FISH IN GRAPE LEAVES Turn over a new leaf
We know all about the allure of camping deep in the bundus. Take the Stealth Bush Lodge and you’ll have loads of luxuries there, too.
If you cannot catch a hottentot seabream yourself, Woolworths can help. An average fish of 600 g costs R119,99 each (or R199,99/kg).
Ingredients
(serves 4)
2 hottentot seabream of about 650 g each 2 lemons, sliced
1 large lump of butter per fish
12 large grape leaves, washed well 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch seedless red grapes
¼ cup white wine
1 cup couscous, steamed and ready
1 tin (400 g) chickpeas, rinsed
1 small cucumber, cut into small cubes
Here’s how
1 Rinse the fish and dry them properly with kitchen towel or a dishcloth. Score three diagonal cuts on both sides through the skin and flesh, all along the body of the fish. Press the lemon slices into the abdominal cavity and into the cuts. 2Now rub the fish all over with butter and wrap both in grape leaves – the head and tail can protrude. The leaves will cling to the butter and so you don’t need to secure them with string.
3 Braai the fish for about 15-20 minutes in a folding grid over moderately hot coals or until the meat turns white and flakes. 4 Heat the olive oil in a cast-iron pan over the coals and fry the grapes for a few minutes until they start to burst and the flavours concentrate. Stir in the wine and boil the mixture for a minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix in the couscous and chickpeas. Sprinkle the cucumber cubes on top and serve with an extra dash of olive oil and the fried fish.
Drive & Camp says Add fresh herbs for extra flavour if you like, also place a few sprigs of parsley or thyme inside the fish’s abdominal cavity.
There’s a niche market for gravel road caravans in South Africa – there are just over 40 manufacturers in the country, but only a handful of gravel road caravans. These include the four by Stealth, of which the Bush Lodge takes the lead.
Going by looks alone, the Bush Lodge already differs from the other Stealth products. White, grey and blue on the outside make way for white with a lower black vinyl layer.
Contrary to the stylish clean design of the other three, the Bush Lodge has a “don’t mess with me” appearance. Both side panels boast a muddy offroad tyre design.
Similar motifs are repeated on the inside, and it repeats the rugged feel of the exterior, but in a homely way.
Storage up front
The nose cone’s door is extra large and swings upward and out of the way. The opening is 151,5 x 50,5 cm and the space is 33 cm deep. You lift the door without the help of gas struts and then support it with an arm, almost like the one that keeps lots of bonnets open.
There’s a loose water can on the left inside, the spare wheel in the middle and the gas cylinder on the far right. Above the A-frame is a flat surface for a bag of wood or two.
Ready for action!
Leave the lights on after testing them before you hit the road to be extra safe while towing. If you then look in the rear-view mirror, you’ll see the lights lower down on both sides.
Once at the campsite, you get your stand quickly thanks to the swing-down corner steadies. As with some of the other off-road camping trailers and off-road caravans, there’s a bull bar around the lower section of the Bush Lodge. The crank handle of the corner steady fits nicely between the body and the bull bar so you can extent it that last little bit.
The pop-up roof lifts easily (and drops again just as easily) – one person can manage it. There are two tie down straps at both the H-handles that help lift the roof. You tighten these straps so the roof doesn’t lift while you are towing, and these also help when you need to close the roof again.
Bush kitchen
A hatch that’s 1,275 m long opens above the left wheel so you can reach the kitchen. The hatch is 78 cm wide, and it lifts high and out of the way with the help of gas struts, while at the same time creating a nice roof over your head. It is also high enough that you won’t bump your head.
In the middle of the hatch, a light is attached to the rear end that illuminates the kitchen. The 96 x 30 cm worktop is folded up against the kitchen cabinets. When down, the work the side, and this is also where the microwave is plugged in. The rest of the cupboards have enough space for pots, pans and groceries.
The twin-plate gas stove with a loose, recessed plastic sink pulls out on a 111 x 55 cm drawer. The stove sits crosswise surface is about the height of your tummy. A loose support pole fits between the body and the worktop to make it firm.
Inside the body of the caravan are no less than seven cupboards of different sizes. The microwave oven sits in the middle one on the left and is about chest height. The foam with its cut-out holes for crockery – for four plates, bowls and cups – is in the section under the microwave.
The double socket (220 V) is to the left of the foam on and is next to the caravan panel. This helps keep the wind away from the gas flame. When you want to use the stove, you need to bring the gas cylinder that’s in the nose cone a bit closer in order to connect the gas pipe.
The sink sits on the tip of the shelf and there’s a good 43 cm between the stove and the sink for work space. When you first pull out the drawer, a 73 cm long top is folded over it.
That swings over the sink to form another worktop with its own adjustable foot. It’s also slightly narrower at 42 cm. Next to the sink is a water pipe with a nozzle that gets hot water from the geyser.
To the left next to the door opening is another 220 V plug if you want to plug in an electric kettle or toaster.
Around the back
As you walk around the caravan, you see Stealth’s distinctive outdoor bathroom against the hull. It’s optional, but if you’ve aiming for the bundus, it makes sense to include the bathroom. Its fibreglass lid that rests against the hull folds up to form a roof over the bathroom. The shower sides then fold down to the ground to form two rooms: the shower cubicle at the end and the dry side where you get dressed.
Added to the space in the nose cone, there are two more cupboards in the right panel with openings that are 33 cm high – one near the back and the other near the front.
The geyser is in the cupboard at the back to the left of the door, with its ventilation hole right next to it.
Getting comfortable
You hop in at the front of the caravan, right by the dinette with its benches that form a U-shape toward the nose. The island bed is in the back section. It feels as though you’re in an exclusive suite with the huge bed on the one side and then all that open space leading to the dining area. It’s a good 1,8 x 1,3 m.
The panel with all the switches (for the indoor and outdoor lights, pump, geyser, fridge) and 12 V supply is fixed to the right in the doorframe. Here – and on both sides of the bed – is a dual USB socket, too. The box with the circuit breakers is at the bottom on the right, also in the frame.
Underneath each of the three benches that make up the U-shaped bench is storage space for items you may not need regularly. This section flattens out to make a bed for two more people.
When it’s dinnertime, set up a loose table with an ironing-board foot. Because it’s loose, you can also use it outside if you need more worktops by the kitchen.
The 105 Ah battery is also mounted under the bench (at the door), while the opposite bench has an opening to the front cupboard in the right panel. Next to this is the 158 ℓ fridge that works with 12 V power, and from here up to the bed are built-in cupboards, including a wardrobe. There is room for an optional air-con if you’re willing to sacrifice one of the cupboards.
A different world
As you step inside, the true character of the Bush Lodge amazes you.
The two side panels and fridge have interesting earthy patterns on them, and even the scatter cushions boast distinctive motifs that blend in nicely with the rest.
There are blinds for each window, and they don’t hang loose but are tightened so they don’t sway on bad roads.
The caravan has five glass windows that can open – two on each side and the front one.
Across from this is the backside of the outside kitchen, and there are three more built-in cupboards close to the roof. The four spacious drawers that pull out from under the bed are a big treat, with space for blankets, pillows and more clothes.
The bed is 1,87 x 1,51 m (queen size), and both sleepers have a large bedside cabinet with a lift-up lid. Each side also has its own reading light, and there is also a larger light above the bed if you need more light. By the way, the main light is a long LED strip light that runs along the length of the pop-up roof. It’s pretty bright and you can clearly see what you’re doing in the caravan.
The person who needs a 220 V socket should sleep on the right, because the plug is in the cabinet on the right.
Drive & Camp says Apart from the air-con and outdoor bathroom, the alloy spare wheel and the extension patio’s sidewalls and front walls for the tent are optional.