Culinary Consulting

Lekkerwater Beach Lodge

A mere three hour drive from Cape Town, in the eastern sector of De Hoop Nature Reserve, is Lekkerwater Beach Lodge. Undoubtedly one of the most glorious coastal reserves in Africa, the area's extraordinary beauty and blissful seclusion led ex-President FW de Klerk to choose the location for his 'Camp David'. The reserve is also famous for some of the best whale watching on the planet when, from July to November, Southern Right whales and their offspring flock here in their hundreds from Antarctica. It's not simply whales either and you'll also spot sizeable pods of dolphin and all sorts of marine life in this - the ultimate, land-based marine safari. Lekkerwater itself (literally meaning 'the place of good water') offers a homely and comfortable beach experience in a magical setting. Each of the seven rooms are located right on a six-kilometre stretch of private beach, complete with stunning rock pools and fish life.

Heather and Colin Bell of Natural Selection, commissioned Tamsin Snyman to curate the menu and food mood for Lekkerwater. It started nearly a year in advance when they sat with the architectural drawings of the lodge kitchen and we shaped the functional layout of their open-plan, tiny kitchen. The lodge kitchen is open-plan allowing guests to peek into what's happening which plays a part in Lekkerwater's wish of wanting their guests to really feel at home.

Lekkerwater is steeped in South African history and is tucked into a magnificent part of the raw and rugged Overberg region of our country. Tamsin thought it would only be right to match this with simple, soulfully prepared and beautifully presented South African flavours. She drew inspiration from her late mom, Lannice Snyman's research she did over a seven year period in the mid 1980's when she travelled the length and breadth of our country to document the food of all our regions before writing and publishing the iconic Rainbow Cuisine cookbook (which played a vital role in putting South African cuisine on the global food map).

You'll find dishes like Maize Meal porridge or Melkkos for breakfast; Smoked Fish Frikkadels, Bobotie, Soft Borrie Maize Meal, Ostrich Keema Seekh Kebabs, Masala-Crusted Beef Fillet, African Lentil Rice by day and night and steaming hot, cinnamon-dusted Pumpkin Fritters for dessert ... just some of the flavours you are bound to experience when staying at Lekkerwater. Tamsin and the chefs focus on fresh ingredients, produce and wines that we source mainly from the Overberg region. Feasting locations change with the weather; one moment you could be eating in the cool lodge courtyard; the next could be fire-side on the beach for a braai. The food fables at Lekkerwater will tell a story of the region and our country and leave you with a warm heart and belly!

Website: www.naturalselection.travel/camps/lekkerwater-beach-lodge-at-de-hoop

Gold Restaurant

Pack a suitcase of energy for a taste-safari that will transport you from Table Mountain to Timbuktu. A night you will battle to forget. Their 14-course Cape Malay and African menu is accompanied by unique interactive traditional entertainment. Tamsin's journey with GOLD Restaurant began when they first opened their doors at the Gold Museum in Strand Street in 2007. 12 years later, their incredible new home is 15 Bennet Street in Green Point and sees international guests flocking for a truly African culinary adventure.

Website: www.goldrestaurant.co.za

Clay Café

Tucked into the Hout Bay valley, along the banks of the Disa River, Clay Café is certainly the place to play for big bodies and little bodies alike. Visitors get to select from a large array of unfired bisque (pottery pieces), a wide variety of paint colours and tools to create their own personal, totally unique crockery. A fun, all-day dining clipboard menu features favourites like poached eggs on roasted sweet potato, crispy bacon and topped with Hollandaise sauce. Seasonally salads, rustic pizzas, jam-packed wraps, handmade pasta, beastly burgers and homemade sweet treats and bakes come out of the oven all day long. Not to mention . . . the best coffee in Hout Bay.

Website: www.claycafe.co.za

Noordhoek Café and Deli

Where country living is trendy, wholesome and anything you want it to be. The epitome of the local lifestyle, where the hustle and bustle is left behind, the laid back atmosphere is contagious and it's all about living the lifestyle you choose. High Tea's in the deep south, traditional roasts, everyday pensioner breakfasts, the best chicken pie in town and great options for vegetarians and vegans!

Website: www.noordhoekcafe.co.za

Tswalu Kalahari

South Africa's largest private game reserve, protecting over 110 000 hecatares of spectacular grasslands and mountains. The team begin Tswalu hold conservation as their number one priority with a vision to restore the Kalahari to itself. No more than 30 guests at a time get to discover the beautiful of this arid savannah, its diverse wildlife and the serenity of what may well be South Africa's last great wilderness.

It has been an honour to work with Executive Chef, Mandi Hough and her kitchen brigade, offering discerning guests tailor-made menu's to suite their every food fantasy. Together, we had an awesome journey taking bush dining to a new, crazy creative level of culinary magic. New executive chef, Alewyn Malan, not heads up the kitchen, so watch this space!

Tswalu is currently working in partnership with Michelin-starred South African chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen. A new lodge and food offering will soon be revealed.

Website: www.tswalu.com