Palate fashion
Bridget Hilton-Barber takes her taste buds on a trip down the Valley of the Olifants
W HEN I was young, Hoedspruit and, indeed, most of the Lowveld was meat central. The standard fare at the proverbial boma-style restaurant was a knee-blanket-sized steak and a Lion lager. Chicken eaters were considered vegetarians and vegetarians were considered completely mad.
My, how times have changed. There I was sitting on the shaded verandah of a very sexy little bistro in Hoedspruit called Madhams, gazing with unadulterated lust at a menu board featuring things such as salmon scrambled eggs, quiches, tapas, Italian-meat-and-cheese paninis, freshly squeezed juices and a range of local and imported craft beers. And wif-fi.
Madhams is all about “simple food made good and good food made simple”, said co-owner Clare Girardin, who runs it along with her old friend, Bianca Da Silva Wright.
“We have such an abundance of wonderful produce in our province that there is no reason we can’t be up there with the rest of foodie culture in SA.”
Clare and Bianca call themselves the mad cows — and Clare’s daughter is fondly dubbed the Little Heifer. The “mad” part, they say, stands for Making a Difference.
Next door to Madhams is their gallery, called Madcows, which sells a range of sustainably sourced homeware, arts, crafts, clothing and décor.
Madhams’ chef is Scottish-born Lucy Blunt, whose Mzansi Thursday menu is proving a huge hit, with traditional South African food such as bobotie, vetkoek, bunny chow and pap-en-vleis with a gourmet twist.
Thursdays also see the Goodness Guru in action, naturopath Lisl Bennett, who comes in to Madhams to squeeze the most extraordinary combinations of fresh juices.
Feeling flamboyant, Darling, my trusty travel companion, and I went for the Porralicious breakfast: sautéed baby potatoes, chorizo, tomato and onion salsa flamed in chilli vodka, topped with a fried egg and a fresh Portuguese roll.
We then stocked up at the deli, which sells locally sourced jams, preserves, relishes and cheeses, and hit the R40 from bushveld Hoedspruit to subtropical Tzaneen.
It’s a glorious drive — part of the Valley of the Olifants tourism route — and it takes you over the Olifants River and through golden bush, with surreal granite koppies rising up like ancient beasts. Overlooking the Olifants River is another great addition to food and lifestyle in the area, the Three Bridges, a very pleasant restaurant serving great pizzas, good vibes and lovely views.
The road to Tzaneen passes some of the Lowveld’s most legendary reserves such as the Klaserie, Timbavati, Balule and Selati, and then the bush gives way to the blue-green foothills of the Magoebaskloof and vast citrus, mango, avocado and banana orchards.
Tzaneen’s Yum Yum Deli reflects the province’s changing palate. This hip restaurant is in a quiet part of town. You can dine outside on the deck to the sounds of a tinkling water feature or in the
funky dining room.
With its contemporary fusion menu, bistro style and charming atmosphere, Yum Yum has brought global dining to Tzaneen. Head chef is the charming Jonathan Taylor, one of the founders of Alon, an organic farm in nearby Modjadji, which grows most of the restaurant’s fruit and vegetables, and also the coffee — Crown Coffee — which is an excellent brew.
This time, Darling went for the fillet done in a creamy pepper brandy sauce, followed by Yum Yum’s famous smashed meringue with locally grown blueberries and Amarula, surely one of Limpopo’s most famous products. I went for the more waistline-friendly Tzaneen Salad with avocados, grapefruit and macadamia nuts.
The following day, we headed high into the Magoebaskloof mountains, past the glorious brightgreen tea plantations of Sapekoe and massive indigenous forests to Wegraakbosch Organic Farm, a thoroughly eco-friendly farm with a dairy that produces a range of traditional Swiss cheeses.
“From cow to curd to cheese,” said twinkly-eyed farmer Nipper Thompson. “There are no machines involved and, for over 20 years now, no fertilisers or herbicides have been used at all on the farm.”
Thompson and his wife Sylvia created Wegraakbosch after visiting a dairy in the Alps on a trip to Switzerland, where they were inspired to learn the art of organic cheesemaking and decided to put it into practice in Magoebaskloof in 1986. Blessed are the cheesemakers.
What a glorious way to spend a day. First we did the dairy tour, then headed for a rustic table under a pergola overlooking the Magoebaskloof mountains for a Ploughmans’ Platter of assorted Wegraakbosch cheeses and a bottle of wine. Organic, soulful, satisfying … Limpopo sure tastes very different to what it used to. — ©