The forests, veld and seashores in South Africa and specifically the Western Cape, are a magical world of fynbos, seaweed, woodlands and mountains.
Exploring the local fauna and flora, uncovering secret mushroom communities that pop up overnight, edible weeds and shellfish, and seaweed and roots and shoots and flowers – foraging is an age-old past time; so old, in fact, gathering is our earliest form of food sourcing.
Inspired by a love of nature and adventuring in the wilderness to forage and gather your day’s meal, this quest has seen a sensual and appreciative revival. Not simply in meals, but in drinks and cocktails too – parts of our country’s mixology has seen a noted move toward foraging for garnishes and accompaniments; a botanical focus on drinks and libations, and a desire for pure, uncommercialised ingredients that complement the spirit’s origin.
Feel inspired and follow the yearn for the intrepid as we uncover some of South Africa’s most well-loved foragers and botanical-infusing distillers and mixologists.
A DAY IN THE WILD WITH A FORAGER
Mushroom foraging with Justin Williams
Hosted at Boschendal during mushroom season (Cape Town’s winter months), enjoy an educational and entertaining weekend forage led by avid mushroom forager Justin Williams (aka The Mushroom Forager). Delve into the forests on Boschendal to learn about the magical world of mushrooms – how to identify edible mushrooms and how to find them. Also get in touch with Justin for personal tours in and around the Western Cape.
Book your first foraging experience wth him here: themushroomforager.co.za
Roushanna Grey takes you over Veld and Sea
To know what is edible and what is poisonous, how to identify, to learn what part of the plant to harvest and how to prepare are all important and valuable lessons to learn in sustainable and responsible foraging. Along with master forager Roushanna Grey, Veld and Sea offers seasonal and sustainable foraging classes, workshops and collaborative events. It’s a truly memorable day out out in the wild.
Book your experience with Roushanna here: veldandsea.com.
Charlie Standing
Charles Standing (aka The Urban Gatherer) is a Cape Town-based forager. Passionate about cooking regional food from his local environment, Charles also runs his own private tours tailored to the sort of experience you seek.
Bookings on request via email: theurbanhuntergatherer@gmail.com
Chris Erasmus and Foliage Restaurant
Chris Erasmus is the epitome of passion and creativity. Foliage, his beautiful restaurant in Franschhoek is a dream for diners intent on trying new dishes with relatively unknown, “wild” ingredients. Out every morning for the day’s forage, Chris collects ingredients for his seasonal menu. From wild geese to wild mushrooms and herbs, expect the unexpected and, inspired by nature, the truly magical.
WATCH: How to forage for ingredients to include in your meals
DISTILLERS
Perhaps the leaders in the South African craft gin movement, Lucy Beard and Leigh Lisk are the brains and brawl behind Hope on Hopkins, Cape Town’s first artisanal distillery in industrial Salt River. Creatively tinkering away in their home-cum-distillery, they’ve created unique flavours and an interesting range of botanicals, made using the age-old process of batch distillation.
A Mari
A Mari, distilled in Cape Town by Niel du Toit and Jess Henrich, is unique in that the gin is distilled using Atlantic Ocean waters and foraged Cape coastal botanicals. Made in very small batches, the gin is dry but well complemented with citrus and West Coast fynbos.
Geometric Gin
Inspired by the Cape’s fynbos and floral kingdom, not to mention her botanical and spice-infused history, Geometric Gin‘s alchemy and production are run by master distiller Jean-Baptiste Cristini. Not only is gin produced, but tonics and a (soon to launch) vermouth, all inspired by nature in her various forms. It’s seen as an art form and creative expression; a means to harness all that the Cape has to offer.
The Botanist
Although not local, last year The Botanist gin, a 25-botanical spirit made in Islay, Scotland, did some major PR in South Africa for foraging. In The Forager, a unique pop-up bar concept, the call was to find the “Wildest Cocktail” in South Africa. Not only did it bring fame to many South African bartenders, but also better aquainted the public to the power of the herb.
MIXOLOGY
Julian Short and Sin+Tax
Voted best cocktail bar and barman of the year at this year’s Bartending Accolades and Recognition (BAR) Awards, Julian Short (aka The Flavourist) of Sin+Tax bar is bringing a very nuanced form of mixology to Joburg. An appreciator of botany, herbal flavours and foraging for compatible profiles, his natural ability to mix odd flavours together (like blackberry and black pepper and basil in a G&T) is admired.
A totally novel experience from start to finish, Mootee Bar seeks to uncover authentic but unconventional African ingredients, and use them in a way that’s inspired by traditional healing rituals. It’s a unique compendium of cutting-edge equipment and one-of-a-kind flavour experiences from locally foraged ingredients.
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Newly opened in Cape Town’s CBD, the Botanical Bar offers carefuly curated South African craft liquor, featured in cocktails with locally foraged botanicals for unique flavour profiles. Look forward to a beautifully designed menu that showcases bitters, shrubs, aperitifs, cocktails and food.
From the day they opened, Outrage of Modestly’s motto was simple: redefine Cape Town’s cocktail culture. Opening more than two years ago, the intent was to showcase flavour devoid of branding, commercialisation or mass commodity (you won’t see a spirit label anywhere and it’s less about what you’re drinking and more about what your senses are experiencing). Since then it has indeed introduced a new kind of cocktail making and drinking culture to the Mother City – it’s all about foraged ingredients that are tinkered, distilled and dehydrated into incredible flavour sensations. Staying true to their ethos of honouring seasonal availability, their menu favours quality over quantity.
Also new to Cape Town’s cocktail scene comes Cause | Effect, a joint venture between passionate, well-travelled and spirit-loving friends. To that end, the menu is as much about flavour as it is about specticle: it’s experiential. And from the tinctures to the billowing, scented smoke – botanicals are showcased to dramatic effect.
ALSO READ: Here’s what you need to know about Cape Town’s new experiential cocktail kitchen
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