De Oude Kraal 13th Venison Festival

Attended by over one thousand guests on the 11th June 2011. It was a beautiful Saturday following a week where we had 160mm of rain and severe flooding.

Perseverance and determination by everyone at De Oude Kraal prevailed and the day was a resounding success despite the odds spearheaded by the winning team of owners Gerhard & Marie Lombard and their daughters Helen-Joan and Marie Louise and a dedicated team of staff and friends.

More then eighty Venison dishes, from nineteen species like, Springbuck, Blesbuck, Eland, Blackwildebeest, Gemsbuck, Fallow deer, Rooihartebeest, Rheebuck, crocodile, hare, guinea fowl to name a few provided a gourmet tasting experience.

Wines from fifteen select wine estates provided a wine lover’s dream as you were able to get quality wines from wine estate representatives and wine makers.

Marie Lombard, owner and chef created all the venison dishes assisted by her team of staff. She showcased her culinary skills as one of the best Venison chefs in South Africa. Gerhard Lombard’s love of good quality South African wines ensured that guests could taste wines by wine estates like Rust & Vrede, Meerlust, Simonsig, Leopards Leap, Guardian Peak, Cederberg and Mulderbosch.

Many activities were available during the day with lots of prizes to be won: Clay pigeon shooting, .22 shooting, horse riding, sheep race(a crowd favourite), sky diving, wagon & tractor ride, golf chip. Jumping castle and lots of fun was available for the children.

Live entertainment kept the festival atmosphere upbeat with new upcoming artists from Bloemfontein and appearances by Mario Lategan, Bea vd Vyfer, Peter West. Ferdinand Rabie was Master of Ceremonies and was assisted by veteran Venison festival host Laurens Conradie.

The day was a celebration of the culinary genius of Marie Lombard-showcasing venison as gourmet food and part of our proud Free State heritage.

We would like to thank all the guests who made it a memorable day!