Fynbos Food Experience

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Fynbos and Nature inspired at Bastiaanskloof Nature Reserve
Bastiaanskloof is a ridiculously beautiful natural reserve 2 hours from Cape Town down the mountain pass of Bains Kloof. It is one of eight areas in South Africa designated by Unesco as a World Heritage site

Concept
To create a sensory food experience for 50 International lawyers on a symposium that reflect Southern African cuisine with a special look at the natural elements inside the reserve.

Elements of Interest

Visual:
– I created a visual rendition of each course as a ‘place mat’ which were removed and replaced at the change of each course.
– Air plants hung above each table
– Wild rosemary smoked cutlery
– Wood slices and beautiful stone sugar birds – each originally crafted by Zimbabwean artist Ronald Tigere – he started his art as a boy whilst herding his grandfather’s sheep, he would mould birds and animals out of clay and sends his work world wide.
– Ceramic skulls

Sound:
– I recorded bird sounds from the nearby stream and played them with the start of the first course.
– African Jazz was played throughout at intervals with nature sounds.

Taste:

Welcome drink
Fynbos G&T buchu garnish and fynbos embedded ice
African hibiscus, rooibos and rose pelargonium cordial with honeysuckle ice

Snacks – game biltong and goats balls (grape ,goats cheese, roasted nuts)

Begin
Baobab bread – wild garlic butter – organic chicken liver & baobab paté – snoek croquettes, ginger and peppadew relish, smoked Kalahari desert salt butter
Secateurs Chenin

Ocean
Fresh ceviche in wild sour fig and lemon – spekboom – sea asparagus – orange and red pepper purée
Swartland Sauvignon Blanc

Fresh
Peach, ginger and aloe refresher

Meat
Springbok over fire – smoked wild rosemary – madumbi (African sweet potato) – charred mielie – rooibos wine jus
Millenuex Syrah

Sweet
Raspberry coulis puddle – Amarula chocolate frog – almond and chocolate soil – Buttermilk & fynbos honey ice cream – pulled honeycomb

– Photographs by the talented Cath Shone

Many thanks to Caroline, John and the team at Bastiaanskloof for the wonderful opportunity to work in such a beautiful corner of nature.

Thank you to my team of Ninjas.