It’s now in my thirties (the new twenties!) that I have absolutely found my calling in life. After years of scaling the corporate ladder, dashing to meetings and answering a million calls a day, it is now on my new journey with Taste Safari that I have finally found complete personal self satisfaction and such exhilaration in a day’s work. This particular article really embodies the Taste Safari philosophy and I couldn’t have had a better time cooking up a special treat for all of you..

Those of you who follow my writing (and how much do I love you all for it!) will already know that I am deeply patriotic about our God given Land in the Sun. My heart belongs to our sweeping soft sand beaches, our undulating forests and mountains that rise in a snowy reach to kiss the skies. The idea has always been to showcase Kenya at its best, and having just celebrated our 50th Anniversary of Independence in December 2013, I haven’t been more excited about what hidden gems my country has to unveil. Travel and adventure is an essential life giving force for me, so as my new self allocated role as a ‘Culinary Explorer,’ trust me, I am on one heck of a ride.

Now why go far? Kenyans, in particular, and the world beyond, just need to just look in their back yard, or in my case, on my doorstep, and the extraordinary beauty of this country beckons. Which country can boast of a National park in the middle of their capital city? Heard of a game drive to see lions in a natural reserve before you catch your evening flight? Fancy a quick sundowner with friends in the middle of wild? If you live in Nairobi, this is not impossible. The Nairobi National Park is quite a feature for any major city to be proud of and in recent years there has been a growing spate of exclusive accommodation that allows you to enjoy the best of our wildlife and the spectacular scenic backdrop of the blue Ngong hills that ribbon softly in the horizon. True to the spirit of Taste safari, I set off on a location scout for my next photoshoot in the park and with Lady Luck beneath my wings, I stumbled across a yet to be revealed secret haven. My friends, I had found paradise, right here on my doorstep. I’m happy to camp on a beach but no one is going to refuse luxury, so here I arrived at this lovely property, hidden in an accacia grove and just across the Mbagathi River, the ultra gorgeous Ololo House.

The moment I saw the property, I was hooked and I knew this was the perfect spot to shoot my New Years brunch feature. This was going to be a great day and not only because I was at home, in the middle of the bush doing what I love best, but perhaps my lucky charms were at work today, as we rounded the dusty bend, winding our way down to the river line and suddenly come upon a small family of rhinos grazing peacefully in the veld. This quiet little scene took my breath away and the loud raucous laughter in the car stopped for a moment to take in these beautiful giant creatures. I patted my lucky Croc’s head, solid ol’ Swampy, and we reluctantly continued the drive on and as I looked back in the rear view mirror, I just hoped these rhinos would remain safe in this sanctuary. It was a typical bright, breezy morning and the sunlight dappled like liquid gold across the river. As we crossed the suspended rope bridge swaying over the river towards the house, inquisitive baboons swung and climbed around the creeping wild vegetation to get a closer look at this motley crew. As happy faces and strong handshakes greeted us on the other side, the impeccable hospitality of Ololo Lodge and it’s staff was only just beginning. I looked below at the cool water of the river, shimmering and sparkling tiny diamond like, Cartier caviar. With the Ngong Hills setting a magnificent backdrop to this luxury location, I knew this is how I wanted to spend my days and how I wished in that moment that this all remains to be seen by my children in their time.

Ololo Lodge is a hidden treasure, officially opening in March next year. The property has a quaint South African feel to it, with exquisite tasteful decor carefully orchestrated in the Bush, from the on trend striped deck chairs dotted discreetly amongst handcrafted collectors Art to the solid teak furniture giving an updated modern colonial feel. Wall installations are quirky and bring a sense of fun to the restaurant area that overlooks a natural formation pool. It looks so inviting, a dive into the cool waters, parching the body’s heat. There are lovely large, tented bandas, positioned for maximum privacy and with views across the gorge and the National park. It’s quite surreal, the peace here, considering one of Africa’s major cities is only a few miles away . The accommodation is designed cleverly for various occupiers, from a honeymooning couple in a luxury suite, to tented bandas and the very well thought out 7 bedroom ‘Ranch Stables’ for large groups and families.

As I walked around the property, plucking fresh herbs and cracking hot chillies from their vegetable patch, I knew this philosophy of organic and sustainable sources worked in sync with Taste Safari’s own view of home grown produce and I couldn’t wait to start cooking. So when I was asked to feature an article for the December – January issue, brunch was the first thing that came to mind. That also, a very special New Years Brunch.

I could have easily written a whole book on Breakfast and Brunch, it is such a pleasure to cook! I love the idea of serving courses of savory and sweet creations at breakfast. Creamy Baked Paprika Eggs and Plum Tomato with sautéed Spinach and wild Garlic, Coconut And Cinnamon Sugar syrup toast, grand exotic fruit platters drizzled with lashings of lime and pepper syrup and fresh crisp moorish homemade Caramelised granolas are what you’ll find in the Brunch and Breakfast Chapter in my upcoming book. Brunches are wonderful menus to create as you can slip in the freshness of herbs and bright salad leaves teamed up with tea smoked salmons and jugs overflowing with my Sunday special Bloody Mary’s served over Icy Cucumber Granita. This is my favourite time to entertain and I take extra pleasure in the setting as my grand oak table in the garden is adorned with bright hand painted flowered tablecloths and bright turquoise ceramicware. The vases are full of freshly picked gladiolas and the sun is streaming through the sprawling giant fig trees…this is homely bliss and breakfast just makes it more than perfect.

So what makes a New Years brunch so different? Frankly, it’s a great hangover cure from the night before. A lashing of the hair of the dog and some really wholesome, warming food. On my brunch menu, I featured my all time favourite Turkish Spiced pepper eggs, Herbed Bean, Corn and Lentil hash with wild garlic stems, Cheesy Stuffed Sunflower loaf with an olive tapenade, Heaped Baby Pancakes drenched with Butterscotch sauce, Tea smoked salmon platters with a Cucumber Relish, Pan Roasted Asparagus Stems with garlic mushrooms and of course an endless flow of chilled Prosecco. All of these recipes are available in the recipes section, so be sure to check out this part of the website for all the details you’ll need to create a successful brunch.

Tell your friends...

Facebook

0

Twitter

Google

Pinterest

0

Email