Eight is without doubt the Rolls Royce of ethical restaurants encountered in our search thus far.
Farm Visits
Life is a sequence of cycles within cycles, an interconnectedness of all things which means that if one part suffers, all parts suffer. This is no less true for farming and farming practices.
Due to monoculture farming in the area and decades of non-organic farming practices, the soil quality degenerated, resulting in poorer quality plant life and ultimately, lower grade foodstuff.
Until recently, about 300 hectares of our farm was managed under organic biodynamic agricultural practices. Of late, and more in line with our visionary ethos, we have incorporated changes so that the entire farm now operates on these principles. The biodynamic method recognizes that plant life is intimately connected to the life of the soil – that the soil itself is alive and vital, and that the degree of vitality has a direct bearing on the health of the crops, which in turn brings health to those who consume the produce. Additionally, biodynamic agriculture acknowledges that the plant’s growth is also affected by planetary influences like the waxing and waning of the moon, and other forces in nature.
Currently, 55 hectares of vineyard land is being converted to the organic method with the aim of reaching total biodynamic status. Another 54 hectares of irrigated perennial pastures form the primary source of food and nutrition for our pasture-reared animals, from which we derive our premium beef, lamb, chickens and eggs. The cattle and chickens are managed in the high density method inspired by Ian Mitchell-Innes and Joel Salatin. This means that cattle graze for a short period in a confined area and are then moved to another area. The effect of this grazing method is that the high volume cattle manure and urine boost the fertility of the pasture and allows different areas sufficient time to recover before is it used for grazing again. Our laying hens are then taken to the most recently used pasture in Eggmobiles as they help restore the vitality of the land by distributing the cattle manure evenly when searching for larvae, while simultaneously sanitizing the soil.
A further half a hectare of our lands has been devoted to a vegetable garden. Spier has full organic certification from BCS Germany for the produce from this garden and sells to local supermarkets as well as to the Spier Hotel restaurant and Eight restaurant on the estate, reducing our food generated carbon footprint dramatically. Our fresh and animal produce are served in some of the finest restaurants in the Cape and we recently started delivering to homes in the wider Cape Town metropolis.
View images here.
Should you be interested in finding out more about our farming operation or produce, or if you wish to arrange a farm visit, please email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
