t going to be much frozen food left and it’s at least a month before the next lot will arrive.

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Departing Cape Town on a previous voyage as we left at 11.00pm this time
Routines are soon formed, the sound of the mealtime chimes set off an auto-response of hunger, in spite of it sometimes being only four hours since the last mealtime
Meals on the RMS are a highlight of the voyage, quite a challenge to cater for as there are all manner of people travelling:  business, leisure and medical being the three main groups.  Dinner is served in two sittings the dining room and also to cabins in the event that someone is overtaken by seasickness or are travelling for medical reasons. 
Diners are allocated a table to sit at with fellow passengers, the catering team do the allocations and are usually very accurate in picking who should sit with whom……….perhaps they should  start a dating agency!  Dinner is a four course affair with the addition of cheese and a savoury course if desired, far too much food but who cares when it’s flowing freely along with wine at around £10 a bottle.
Lunch and breakfast can be taken in the dining room and also in the Sun Lounge which is popular with most as it offers sea views, fresh air and a more casual setting.
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The Sun lounge, popular all day
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Captain Andrew Greentree, Yours Ttuly and Hotel Services Manager John Hamilton
Other routines include the Captain’s cocktail party, the RMS quiz which is always popular and of course a variety of deck games.  Cricket on the penultimate day into port is well patronised and great entertainment.  A number of the rope balls inevitably end up over the side when an enthusiastic batsman takes the crease.  The final scores are read out by the officer of the watch at 12.30 along with the ship’s position, air and sea temperature, depth of water beneath the vessel and estimated time of arrival.  Also mentioned by the officer of the watch is when to change clocks as Cape Town to St Helena covers two time zones.
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The Captain's Cocktail Party in full swing
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Cricket on the Sun deck
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Some take the Quiz more seriously than others!
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You can just spot the airport buildings at the top of the cliffs
The final day is soon upon us and is spent, amongst other things, getting bags packed and laundry items washed and dried in the super-efficient drying room…..I wish I had one like this at home, clothes go in damp and within around an hour they are as dry as a bone.
The crew collect bags for shipment to shore and then it’s just a case of waiting to arrive.  The sun deck becomes out of bounds as below it lays the hold.  Passengers mill around the remaining decks and start to gather in the lounge awaiting their call to disembark.  Disembarking is done in an orderly fashion by numbered landing cards. 
Once off the ship and through immigration and customs, we are welcomed by a sea of familiar faces all who want to say hello.  Giselle with her new baby is surrounded by well-wishers and is swallowed up by the crowd.  I quickly lose sight of her.  My friends and colleagues have come to meet me, hugs and kisses all round and I immediately feel the St Helena Home from Home welcome which makes me glad to be back.
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Passengers are anxious to get a look at their destination
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Giselle and family arriving in St Helena
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Catching the breeze.
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St Helena goes to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

11/7/2014

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St Helena Commonwealth Games Team
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It’s a warm sunny (winter) day here.  I have just returned from the wharf where the usual send-off of the RMS passengers has taken place. 

Leaving the island today are the St Helena Commonwealth Games Team, representing the Island in the upcoming Glasgow Games.  Taking place between 23 July and 3 August, this international multi-sport event held every four years involves athletes from the entire Commonwealth of Nations.

Madolyn Andrews, Chelsea Benjamin, Jordie Andrews, Lee Yon, Patrick Young and Ben Dillon today begin their long journey to the Games, where they will be joined by remaining  team members Ryan Benjamin, Duane March, Vernon Smeed and Simon Henry.  Accompanying the team to the Games is Chef de Mission Pamela Young, and Nick Stevens who will be responsible for managing the team in Glasgow.

St Helena will be participating in three events, Badminton, Shooting and Swimming. Badminton competitors are Lee, Ryan, Duane and Vernon, Shooters are Madolyn, Cheslea, Jordie, Patrick and Simon, while Ben is competing in Swimming.



When the ship leaves there is inevitably a large crowd of folk seeing off relatives and loved ones.  Even tourists, who on this occasion have only spent four days here, get a fond farewell from people they have made friends with during their visit. 

The tourists are coming on each ship in a steady trickle, many with the quest of seeing St Helena before the airport opens and perhaps changes the pace of life here forever.  All are upbeat with tales of adventures on single track roads, historic discoveries and the overwhelming friendliness of the place.  As many of the tourists eat at 2onMain, we get to meet many of them and hear their stories.  We have had cyclists, star gazers, walkers, fish fanatics, divers and yachtties, photographers, ancestor hunters and bird watchers…………….and that is with a long expensive voyage on the ship. 

I know that once the air access routes are confirmed we will see many more tourists here.
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Gerda Le Grange and Family enjoyed four days here and cant wait to come back!
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Fond Farewell!
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Janet and Cathy who have hosted three Travel companies' visit here: Eric Brown of Halcyon Travel, Max Johnson of Great Canadian Travel and Clive Stacey of Discover the World
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A Visit to St Helena’s Airport Site

19/4/2014

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Concreting the Runway
I recently visited the airport site which is just under two years from being open (Feb 2016).  It is being built by the South African construction company Basil Read at a cost to the British Taxpayer of around £200Million.

 Visiting the site and what can be seen so far reflects the impressive accomplishments which have taken place.  Just thinking about the logistics of quoting for a job like this makes your head spin.  Basil Read have had to import much of the equipment via their own ship which comes in around once a month from Walvis Bay in Namibia.  Then the equipment had to make its way up to the airport site which meant there had to be a new road built before anything could start up here. 

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Dry Gut Fill: The piles of rocks are the loads from giant lorries who drop them onto the fill to be pressed down.
One of the greatest achievements, which is still work in progress is the filling of Dry Gut which is a valley which just happens to be in the flight path of our potential aircraft landing.  Therefore Dry Gut needs to be filled.  Its not just being filled, it has to be filled in layers and then tamped down and then left to settle and then checks made for subsidence.  The photos give some idea of the scale of this part of the project.

So far the Airport build is on time and with no accidents which considering the location and challenges here is marvellous. 

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Dry Gut Fill with Earth Mover in distance. I think this is the end of the runway!
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Airport Site and Dry Gut Fill from around two miles away
The Airport terminal is currently being erected and has been located in a way that the building is shielded from much of the island’s view to keep things tidy.  The building seems larger than I imagined so I guess they are preparing for more than the planned one or two flights a week which is what’s being talked about at the moment. 

The runway is currently being widened and lengthened as the original runway plan didn’t meet requirements for longer haul aircraft.  I think the 737-700 is the plane of choice at the moment.  There are many more stringent requirements for planes to fly to St Helena as there is nowhere to make an emergency landing so fuel loads will be maximised.  Also the location dictates that air services to St Helena will have to operate to the requirements of Extended Twin Engine Operations System,  (ETOPS)

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The Terminal Building
  Critical to the success of the new airport will be air traffic control’s ability to land aircraft in the challenging weather conditions the island experiences. Given the isolation of St Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, diversions due to weather could be extremely costly in terms of additional fuel burn. Honeywell systems have the contract to provide landing support with a product called Smartpath.

I think by the time the airport opens, the world will be watching this little speck of an island in the South Atlantic.  Many people have vowed to visit once the airport opens and in fact our tourist office here is already receiving enquiries as to where tickets can be bought.  Less than two years to go and so much to do!!

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St Helena from the Airport Site
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 Street Food & Malika vanReenan From the Cape Grace Hotel Cape Town

8/4/2014

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Malika with the Team at 2onMain
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Diners enjoying their meals at the celebration of Street Food

The much awaited arrival of Malika van Reenan took place  this week. 

Malika is the Executive Chef of the Five Star Cape Grace Hotel on the waterfront in Cape Town. 

The Hotel is one of the best in the city and in my humble opinion has some of the best food and dining experiences in Cape Town.  I am not just talking about dinner either.  Breakfast and casual dining are all world class experiences. 

The Cape Grace Hotel has been fantastically supportive of the Hospitality Upskilling Project over here in that they are willing to take a number of our students for work experience at the hotel and they have offered help with showing our "Saints" what international hospitality expectations are all about.
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Desserts!
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We decorated one wall with graffitti
PictureThe Cape Grace Hotel and Table Mountain
  In order for a smooth transition from student in a small island training centre to trainee in a world class hotel kitchen with 50 staff, we planned for someone in the hotel to come over to assess the levels of skill of the students and to cover an induction to the hotel. 

When we heard that Malika, the executive chef was coming we were thrilled! 

Although Malika was only here for a week we planned a number of events to make the most of her visit.  The theme for the week was to be “Street Food”. 

We ran a competition with the local school for the kids to come up with some dishes which could be sold as street food.  

There was also a change down at 2onMain where we created a food market with stalls and advertised three evenings of street food. 

Malika also did a number of training sessions with some of the local caterers during the day. 
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Bevan on the Pulled Pork
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The Famous Roti!
To say the week was a success is an understatement.  The restaurant was buzzing the whole week with the students making batches of kebabs, sushi, homemade sauces and chutneys.  Malika concentrated on a South African street food called Roti, this is a buttered flatbread which is cooked and then topped with a variety of flavourful toppings such as chick pea curry, pickled aubergine, and oven dried tomatoes, salad leaves and basil, cucumber in yoghurt and toasted sesame seeds.  It’s a flavour explosion and one that was raved about by all who consumed one or in some cases FOUR!

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Keeping up with the Roti Queue. Noleen helping Malika
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The line for the Thai Fish Burgers
The queues were not just for the Roti.  Bevan, one of our students, made a Thai Fish burger with lemongrass and ginger and accompanied it with a peanut sauce or wasabi Mayo, and he sold over 150 of them. 

We couldn’t keep up with the orders for Sushi on the first night, so we almost doubled the quantity on the second and still we sold out!  It was elating to see so many people enjoying themselves, and that was just the team working!  We had a brilliant three days.

Malika’s take on the whole thing was similar to mine:  That there are real opportunities here for private enterprise to flourish. 

It can take next to nothing to start a small food business and St Helena has all the conditions for that business to grow into something bigger and profitable from the start.


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Marissa on Sushi
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Happy diners
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Fish Kebabs and Homemade Pork Sausages
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Our Street Food Competition Winners
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Dining in the Garden at dusk
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St Helena Marine Awareness Week and the Costa Neorivieria

7/4/2014

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Costa Neorivieria from the top of Jacob's Ladder



Monday saw the arrival of the Costa Neoriveria with over 1000 passengers on it.  Considering previous cruise ship visits, there was some concern as to whether the ship would allow its passengers ashore.  She arrived at 7.00am and by 9.00 the little orange tenders were shuttling the mainly Italian visitors across to the island.  Tours were booked and Jamestown took on a cosmopolitan feel with tourists strolling around and taking in the scenery.  By 4.00pm it was all back to normal with everyone back on board and the ship departing for its next port of call. 


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PictureSushi St Helena Style
The arrival coincided with the start of Marine awareness week which as we are surrounded by such a large expanse of ocean is probably one of the most appropriate events in the calendar. 

The week includes a variety of events, pitched at education and raising awareness of marine issues. 
Our part to play was to provide a stall offering a variety of seafood items which were not normally available here.  We chose Sushi as the leading food item as it’s something that most people have heard of but over here many have never tried it.




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Induction cooking on St Helena!
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Are the Fishcakes cooked?
PictureChecking out the Sushi
 

There was some thought over how to make the Sushi easier to accept and enjoy as the trend here is to cook tuna very well.  It is used in many curry dishes over here. 

Also there was the wasabi issue!    Wasabi, as anyone who has tasted it, is somewhat like chilli or oysters, in that it is an acquired taste which needs to be developed gradually. 


Eventually a variety of Sushi and Sashimi were decided upon, including some sweet sushi which were made with coconut rice and mango.  We need not have worried; the sushi went down a storm and was soon gone, as were the trio of flavoured fishcakes which the students had made to their own recipes. 



The grand finale of the day was the fishing competition which entailed most boats leaving at 4.00am and returning at 3.00pm with their catch. 

A variety of fish were caught with the largest of each species attracting prizes.  There was also a prize for the biggest catch by weight.  By 4.00pm when the catches were being weighed, everyone on the island seemed to have made their way to the wharf. 

Children were waiting in line for a go on a jet ski or a large inflatable tyre which was dragged at high speed across the bay.  I would have loved to have had a go on that one!  Music drifted across the bay as more and more folk made it down to the wharf.  I left at around 6.30pm and things were just getting started for the evening.  The Saints really do know how to put on a community event; it was a marvellous day for all with an atmosphere of warmth





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Traditional St Helena Fishing Vessel
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Weighing the catch
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Jet Ski Rides for the Kids
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Swimming off the Wharf Steps
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South African Brandy Tasting Dinner and the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs

31/1/2014

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The Sword and Ribbons
PicturePeter pouring the 150 glasses of brandy!
The final evening of Francois’ stay and finale of the two weeks was a special dinner with accompanying Brandies which had been supplied courtesy of the South African Brandy Guild. 
Our guests included local caterers accommodation providers and Michel Dancoisne – Martineau, Consul Honoraire de France who resides here. 

Michel is the custodian of the Napoleonic sites on the island.  Michel had a number of guests with him from France (including a reporter from Le Figaro Newspaper) so it was going to be an interesting evening with a South African talking through Brandies to a partially French audience


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Ready for our guests
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Michielle
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Hazel and Patsy
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Sampling the Brandy
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Mandy and Julia and the Brandy!
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Four Brandies were partnered with the dinner, each one increasing in age and quality. 

In all we served over 150 glasses of brandy!    The overall feedback was very positive with many guests never having had food paired with brandy before.  The students rose to the occasion with assistance on the menu which was:

Trio of local fish three ways

St Helena Pork with Moroccan Spices and local beans

Rooibos Pannacotta with Coffee Praline





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Francois, Gillian, Paul and Sally Hickling, Michel Martineau, Larry and Lynn Thomas
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Also on the cards that evening was the initiation of 2onmain into the Chaîne Des Rôtisseurs and the inauguration of 5 Saint Helenians and myself into the Chaîne! 

The Chaîne des Rôtisseurs is an international gastronomic society dedicated to bringing together professional and non-professional members from around the world who appreciate wine, cuisine and fine dining. Members of a local Bailliage are part of a worldwide organisation with more than 25,000 members in over 80 countries.

In order to be accepted as an establishment we had to achieve a certain score against a 300 point criteria. 

I am thrilled to say that 2onMain achieved 286 against a possible 300 points with the scores dropping for location of the toilets (basement) and other physical features of the building!

There was a sword and dagger involved in the ceremony which could have been interesting if we had left it later on in the evening when the 150 glasses of Brandy had been imbibed!

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Francois giving feedback to the 2onmain team
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The beautiful brass plaque we will be proud to show off!
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The new St Helena members of the Chaine des Rotisseurs
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Peter Gillian and Francois
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Guest Chef Francois Ferriera

30/1/2014

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January brought with it some pretty wet weather for this time of year although nothing to compare with the UK’s deluge and especially the flooding happening around my home area of the Somerset Levels. 



The rain here is dependent on the southerly trade winds which push the moist air off the sea onto the high ground which creates a fine misty rain very similar to the type which prevails in Scotland.  The air temperature at this time of year here however runs between 18 and 24 centigrade which is pretty pleasant.

We invited a guest chef from South Africa to visit the island as part of the Hospitality Upskilling project.

Francois Ferriera has two culinary academies in South Africa and is the National President of the National Balliage d’Afrique du Sud de Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, one of the oldest international Gourmand Societies in the world.  He has also written cookery books and appears regularly on South African TV.   

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Francois last visited St Helena in 1999 and was very keen to reacquaint himself with the island.

The programme included a variety of demonstration evenings covering, fast food, party catering, Spices and Masalas, Olive Oil, local produce and fish cookery. 
He also spent the two weeks working with our students, offering valuable feedback and training.

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