Over the past Easter weekend, I decided to take a trip up to the Karoo, to the small foodie village of Prince Albert, followed by a few days of madness at KKNK (Klein Karoo Arts Festival).
I instantly fell in love with the tranquillity of Prince Albert. Imagine: sheep wandering in the streets, olive and pomegranate trees dotting surrounding gardens, beautiful heritage buildings...
I arrived at my quaint little abode – Elfen Cottage – just two blocks from the main road, Church street (http://www.princealbert.org.za/elfencottage.htm). The owner informed that she would see me later when she got to town and that I should just let myself in as the cottage was unlocked. I loved how laid-back and safe everything felt.
Once settled in, I decided to walk a little around the village – after all, everything is in such close proximity. Last year the village celebrated 250 years of history and incidentally won 'Dorpie (town) of the Year 2012'. I was delighted to find out that the restaurant I'd been dying to eat at, African Relish, still had a table open for dinner that night.
African Relish is in fact a recreational cooking school with a restaurant attached. Headed up by owner/chef Jeremy Freemantle, it offers a variety of cooking courses (visit the website for more info: http://africanrelish.com/).
I spent the afternoon with Jeremy and his daughter (a colleague of mine), Julia, before my husband joined me for dinner at the restaurant. An amuse-bouche of Karoo salami with figs and blue cheese was followed by a twice-baked three-cheese soufflé with tomato relish, which we shared as a starter. My husband ordered the traditional Cape Malay chicken curry for his main, while I had the slow-braised pork belly with onion and apple relish. The pork belly was beautifully cooked and I loved the relish. The soufflé was delicate, rich and was one of the best I've ever had...
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| Karoo salami with figs and blue cheese |
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| twice-baked three-cheese soufflé with tomato relish |
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| African Relish cooking school and restaurant |
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| Cape Malay chicken curry |
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| slow-braised pork belly with onion and apple relish |
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| Cabernet Sauvignon from local winery just outside Prince Albert, Bergwater |
It was such a lovely evening and I can't wait to go back and visit... Hopefully to partake in one of the cooking courses and to try more of the local wines at the wineries just outside of Prince Albert.
African Relish: 023 5411 381
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