Spit on the roast! Another wedding at Pamuzinda.

So - another wedding at Pamuzinda, and this time on a Tuesday. How cool is that for an idea?

Here is our wedding chapel - with the Lodge in the background. Among other things.

Located on the island in front of the Pamuzinda, it is certainly one of the most scenic venues for a wedding. . . .in the whurld! (With apologies to Jeremy Clarkson). The aisle is made entirely of rose petals, and there is a serene beauty to the whole set-up.

No?

The morning was a busy one for the waiters, but by mid-day we had everything laid up and ready for the Reception. The heat is kicking in now in Zimbabwe, and we just got away with the flowers - the decorator spraying them with a mister until the heat of the day had passed.

Snappy?

The deck overlooking the river - featured in an earlier Blog titled "Views from a deck", was the setting for the Wedding Dinner. This photo is a little blurred, but gives an idea of the space we used looks like at night:

So just before the guests arrived, the candles were lit and everything took on a warm glow.

And now a little on the food.

As I do!

For the canape session after the ceremony, we spent an inordinately large amount of time prepping, but I think it turned out OK. We did vol au vent pastry cups filled with mushrooms in a brandied cream, rare roast beef on herbed bruschetta topped with English mustard and cream cheese, beef samoosas, and herbed crepes rolled with smoked salmon mousse.

And it turned out ok, if I say so myself! Whaddya think?

That's them nibbly bits.

The cake was once again surrounded by smaller cupcakes - this time topped with fresh strawberry, lemon, or macadamia nuts. I always love seeing the cakes (and had absolutely nothing to do with their production) - so much thought and attention goes into them:

For the main course, we did chicken in a tomato, olive and feta cheese sauce. And . . .  a spit-roast impala.

While the chicken took a while to prepare and cook - the impala was a week-long process. It started about 8 days before the wedding, when we shot the impala, and hung it in our cold-room. (Here I think I should mention that we didn't use a crossbow or and American dentist in the process. And we selected an old male ram with no name).

The day before the wedding, I first of all made holes in the legs and shoulders of the impala, and pushed in cloves of garlic. I then started basting the carcass every hour with a mixture of oil (sunflower), mixed herbs, white wine and Aromat. On the morning of the wedding, actually around noon, I seared the meat over really hot coals for about 10 minutes, and then let the fire die down. In the meantime I skewered the carcass, and wrapped it tightly in silver foil . . .

Once I had wrapped the impala in foil, it was suspended over hot coals for 6 hours, and turned constantly. The baste stayed in the foil, and because we kept it turning the whole time, it came out beautifully moist, but cooked through perfectly.We had lots of very positive comments on the spit-roast impala at dinner that night - something I don't think is served at too many weddings. As an accompaniment I had Rosella Jelly - which I found hiding among the jellies and sauces at TM Borrowdale. Really yummy accompaniment to Game meat.

Yup - we nailed it!

And as the foil kept the meat moist, I kept my spit turner moist with copious glasses of Mazoe and water. Regular readers of this Blog will recognize my 'manual-spit-turning-system'. It is actually Akim - who last featured in this blog walking along the top of our restaurant roof clutching a fire extinguisher to put out the blazing roof thatch. (Past blogs can be found at the top right of this page - all 200 of them). If we have stuff to do with fires, he is my go-to guy!

Obviously our usual band of suspects attended the wedding - without an invite. As is their custom. I guess they come for the snacks and the party, but their dress sense often leaves a lot to be desired. Mixing stripes and spots is something that is not normally recommended. But at an "African-themed" wedding - I guess it is allowed.

Did you see the ellies in the background? Cool beans.

The music for the canape session while the Bride and Groom went for photos - in keeping with the African theme, was provided by a Marimba band:

Finally - the question of how the bride arrived at the island? Well I was in the kitchen at the time and missed the actual delivery, but here are her delivery vehicles returning to base after a successful (and dry!) drop-off . . .

Once again our Team sorted a wedding out with aplomb. If you know anyone looking for a wedding venue with a difference - give Kylie a call at Pamuzinda.

I will try and post another blog or two on weddings we have done in the past couple of months.

Have a great day!