Risotto
"Rice cooked with broth and sprinkled with cheese'

Risotto (rice cooked with broth and sprinkled with cheese) has become one of my favourite home-cooked meals. It's always a winner - just follow the simple rules.

I get a thrill watching a few grains of rice plump up and take another complete form. The process, from featureless to incredible, is exciting to witness as the metamorphosis takes place in a pot. My enthusiasm encourages me to persuade you to go out and buy a packet of rice; then watch it happen for yourself.

The most important rules:

• Always ensure your butter-and-oil amount coats every rice grain
• Your stock must be boiling and have an enticing flavour
• Continuously stir in stock, ladle-by-ladle
• Never finish off with cream

I recently represented Hartford House at the KwaZulu-Natal Bubbly Celebrations at Piggly Wiggly Farm Stall in Tweedie where some 20 bubbly makers showcased their products and four restaurants cooked up a few taste combinations.

Our menu comprised a delicious creamy, garden-fresh pea risotto with a portion of smoked salmon, a light drizzle of a lemon-infused olive oil and freshly-ground black pepper.

For home-cooked warmth that has elegant grandeur try rich, roasted-butternut-puree-flavoured risotto, hand-crumbled gorgonzola and hot-roasted pine kernels.

Little beats a winter treat of basic risotto finished off with left-over, shredded oxtail, lamb shank or even curry. This makes a hearty meal. Add red wine and a blazing fire!

For something unusual try a corn-and-coconut-milk combination topped with Parma ham or crispy bacon. Add a few pieces of sushi ginger to enhance the freshness.

Chunky mushroom risotto can be served to complement main courses, such as crispy sage-seared chicken breast; oven-roasted fillet; or have it just on its own for a vegetarian delight.

I know my pots will be filled with risotto this winter. Made once there is no turning back... enjoy the cold months.

Take these recipes and try them.

GARDEN PEA RISOTTO WITH SMOKED SALMON
BUTTERNUT RISOTTO WITH CRUMBED GORGONZOLA
OXTAIL RISOTTO
CORN AND COCONUT RISOTTO
BROWN MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Send comments and food-related questions to jackie@hartford.co.za. I always look forward to hearing from you. For the latest on local foodie news add me as a friend on FACEBOOK. Find me on Twitter - jackie_cameron.

Jackie Cameron
Head Chef
Hartford House
www.hartford.co.za
jackie@hartford.co.za
+27 33 263 2713

"A VISIT TO HARTFORD HOUSE"
By Michael Green

Not the way you would want to dine every day, but as an occasional treat, oh yes! (Review by Michael Green - former Independent Newspapers Editor)

About half a century ago, when I was a young journalist in London, I lived for a time at Miss Moor's Private Hotel in Craven Hill, Bayswater. I wasn't there for long; it was fairly expensive and I soon moved to more modest quarters.

Miss Moor was rather a grand lady. She sent for me on my first day at her hotel, checked on my appearance and manners, and offered me a sherry as an introduction to London. I later discovered that she was a daughter of the last prime minister of Natal, Sir Frederick Moor (1853-1927), who held office before the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910.

Sometimes a wheel turns full circle, albeit very slowly. Recently I visited for the first time Hartford House, the celebrated boutique hotel and restaurant near Mooi River, 160 kilometres from Durban. It was once the country home of Sir Frederick Moor (and, presumably, of Miss Moore of the private hotel, one of his seven children).

This gem of the Natal Midlands was built on land granted by Queen Victoria to Frederick Moor's family in the late 19th century. Today it is part of a large estate embracing Summerhill, the racing stud where many of South Africa's champion racehorses have been born.

Hartford House itself has been splendidly preserved and modernised where necessary. It is a stately story late Victorian building with heavy sash windows, big rooms, high ceilings, brass fittings, teak and mahogany cupboards.

In terms of accommodation Hartford has 15 suites, but most of these are in additional more recent buildings standing amid the garden's immaculate lawns. My wife and I spent the night in the main building, in the Ellis suite, named after a famous racing family who owned the property from 1939 to 1990, when they sold it to the present owners, Mick and Cheryl Goss.

The furnishings were intriguing. The suite had a very big bathroom with an old-fashioned bath standing on its four feet more or less in the middle. In a corner, however, was a modern shower. The brass taps at the two hand-basins looked as if they had been installed by Sir Frederick himself, but there was plenty of hot water. In the bedroom was a fireplace and the widest double bed I have ever seen, one that would fit those old hill-billy stories: "When pa says turn, we all turn".

Victorian space and elegance, but with electric wall heating panels and a television set and a refrigerator and a well-stocked bar.

It is, however, largely the restaurant that attracts visitors from all over the country, especially at weekends, when Hartford's 30 beds are all taken. Meals are served in the house's capacious old dining room or on its wide verandah.

We dined in the dining room and it was a two-hour, five-course event. Hartford's chef is Jackie Cameron, a very good-looking, trim blonde who is still in her twenties. She was a student of Christina Martin, who died recently, and she has been at Hartford for nine years, in which time she has earned great praise from critics who know much more about food than I do. She appeared at the start of the dinner to explain what we were having, and she later returned to chat to the customers.

It is a set five-course menu for dinner, and this is what we had: roasted tomato soup with coconut sorbet; duo of trout with avocado, deep-fried seaweed, caviar, lavender flowers and frozen apple; shiitake crusted beef fillet with caramelised red onions, pommes amandines and exotic mushrooms: Midlands cheeses; tart marshmallows. Pommes amandines are potato croquettes with an almond flavouring.

It sounds a vast meal, but helpings are nouvelle cuisine; you have room for all of them in the end. It is all delicious, and quite adventurous for a conservative diner like myself. I mean, when did you last eat seaweed, or have coconut with your tomato soup? If you tell them about special dietary requirements they adjust to the situation.

Needless to say, all this is not cheap; Hartford House is not economy class. The dinner costs R370 a head. Breakfast the next day is wonderfully varied and elaborate but this is included in the hotel's B&B rate, which ranges from R550 to R2,030 per person per day.

The dinner wine list is appropriately upmarket, with imposing items at imposing prices. Wines by the glass are R40 to R65 for reds and R30 to R55 for whites. Here are some of the prices for white wine by the bottle: sauvignon blanc R160 to R320 (the latter being Shannon 2007, from Elgin); chardonnay R160 to R390 (Springfield Methode Ancienne, from Robertson).

And for reds by the bottle: cabernet sauvignon R210 to R550 (Kanonkop 2008, from Stellenbosch); shiraz R180 to R290 (Hartenberg, from Stellenbosch); merlot (R190) to R430 (Veenwouden 2007, from Paarl). I ordered a bottle of De Grendel shiraz for R180 and we were very happy with it.

Almost all the wines on the Hartford list are rated four or five stars in the Platter wine guide. Four stars means "excellent", five stars "superlative, a classic". The wine glasses were beautiful, long-stemmed, wafer-thin, and the service was first-rate.

There is plenty to do at Hartford apart from eating and drinking. By arrangement you can visit the Summerhill Stud, which includes the stallions of the Rulers of Dubai. You can ride horses yourself (but not the stallions). The estate has splendid gardens, a swimming pool, tennis courts, conference facilities and a chapel. Other attractions within reasonable distance include fishing; a game conservancy; a "wellness centre" offering body treatments, facials and a sauna; tours of Drakensberg sites such as Giant's Castle and Kamberg; hot air ballooning; helicopter flights; Zulu dancing. Many of these activities are of course by arrangement.

I would guess, however, that the biggest attraction is that elegant old dining room and its superb haut cuisine. Not the way you would want to dine every day, but as an occasional treat, oh yes!

Read more about Hartford House, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa...

"At Hartford, the kitchen team has already
created their own history."

The spirit of cuisine doesn't emerge out of nowhere. It is formed and defined with time and especially by the people who pass through its kitchen. At Hartford House, it is the life's work so far of a Pietermaritzburg girl, Jackie Cameron, who is at the foundation of its legacy. She has taken the spirit of Hartford's cuisine, combined it with her approach to life, personalised it and created a character of its own. What makes up that spirit? Ethics, passion, creativity, freedom, and the willingness to take risks.

At Hartford, the kitchen team has already created their own history. They've placed the environs of Mooi River and the broader church of Zululand on the international map of gastronomy. Today they are at the apex of the local culinary world. "Foodies" often talk about the best chef in the world, when in reality, cuisine, unlike other activities, cannot be measured, quantified or calculated. There is no such thing as the best chef. But there's something of greater importance: the chef, and the team, which is the most influential, the one which establishes a new dynamic for the future. The Hartford kitchen already occupies one of these summits. They're already influencing chefs around the country, not just with their cooking, but with their philosophy. That is why Hartford's influence will endure.

For more information please visit :
www.hartford.co.za

Read more about Jackie Cameron and the Hartford House Restaurant...

"Col'Cacchio Pizzeria invites pizza lovers to join the
2012 Celebrity Chef Series"

The highly anticipated Col'Cacchio Pizzeria Celebrity Chef Series is back and will be running from May until the end of August 2012. Three exciting chefs have been invited to take part in this fourth annual gourmet charity challenge: Jackie Cameron (Hartford House KwaZulu-Natal) takes the stage in May, Coco Reinarhz (Sel et Poivre Gauteng) in June and Chris Erasmus (Pierneef à la Motte Franschhoek) in July.

The culinary twist for August is that all Col'Cacchio Pizzeria fans are invited to test their pizza-making skills and take part in the Celebrity Chef Series. Entrants can post their winning combinations on www.colcacchio.co.za and once the top 5 finalists have been selected, the three celebrity chefs will choose which gourmet masterpiece wins the Pizza Challenge and becomes a feature on the menu for the month of August.

In 2011 Col'Cacchio Pizzeria raised R227,000 for the Wildlands Conservation Trust from the donations and sale of 9071 Celebrity Chef Pizzas over the campaign. This year they will be donating R5 from every Celebrity Chef Pizza sold to the Children's Hospital Trust, fundraiser for the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and Paediatric Healthcare in the Western Cape. All funds raised will be used to upgrade the hospital's Medical Wards B1 and B2 which treat some of the hospital's youngest patients who suffer from chronic illnesses. Currently around 25% of these patients are HIV positive and 15% are infected with tuberculosis.

Col'Cacchio Pizzeria Director, Kinga Baranowska, commented: "We are delighted to again be supporting the Children's Hospital Trust. We hope to even better the impressive amount raised last year to benefit the staff and very young patients in the wards that are being upgraded. We are also extremely excited about the exciting culinary creations our talented chef line-up has put together, and about how many new pizza connoisseurs this year's campaign is sure to unearth!"

KZN Midlands born and raised Jackie Cameron has filled the position of head chef at Hartford House, the five-star boutique hotel in Mooi River, since 2002. She was voted by SA Tourism as one of the Top 10 Young South African Chefs and under her guidance, the Hartford House restaurant has won numerous dining awards. Her pizza creation for May is the Carpe Funghi - Mozzarella, caramelised onion, oven roasted mushrooms, roasted garlic and Italian Parmesan, topped with thinly sliced Beef Carpaccio, Truffle Mayonnaise and fresh dill. A vegetarian version is also available.

June sees Coco Reinarhz's Bujumbura Pizza in the spotlight. Mozzarella, oven roasted brinjals, fragrant North African flavoured Chicken Tagine, green olives and preserved lemons is topped with fresh coriander and drizzled with coriander-infused yoghurt. Burundian Chef Reinarhz is the Chef Patron of Sel et Poivre in Sandton, Gauteng. His unique and innovative Afro-Fusion culinary style combines classic French Cuisine with the most opulent of African flavours. He recently co-authored the internationally acclaimed book, The Banqueting House, African Cuisine an Epic Journey.

Chris Erasmus is the Head Chef of Pierneef à la Motte Restaurant in Franschhoek. His great passion for home-cooked, farm-style food, combined with his global culinary experiences, have led him to working in renowned restaurants like The Tasting Room and Le Quartier Français, and to play a major role in the recently released book, Cape Winelands Cuisine. At Pierneef Erasmus' Karoo-gourmet style also reflects the influence of its Cape Winelands' destination. In July Col'Cacchio Pizzeria diners can enjoy Erasmus' Liplekker Ribbetjie - a Bechamel base infused with roasted garlic and rosemary and topped with Mozzarella, smoked and braised Lamb Soutribbetjie, caramelised onion, pears poached in Port, fresh rocket and a sprinkling of rosemary salt.

Go to www.colcacchio.co.za to submit your own gourmet pizza recipe and enter the Pizza Challenge! See your very own creation on our menu in August and enjoy heavenly Col'Cacchio pizza slices for a year!

Read more about the Col'Cacchio Pizzeria Celebrity Chef Series...

Christina Martin
Maitre Chef de Cuisine and Commandeur
Associé de la Commanderie des Cordons Bleus de France

I was deeply saddened to hear that Christina Martin had passed away.

I will always remember sitting in Christina's office at the age of 16 - a whole year before I needed to be there. This was my interview to be accepted into the Christina Martin School of Food and Wine. For me, getting into this course was not an option. My heart and mind were set. I have to admit I felt intimidated but, at the same time, I was in awe of Christina's absolute dedication to the industry. From that day I grew to understand and appreciate her constant insistence for perfection.

After serving a few years at Hartford House I bumped into Christina at the Good Food and Wine Show in Durban. She greeted me by name and said how proud she was of me. This was a definite 'feel-great' moment.

I thank Christina for teaching me the French-classical basics which are the cornerstone of my food today. Her energy, determination and dedication to training me will always be remembered.

She is sorely missed. My food journey started when I was brought into this world - well almost! However, my training and my first encounter with French-classical basics came from the Christina Martin School of Food and Wine. With Christina's recent passing I thought it appropriate for me to give you a few of her recipes that were ingrained in me. Combinations I will always remember and flavours that transport me to those training days. Such happy memories!

That first intimidating interview resulted in my being accepted - and the opportunity to savour the most delicious, crisp-and-chunky whole-almond biscotti. Christina had a large glass jar filled with them. It was love at first taste! I remember thinking 'this is what I call an office'.

As students we were exposed to many different cooking styles, and functions ranging from top-quality private home dinner parties and gourmet restaurant food; to deli combinations, in-store launches and cocktail parties - all very stimulating. We would make whatever the menu dictated, fill the clients serving dishes and they would return home for their dinner party for which, they led their guest to believe, they had spent the whole day preparing. One specific dish I remember often preparing for this type of occasion was Cape Malay pickled fish. Guests always went crazy for it.

A preferred choice of mine was coronation chicken with toasted almonds. I had never eaten this before my training days and always jumped at the opportunity to make it. Poaching and stuffing apricots into chicken breast, wrapping in plastic and poaching was a method I enjoyed. This is probably the reason I use the sous vide (cooking under vacuum in a water bath) process today. The creaminess of the sauce, the fresh fruity flavour with the crisp freshly-roasted almonds makes a delicious light-lunch option. Serve with a freshly-picked herb salad.

A dill-and-tuna ring always seemed to be on examination papers - and yes, I got tested on this for my starter in the mid-year practical exam. Still today, the aroma of dill reminds me of this dish. I recall being extremely proud of my creation. Now when looking back I cringe at the simplicity - or was it naivety - of my effort. I guess we all have to start somewhere...

I remember trying a potato croquette (mashed and thickened potatoes, piped or shaped, covered in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and deep fried). This was a dish I had never attempted but chose it for my exam. Madness! I opened one of my French recipe books the night before the test and decided it would be the starch component of the meal I was to prepare. Let me just say the end result didn't look anything like the recipe-book photo! I learnt a huge life lesson that day. Never experiment on guests. Always test and reassess before including a dish on a menu.

Rich, hearty pies with homemade quick puff pastry always excite me. This recipe is so easy. There is no reason to ever buy a commercial, ready-to-make roll. The rich, buttery aromas and flavours of homemade puff, from the minute the heat of the oven hits the pastry, are incomparable.

Christina's bread-and-butter pudding, with her chocolate variation, was always a hit on the Saturday lunch buffet. This is a true classic that will be appreciated, forever.

The stories from that year outshine any other year. Christina was hard but she definitely got what she wanted out of us. She understood what the industry was looking for and she pushed us until we 'preformed to impress'. Everything we cooked went to a paying guest so consistency and quality were imperative - there was no room for imperfections. If we got something wrong we would work all night until the required quality was achieved. From day one we were in an atmosphere that represented a working environment so we all knew, early in the course, whether we would have the tenacity needed in this industry.

Enjoy cooking up a few of my favourite dishes.

BISCOTTI
CAPE MALAY PICKLED FISH
CORONATION CHICKEN WITH TOASTED HAZELNUTS
DILL-AND-TUNA RING
QUICK PUFF PASTRY
CHOCOLATE BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Send comments and food-related questions to jackie@hartford.co.za. I always look forward to hearing from you. For the latest on local foodie news add me as a friend on FACEBOOK. Find me on Twitter - jackie_cameron.

Jackie Cameron
Head Chef
Hartford House
www.hartford.co.za
jackie@hartford.co.za
+27 33 263 2713

Piggly Wiggly Country Village
Midlands

Bookings :

www.webtickets.co.za

Read more about the KZN Bubbly Celebration at Piggly Wiggly...

Umthombo

For more information please visit :

food4thoughtkzn.co.za

Read more about Umthombo, Andrew Draper and Jackie Cameron...

Vrouekeur
13 April 2012

Vir meer inligting besoek :

www.vrouekeur.co.za

Lees meer...

Eat In 2012

For more information please visit :

www.eat-in.co.za

Read more about the Eat In DStv Food Network Produce Awards...

Eat In DStv Food Network Produce Awards
2012 

Three cheers for KwaZulu-Natal for its four awards at the 2012 Eat In DStv Food Network Produce Awards announced in Stellenbosch at the end of March.

The awards acknowledge and celebrate outstanding, independent South African producers, food markets and outlets for their innovation, passion, integrity and care for the environment.

With 15 categories, from Best New Product to Best Market, nominees were judged by Anelde Greeff, Anna Trapido, Abigail Donnelly, Pete Goffe-Wood, Deon van Wyk and Hartford's own executive chef, Jackie Cameron. They were judged on a set of criteria per category but overall aspects such as taste, appearance, aroma, innovation and care for the environment were taken into account.

Eat In editor Greeff said : "This year we were amazed once again at the talent that South Africa's small producers have to offer. The judges were inundated with excellent produce and beautiful behind-the-scenes stories from across the country but it was the passion, innovation and exceptional taste of the 18 winners that really stood out."

Taking the prize for Best Food Market in KZN for the third time was The Food Market at the Hellenic Club in Durban North.

The brainchild of food gurus and Eat Greek Catering owners Nick Papadopoulos and Eric Edwards, the market was established to promote the many producers of food and drink in KZN. It takes place on the last Saturday of every month.

In the farm stall category, Piggly Wiggly Country Village was KZN's winner. The humble stall situated on the Highgate Wine Estate in Lion's River has developed into a premier eat-shop-play destination.

Winning in the organic / free range category was Croft Farm Chickens, a small farm in the lush Dargle Valley. The chickens are grain fed, free of growth promoters and reared in a low-density, free range environment.You can find their products at Piggly Wiggly, Greenfields Deli (Nottingham Road) and the Karkloof Farmers Market every Saturday morning.

The winner in the small produce / paddock category was Dargle Duck.

Read more about the 2012 Eat In DStv Food Network Produce Awards...

"The rest of the country is becoming aware of the
excellent produce available here in KwaZulu-Natal."

Albeit slowly, the rest of the country is becoming aware of the excellent produce available here in KwaZulu-Natal.

Earlier this year I was in Cape Town as a judge for the EAT IN Awards. The panel included Anelde Greeff (EAT IN editor), Pete Goffe-Wood (Master Chef SA judge), Abigail Donnelly (EAT OUT editor), Anna Trapido, (editor of Food to Freedom, featuring Nelson Mandela), Deon van Wyk (head buyer for Melissa's) and myself. Two days of intense tasting lead us to experience the extremely interesting quality of ingredients in and around South Africa. I was pleased to note the local KwaZulu-Natal suppliers who had entered. Here's to next year and to putting even more KZN products on the map.

Back to 'local is lekker' and the suppliers I am currently using. Pork pies, sausages, sliced gammon and well-smoked, streaky bacon from Caz, of Dargle Valley Pork, are top class. They help make breakfast memorable. Pork mince balls with chunky barbeque/pineapple sauce is an unusual dish and worth a try.

From Dargle Valley Ducks I order Serene and Dean's whole birds and they also sell the thighs separately, which is good to know should you want to make confit. I recently tried their sausages and duck liver pate and was very favourably impressed. We make our own at Hartford House but I recommend this pate for home use. Serve with crispy, thin Melba toast and sweetened strawberry-and-rosemary relish.

Nothing can compare when it comes to goat's cheese from Fran's Swissland Cheese. If you live in KZN I suggest you visit her farm on the Midlands Meander. Her St Maure, slightly warmed on a bruschetta with home-marinated beetroot, is a delicious snack.

Chrissie's farmhouse cheddar is on my list of favourites. I always include a serving of this with Christmas cake. All her cheeses tickle the taste buds - and look out for her Stilton; it's full of character.

La Petite France camembert, made in the classical French tradition, oozes creaminess. Try it on a water biscuit with their rose syrup, which includes delicate pink petals, or with their fig preserve.

Croft Farm Chickens are free-range, happy hens. I use Candy and Chris' delicious, plump livers and their whole chickens and can also recommend their pies, rolls, spatchcocks and stuffed roasts too. What is a tasty roast chicken without a super crispy roast potato? Try the accompanying recipe. It promises to please.

Sue's trout from Wayfarer Trout can only be explained to the initiated - once bitten you won't go anywhere else. Hers are pin-boned and tastefully presented - seared with lemon is my choice, alternatively you could use the smoked trout in a spread.

I would like to see more rabbit dishes on our country-restaurant menus. It is often our best seller on a Sunday at Hartford House. Try Ziggy's New-Zealand rabbits and make a superb hot terrine or casserole.

Speak to Greg from Greg's Farm Stall for anything a little unusual with regards to vegetables. Think micro herbs, coloured carrots, Jerusalem artichokes and fresh horseradish.

I look forward to judging the EAT IN competition next year and to welcoming many more KZN entries - olives, pickles, preserves; in fact all things edible. Remember to send your whole range because that gives a better overview. Should you produce something special or know of someone making or producing something unique, please let me know. The better informed I am the better I can inform the rest of the country.

Take these recipes and try them.

PORK MINCE BALLS
STRAWBERRY AND ROSEMARY RELISH
MARINATED BEETROOT
CRISPY ROAST POTATOES
SMOKED TROUT SPREAD
RABBIT CASSEROLE

Send comments and food-related questions to jackie@hartford.co.za. I always look forward to hearing from you. For the latest on local foodie news add me as a friend on FACEBOOK. Find me on Twitter - jackie_cameron.

Jackie Cameron
Head Chef
Hartford House
www.hartford.co.za
jackie@hartford.co.za
+27 33 263 2713

Assisted by Elaine Boshoff for recipe development and photography

Extract from About Time - 1time Airlines
by Nicky Furniss

Step aside, Franschhoek and Cape Town, the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands may be on its way to becoming South Africa's next great foodie destination. This is thanks to the exceptional culinary skills of the number of world class chefs who have decided to call this part of the world home. Add to that some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, and a trip to the Midlands is guaranteed to be simply delicious.

There is something comforting about waking up to the sound of whinnying horses and the smell of freshly mown grass. Perhaps because it conjures up childhood memories of days spent playing outside, and the excitement of farm visits.

But Summerhill Estate is anything but a normal farm. In fact, it is one of the country's leading stud farms, and the horses here are world class thoroughbreds more accustomed to the speed of the race track than the amble of a farm road walk. So renowned is Summerhill that the ruling family of Dubai have chosen to stable their priceless race horses here.

This certainly adds an aura of mystique to a stay at Hartford House, mixed with the kind of warm, unpretentious hospitality that the Midlands has become known for. Hartford House itself has played host to friends and acquaintances since it was first built as a family home in 1875. Nowadays guests are still welcomed as part of the family, although the accommodation options have expanded somewhat over the intervening decades.

Visitors now have a choice of colonial style rooms that take their cue from the architecture of the manor house itself, or for something completely different, they can elect to stay in one of the four Ezulweni ("in the heavens") rooms. These were built by local artisans using materials harvested from the estate or acquired nearby. Each has its own distinct flavour, but what is common to all four is their superb workmanship, as well as the breathtaking view of the adjacent trout lake and the rolling paddocks beyond it.

Visitors who can bear to leave the comfort of their rooms have much to keep them busy, from history and stud farm tours to walks and wellness treatments. But without a doubt, one of the main activities at Hartford - and one which deserves a fair amount of time and attention - is simply savouring its superb culinary offerings.

Executive Chef Jackie Cameron has spent the past nine years honing her craft and Hartford's culinary reputation to such an extent that the restaurant here has gone from a virtual unknown to being listed as one of the top ten restaurants in KwaZulu-Natal, and then to being a regular finalist in national restaurant awards. Sitting down to one of Jackie's cleverly conceived and perfectly executed five course set dinners, it is not hard to see why.

During her time at Hartford, Jackie has travelled overseas no less than 16 times, mostly to experience the cooking of other world class chefs, and these international influences are evident in everything that her stellar team produce. A recent trip to Denmark influenced much of the meal we experienced and in particular, our caramelised onion soup was a complete sensory experience - particularly as we had the pleasure of pouring our own portions, so that as well as the textures and flavours of the dish, we could also fully enjoy its amazing aromas.

Breakfast is a slightly more relaxed affair, but no less tantalising, and it serves as a wonderful showcase of some of the best of what the Midlands has to offer, from delicious local cheeses to locally caught trout, and homemade jams and preserves.

Under Jackie's expert eye, Hartford House has become one of the country's top food destinations. But unlike many of its contemporaries, it comes complete with so much more - a wonderful setting, unique accommodation options, a friendly welcome and that ever present sound of the clip-clopping hooves of magnificent horses.

Read more about Jackie Cameron and Hartford House Restaurant...

...AND NOW THE CHAIRMAN.

We couldn't resist the alliteration. "Chairman" was not the post occupied by Dr. Louis Luyt at the time of South Africa's first Rugby World Cup victory in 1995; it was "President", but the fact is, all three have had Hartford House on their list of "must do's" during their lifetimes. In the wake of that epic victory over the All Blacks at Ellis Park, coach Kitch Christie used this haven as his "get-out clause," as he used to call it when he and wife Judy wanted an alternative to their game farm in Limpopo. "Captain Courageous", Francois Pienaar, the man who famously donated his No.6 jersey to Nelson Mandela for the trophy ceremony, and his smart lady, Nerine, have been regulars, and between the two Springboks, we raced a filly called Amabokoboko. At the time the Springboks were on a 17 win streak, and this filly taught them emphatically that there was another side to life which brings you back to earth with a bump: she ran five 2nds in a row!

And now, Dr. Luyt, founder of Triomf Fertilizers, Luyt Breweries and The Citizen newspaper (one of racing's best reads) made the pilgrimage earlier this week in the company of his wife Adri and Ricky Smit, who has championed the causes of the charities supported by the Nicholas Rey Foundation.

There's a reason why people come here. The charm of Hartford disarms you; you want to take your shoes off and slip into freewheel. The best description of the place came from a piece penned for Britain's Tattler magazine:

"Peering through one teakwood door at Hartford House, you face a Colonial world. Opening another, the distant sounds of an ancient people at work lilt across the silent landscape, a country of great space, spectacular mountains and big skies. This place commands a headland between the world of traditional cultures and the splendid style of our settler forebears."

"It is the resolution of all South African safaris. The journey's exclamation point, a retreat from the hubbub where you make sense of a fast life and its senseless details. This is where we learn to redress ourselves on a first name basis. There are too many luxury hotels in the world offering the same: a chocolate on the pillow, canned romance, and cuisine called "haut" because it's spelled in French. Hartford stands apart for its integrity, its architecture, views, dining, sounds, smells, its racehorses and its people are all exhilarating surprises, unique to this Zululand, this culture, to Africa. Yes, you come here to be pampered, but at Hartford luxury is the journey, not the destination."

"The truth is, Hartford just happened. A home, and a grand one at that, which grew into a hotel. The Zulus call it "Khululekha". Loosely translated, it means "a place which quietly but firmly kidnaps you." In so many ways, it's gained and regained inspiration from the cultures it celebrates. It is life's exception, a place at the same time comfortable beyond dreams, yet innocent of pretence."

These sporting celebrities are not the only ones who appreciate Hartford's treasures. Anyone who picks up the phone within a month of a chosen weekend will know its tough to find a reservation, and that's why the big names at East Coast Radio and Suncoast Casino have chosen Monday and Tuesday as their time to come out to the country. More on that next week, when these "celebs" turn up.

Read more about Dr. Louis Luyt...

"The signs of coronation are obvious."

Hartford's celebrity chef, Jackie Cameron, is a much travelled girl. In 2010 alone, she made five sorties to the outside world, and as rewarding as any, was a trip to Shanghai in the company of Zandile Mchunu, a home-grown prodigy of the Summerhill community, where they represented South Africa at an international cooking exhibition. The trip though, which really opened the young Maritzburg lady's eyes, was to Copenhagen in 2011, where Cameron enjoyed the counsel of the world's newest culinary sensation, Rene' Redzepi, whose Noma restaurant had been recently voted Number One in the world at that time.

Shortly before, she had ventured to Spain, where she and Cheryl Goss sampled the treasures of Ferran Adrià at El Bulli, before its closure in 2010, the unassailable leader among the top 50 restaurants of the world. Unsurprisingly, Redzepi is a disciple of Adriàs, though their styles are as individual as a zebra and a buffalo.

There've been influential chefs for as along as there've been restaurants, but the idea of a sole cook standing at the head of the culinary universe is a recent invention born of two not unconnected phenomena: the unprecedented influence of Senor Adrià whose culinary revolution freed many young chefs to follow their own visions, and the newfound power of the fifty best list, which dares to rank something so ineffable as dinner. When Adrià announced two years ago that he was closing El Bulli, and Noma succeeded to the top spot on the list, Redzepi found himself ascending to the role of literal Top Chef. The fact that this role had not existed prior to Adria, hardly mattered. The king is dead: long live the king.

The signs of coronation are obvious. It used to be that more than 2 million attempted bookings annually at El Bulli, while only 60,000 of these could be seated, and if you didn't apply a year in advance (and at the same time enjoy the credentials to make the invitation list) you had little chance of getting there. While he was with us at Hartford and Lynton Hall, one-time South African No.1 chef, Richard Carstens, attempted for years to crack the nod, but as far as we know, he remained in frustration, notwithstanding that he was the undisputed local king of his idol Adria's deconstruction processes. Noma is travelling in the same direction: their tables are fully booked three months in advance, and while this is not quite in the class of El Bulli yet, the signs are obvious. Copenhagen is not quite as central or convenient as the Cote d'Azur, but critics adore the restaurant, and it's only a matter of time before the faithful flock in that direction in similar numbers. "The explosion of flavours and textures that ensue were simultaneously so subtle and startling, that nothing in a lifetime of tasting prepared me for it," wrote a reviewer for the Financial Times.

Yet the man who runs the best restaurant in the world, cannot afford his own home. Where many leading chefs seek to build empires, Redzepi wants only to dig deeper into his immediate surroundings. This helps explain why he stands in his restaurant kitchen, not offering a sceptical patron some truffle-covered delicacy from France or a pricey bit of sea urchin from Japan, but a plate of scuttling Danish ants. "They're delicious", he says, "and they're Danish". Does that ring a bell for visitors to Hartford? How many of you have heard Jackie Cameron talk about foraging in the neighbourhood, and the fact that 99% of what she dishes up here, answers her credo "local is lekker?".

How often do you find young Cameron, even on her days off, following her nose through the neighbourhood on foraging trips, inspired by the senses and the tastes of the wild plants of the region, and the bounty of its remarkable soils.

Jackie Cameron's been at Hartford House for almost ten years now, and when she came here, we didn't really have a "local" cuisine. "We're protestants in this neighbourhood, so food was just about sustenance, not really about pleasure. You'd eat your meat and potatoes in silence, and go back to work". But now she's led a revolution in the district which has elevated food to the same level as fashion, and it's affected our whole identity. She and her team are telling a new story about what it means to be local. She set out to learn how to integrate these ingredients so that she was cooking a part of our culture. She wanted us to taste the soil.

Cameron's habit of constant innovation comes from her apprenticeships at these and other great restaurants, and she maintains a friendly relationship with her former mentors. There is a parallel here in Redzepi's case, where all the world loves an oedible story, and many in the food media have tried to cast his tale as the nature-loving, terroir-based son overthrowing the hydrocolloid-obsessed, mad-scientist father. Without taking the similarities any further, and without putting our girl in the same league yet, the one thing besides the obsession with food which they share in common, is the fact that they both have their feet squarely on the ground, and they have always put the product first, and the money second. In the end, the one takes care of the other.

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"Nancy is right up there with
Keith Kirsten, Tanya Visser and Margaret Roberts..."

When the much acclaimed botanical author, Nancy Gardiner, described Hartford House and its gardens as the "jewelled buckle of the Natal Midlands", she might have been talking about herself. You can't love nature and its wonderful bounty like she does, without being a generous-spirited human being, but Nancy is much more than that. To those of us who live in her neighbourhood, she is a treasure of her own kind, and we are lucky to be able to call her our friend. Recently in The Witness, Trish Beaver paid her respects about the legendary horticulturalist.

The day I meet Nancy Gardiner, it is misty in Hilton where she lives. Trowel in hand, she is just in from the garden where she had been weeding and trimming. Gardiner, at 90 is a household name in South Africa's gardening circles and has had a life-long love affair with the natural world.

She describes how this developed while growing up on a farm in Hillary, near Durban. Hillary was very rural in those days, and Gardiner recalls that her father used to love taking walks where she and her sisters would tag along. "I was an avid collector of all things. My bedroom was full of flowers and interesting things I found on our walks. I would show them to the teacher, and I was the queen of show and tell. Gardiner would draw and write notes about everything she found, and her curiosity about all growing things led her to study botany and zoology at the then University of Natal.

Gardiner took up writing some years later, when she was offered a chance to learn to write freelance articles by Durbanite Faye Goldie at the New Era School of Writing.

Her first story about plants was about the planting of flowers in the Durban city centre for Farmer's Weekly. From those early years, she graduated to writing magazine features, taking all her own photographs. Her husband Ian, encouraged her in this, as he used to take aerial reconnaissance pictures of enemy sites, while a fighter pilot in World War 2. Her love of nature took Nancy on an odyssey to many great gardens of the world, as well as the remoter parts of our own gardens.

Recently, she made the transition to digital photography, which she is finding a bit daunting. "I think it is all wonderful that you can discard pictures you don't like and it saves money, but this camera thinks too much".

More than a dozen books later, Gardiner is still considering doing more "After my husband died a few years ago, the books gave me reason to keep on going, but now I always think there is some aspect that needs to be written about."

"One has to keep busy and to be interested in life", she says. Her home is a treasure trove of antiques, which she finds at auctions. According to friends, she is a great bargain hunter, who enjoys the thrill of discovering a rare china plate at the second hand store.

On her passion for gardening, Gardiner has said that while her parents, who were both keen gardeners, planted the seed, this really took off when she moved to Pietermaritzburg. In an interview with Witness journalist Stephen Coan in 2005, she recalled: "I found all these beautiful nurseries and went down to Carters, where Trevor Schofield took me in hand and told me all about azaleas. And so I met lots of people and gardeners."

These days, she is held in high esteem by her green-fingered peers. "Nancy is right up there with Keith Kirsten, Tanya Visser and Margaret Roberts as far as knowledge and expertise are concerned" says Celma Croudace, of the KZN-inland branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa.

Still feisty and forever discovering new things, Gardiner feels strongly that gardening is about much more than just digging and planting. "A garden gives you a certain peace. Just walking out into a garden, or sitting in a garden, you become aware of the close association of plants with the soil, with the earthworms moving through it. Once you become aware of that, it becomes part of you" she told Coan.

She has had a bougainvillea, a daylily and a rose named after her. The rose is described as a "soft salmon-pink colour, with multiple layers of soft petals". On the day I meet her, she is welcoming with pink lipstick and neat hair in a bun, and I am reminded of another part of the rose's description: "It is all gentleness and thornless too".

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