African Relish, South Africa

An African Adventure

African Relish is a Recreational Cooking School, set in the Karoo town of Prince Albert, South Africa. Our culinary hall is the only purpose built facility of its kind. Here our guests will enjoy luxury accommodation and discover the culinary pulse of South Africa, they can enjoy African Relish either as a stand-alone destination or part of an extended gourmet tour.

Prince Albert is a delightful historic village at the foot of the Swartberg Pass, which has been declared a World Heritage site. It forms part of the Karoo which is a semi desert area taking up a large part of central South Africa. Although the region is known for periodic devastating drought, the town escapes this as it is blessed with perennial water from the Swartberg (Black Mountain) and the village still uses the age-old water furrow system along its streets to irrigate gardens and small town farms. Prince Albert enjoys a superb climate, with a high sunshine index, clear air and a night sky visibility that is spectacular. The village boasts many beautifully preserved Cape Dutch, Karoo Victorian and Georgian buildings – 13 of which are National Monuments. Its produce is famous, and includes sun-ripened fresh and dried fruit, especially figs and apricots. Karoo lamb, olives, olive oil and cheese are sought-after local delicacies. In the Prince Albert Valley to the south, farmers have restored vineyards last cultivated in the 19th century, and are already producing excellent wines.

Our culinary adventures draw on local knowledge, and together with resident foodie Jeremy Freemantle and other visiting specialists, emphasis will be placed on local products, learning and enjoyment. The ingredients we use are always fresh, organic and dictated by their seasonality. True Karoo cuisine is our signature and we have designed our menus and our cooking courses around traditional cooking methods and ingredients passed down over the generations. We continuously explore ways of marrying tradition with contemporary flare.

The area is famous for its characteristic lamb, distinctive in its flavour because of the particular varieties of Karoo vegetation that the sheep graze on in the area. Venison and Ostrich are favourites with visitors. Some of the wonderful Karoo specialties we will introduce include, Karoo lamb shanks with creamy samp , sweet potato and lentil soup, lamb pie with sour cream pastry, stuffed belly of pork with peanut butter marinade, Kudu pie with cold water pastry, Skilpadjies (lambs liver in caul fat) Karoo Oysters, salted mutton rib. And then the traditional side dishes such as Slaphaksteentjies (onion in sweet and sour sauce), Roosterkoek (Griddle cakes) Mealie Pap and spinach tart, Olive bread, Pot bread, Koeksisters and Green fig tart, Quince crumble, Stewed quinces (very traditional) Kluitjies (sweet dumplings) Skurwepadda (Spicy vinegar pudding), Sago pudding with apricot jam and many more.

The partners in African Relish are Philip & Lisa Key and Jeremy Freemantle. They are old friends, drawn together by their mutual love of food and good living. We have spent most of our careers in the worlds of film, design and marketing. We chose this quaint village for its indefinable qualities of hospitality and sense of place in South Africa’s history. General Manager Virna Gouws adds her local knowledge and organisational skills to our management team.

Our listed courses and tours reflect the scheduled events that are available on particular dates. At any other time African Relish will be more than happy to tailor make courses according to individual or group requirements.  Tours are compiled by our operator partners and take in culinary experiences in Cape Town and surrounds to the game reserves in the North and Namibia.

To learn more about African Relish, visit their website.