This Tourism Week. 2 September 2010

It’s Cooking in Prince Albert

After all the drama and stress of the last few weeks (have you got your head around the Tourism Grading Council’s new, um, criteria?  And have you done anything to protest the new Secrecy Bill - at the very least joined the country’s top ranking people and organisations by signing an on-line petition?), I thought it might be as well to go back to basics and to focus on what we do in tourism through the window of two products I really admire: African Relish Cooking School in Prince Albert, and Buffalo Hills in Plettenberg Bay (see post).

In the good old days (oh, about a year or two ago), I used to think that if you’d eaten well in Plett or Knysna, you’d eaten food by Vanie Padayachee. But then Vanie left the Garden Route, and my sad taste buds were forced to begin their (often heartbreaking) search once more.

In the middle of July, though, they found their nirvana again when I found Vanie again: she’s now the executive chef at African Relish, a “recreational cooking school” in Prince Albert, where I joined nine other (much more experienced) part-timers for her Spice Girl Weekend.

As a vegetarian, the whole thing was probably my most enjoyable restaurant experience - ever. And not only because we didn’t see a single spinach and feta quiche all weekend (I am SO sick of spinach and feta quiche - you’d think the people who owned 99.999% of South Africa’s eating houses could think of at least one other dish that might appeal).

Vanie is an incredible teacher - patient, fun to be with, and deeply knowledgeable - and she knows just everything about herbs and spices and vegetables, and how to combine them with incredible effect. And - gak! - she knows about meat, too. But on this course the class cooked only one meat dish - lamb shanks - and I’d (wisely) been put in the team that was making chapatis, rotis, and other Indian breads. (Need to know? I struggled with the kneading. It’s quite an art…)

And she’s got an amazing kitchen to work in, too - set in an incredible garden, with an indescribably beautiful olive grove, nestled in a stunning town, that’s located in a brilliant… Oh lord! I better lose the superlatives. You probably get my point.

In fact, the kitchen - which was purpose-built by owners Jeremy Freemantle, and Phillip and Lisa Key - looks more like an art gallery (as it should), and is designed for interaction between cooks and diners. So the food - both for students at the cooking school and for patrons of the restaurant - becomes something more than the stuff you stuff into your face. With no walls and no sound-proof doors between you and the chef, you begin to feel part of the process of feeding yourself, and this lifts the entire experience.

African Relish offers scheduled and non-scheduled cooking courses - some of which are presented by Vanie (‘Heritage Karoo’ - 24 to 26 September - “Authentic traditional country cooking - celebrating our culinary heritage”), and some of which are presented by guest chefs (‘Loafing around!’ - 17 to 19 September - “Niel Jonker, artist and master artisan baker gives us an insight into the supremely satisfying process of bread making.” Never forgetting Julia Child, of course, who asked “How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?”).

They also present corporate weekends, and arrange tours (the ‘Gourmet Cycle Tour in the Karoo’ in conjunction with Escape Cycle Tours - 8 to 12 September - “Unwind in Prince Albert with some gourmet cooking and adventurous calorie burning!”).

Importantly, although the weekend was focused on cooking, African Relish also laid on a couple of non-food attractions. So, for example, we had a chance to gril a little with Ailsa Tudhope and her Ghost Tour of Prince Albert (yes ‘gril,’ and not ‘grill’ - it’s Afrikaans for ‘thrill,’ and in case you don’t know the slang, it’s that prickly feeling you get when you meet the paranormal. Watch my video below).

And, of course, African Relish is a restaurant, too, and offers accommodation - although not enough for all its pupils, so, like me, you might be lucky enough to stay in the nearby de Bergkant Lodge, or in one of a number of selected guest houses in the village.

But African Relish is much more than the sum of its parts: I’ve been in tourism for most of my adult life, and it’s one of the most unique and well-managed products I’ve seen. And, very wisely indeed, it’s presently focusing very sharply on the domestic market. In this economy, you can’t do better.

… Who knew going to school would be anything near this much fun?

For reservations and enquiries, contact general manager Virna Gouws on 023 541 1381 or visit www.africanrelish.com. And watch my video interviews with Vanie and Jeremy below - and one about an amazing little coffee shop I found on top of the Swartberg Pass.

Vani Padayachee:

Jeremy Freemantle

 Ailsa Tudhope’s Ghost Tour of Prince Albert

Die Bergkombuys - Lekker Eating on the Swartberg Pass