Edition 45: Winter 2008/9

The key to some safari guests’ hearts may just be through their stomachs. Albee Yeend of Steppes Travel, one of The Good Safari Guide’s judges, tells us what separates the best bush and beach cuisine from the rest.

When I used to run safari lodges in remote areas of Botswana and Zambia part of my job was planning menus and teaching chefs new recipes. So I know what a challenge producing delicious, fresh and beautifully presented meals in the middle of the wild can be.

Although the food in most of Africa’s safari and beach lodges is of an exceptionally high quality, one of the things that helps separate the best from the rest is the use of local ingredients. The ability to cater for dietary requirements is also crucial when catering for different nationalities. Little touches – snacks in the room, freshly squeezed juices, a range of available teas and espresso machines – all help to keep a wide range of clients happy. The location and ambience of the dining experiences also helps, along with the choice of sitting with fellow guests or not.

Giving guests a choice of what to eat, or the chance to discuss the menus with the chef is another key – I’m not a fan of the one-meal-fits-all philosophy. When judging the Best Safari Property Cuisine for the Good Safari Guide, we believed that African-influenced menus are highly preferable to a choice of traditional Western fare such as lasagne or hamburgers (items I was recently offered at one beach). The other extreme, also to be avoided, is being served mealie meal with mopane worms!

As clients are becoming more diet-conscious, healthier meals are an important factor. When on safari it’s often difficult to do much exercise and one can end up behaving like a rhino and ‘bulk eating’, so large servings or fatty food can be off-putting. Though it is important that lodges offer some naughty deserts – it is the guests’ holiday after all!

Singita, which won the best cuisine category for 2008, had the most delicious and comprehensive menu. The food is truly gourmet, from warm muffins and freshly-brewed coffee at sunrise, to fresh light lunches, with sumptuous puddings like fudge ice cream with chocolate sauce, followed by a fabulous feast in the evenings.

The runner-up, Mozambique’s Londo Lodge, was also a complete taste sensation. I’ve been lucky enough to travel around Mozambique, where there is no shortage of delicious seafood, but this lodge took the natural flavours to another level. Londo’s owner, Evelijn Léon, who is also the chef, takes full advantage of the local produce to create her imaginative menus – freshly caught yellowfin tuna made into delicious sashimi, is one dish that springs to mind.