Staff prepare for a days classes.
Lisa and Philip Key and their friend, Jeremy Freemantle share a passion for food. Their dream was to open a cookery school, and all the elements came together in Prince Albert, in the Klein Karoo, where they opened African Relish, which they describe as a “Recreational Cookery School”.
Located on the main street in Prince Albert, Church Street, the setting is a beautiful old historic building, surrounded by plants, herbs and flowers. The kitchen and demonstration area is down the back and is a modern, open and airy place, flooded with natural light. It has a creative and relaxing air.
Executive Chef, Vanie Padayachee, has been hired to head up the the team at African Relish. She’s a warm, energy filled young Durbanite who was named one of South Africa’s Top 10 Young Chefs by South African Tourism in 2009. She always felt that she wanted to teach, so she left her job running a big operation in Plettenberg Bay and moved to Prince Albert. She says,”I love cooking, teaching, ingredients and students”.
Executive Chef, Vanie Padayachee - "I always wanted to teach"
Everything used in the school is local, fresh and seasonal. The description for the food at African Relish is “Karoo cuisine and traditional cooking methods”. Karoo Lamb Shanks with Creamy Samp features, as does Stuffed Belly of Pork with Peanut Butter Marinade. How about Kudu Pie with Cold Water Pastry? or Sklpadjies? (lambs liver in caul fat).
Jeremy Freemantle is clear about what attracted him to Prince Albert in the first place,”It was the tranquillity, sense of community and natural beauty”. He could add to that the crystal clean air, absence of noise pollution and the clarity of the light. Prince Albert is fast developing the reputation for being a food lovers paradise. For me, African Relish is the icing on the cake.
Boiling it all down, it’s about teaching people how to cook, in the Karoo style, and have fun while doing it.
I witnessed a large group of happy cyclists on a course. Everyone seemed to be on happy pills. The result of cooking a lamb stew in a potjiekos?
“I think people are delighted to rediscover the sense of heritage that we have in our South African recipes and cuisine”, says Jeremy. “People are always happy to go back to their roots”. A student I met was bubbling with contentment. “My father was a steam engine driver. We grew up poor, but we ate well, and this brings me back to my childhood”.
2 students producing the goods.
From the 23rd to the 25th, Johannesburg’s legendary Ciro Molinaro will demonstrate how to add an Italian twist to Karoo cooking. Belissima.
I am going to go back to Prince Albert to do a course with African Relish. Their earthy approach and reverence for freshness, seasonality and local ingredients impressed me. There’s an honesty about what they do there, and a sense of shared passion that is infectious.
African Relish, Recreational Cooking School, 34 Church Street, Prince Albert.
Tel 023 541 1381. Cell 082 319 7031.
Enquiries; jeremy@africanrelish.com
Potjiekos
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Hi Clare
It does seem as if African Relish has a truly infectious passion, and you are so right, it is all about the food, the people involved, the culinary hall with its welcoming space, and of course the fresh ingredients. And yes, Prince Albert and the surrounds are the ‘icing on the cake’. Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this post. We look forward to cooking with you soon.
warm regards
Lisa Key.
Lovely post on Prince Albert. It really is my favourite place to go at the moment and that’s thanks to Jeremy and Varney and Virna at African Relish who opened my eyes to everything the town has to offer. It’s a gem – like your blog
There’s so much to do, see and taste. There’s such an amazing amount of foodie stuff going on there, and African Relish is the perfect hub for it all to settle around.
Russel