KINGKLIPS & KOEKSISTERS

Constantia, an affluent suburb of Cape Town, is one of the oldest townships and was established in the late 17^th century when the first vine cuttings were planted by settlers of the Dutch East India Company. Now famous for its tranquil ambience and well-established wines, Constantia is the perfect introduction into South Africa’s gastronomic splendour. Fly into Cape Town and drive to country hotel Cellars-Hohenort, located in the heart of Constantia. Here, you’ll take part in a cookery class, learning a few show-stopping recipes, and go on a private food tour of the Cape. For your leisure time, wander along the tree-lined streets, spotting the characteristic Cape Dutch houses and the contoured slopes of Table Mountain, or visit the nearby farmer’s markets and wine estates. Eat until you can’t anymore in the Malay Quarter of Bo Kapp and experience the emerging coffee culture with an artisanal cup.

Visit the oldest wine estate in the country, Groot Constantia, to try its sweet wines, which were cellared by Napoleon, Jane Austen and Queen Victoria alike, and then head to Camps Bay for a palate cleanser, tucking into the fantastically fresh seafood.

As well as food and wine, Capetonians also really love their beer -small and independent breweries are paving over the old, mass-produced lagers. With micro-breweries exploding onto the scene from every angle of the Cape, join the revolution with a beer tasting – we’d recommend starting at Riot Beer with their IPA or golden ale in full view of its brewery engine room.

A gardener’s dream, Babylorenstoren is a working farm estate surrounded by rows and rows of vineyards, pumpkin patches, olive and citrus groves, vegetable beds, mulberry bushes and hundreds of edible plants – 300 to be precise. All tended by expert and friendly groundsmen and 200 snow-white, snail-eating ducks, the estate is just ideal for leisurely walks. During your three nights here, you can cycle through the vineyards, go birdwatching (the estate has many more birds than just the ducks) and even give a hand with the harvest, pruning and picking at the encroaching greenery.

Situated between Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl, you are in a prime position to go estate hopping, sampling the delicious wines and looking around the properties as you go. You’ll be given a superb introduction into the making of wine with a Behind the Barrels tour, where you’ll learn what goes into making an award-winning vintage and why. Foodies will discover their own idea of heaven both at the wine estates, which often offer cheese, chocolate and olive tastings as well, and in the world-famous restaurants.

Embrace the ‘farm-to-fork’ philosophy at the onsite Babel Restaurant and try the warm beetroot falafel or the wild mushroom risotto all sourced from the garden, perfectly paired to Babylonstoren’s own range of wines – just ask the sommelier for their recommendation.

A place of great serenity and charm, Prince Albert is a small town located on the southern edge of the Great Karoo. Set on the foothills of the Swartberg Mountains, the area is an adult’s playground, with plenty of hiking and mountain biking trails to discover and birding and botanical excursions to join. You’ll drive to Prince Albert and stay at the African Relish, a recreational cooking school with its own olive grove and vegetable garden. You’ll take part in the ‘anytime courses’, tailored to passing travellers who want half or full-day cooking sessions. Ranging from learning how to balance spices to cooking some great comfort food, you’ll master some Karoo classics and get your hands kneading breads, carving meats and decorating baked goodies.

Prince Albert is also known for its sun-ripened fresh and dried fruit, so consider the pickling and preserving course to take home a handmade souvenir. If you’ve been taste testing at every step, you can shake off some of the excess indulgence by following the tractor trails to the olive farm and admiring the quiet groves, before joining an olive oil tasting.

Finally, you’ll head towards the coast hitting the Garden Route for your last three nights in South Africa surrounded by ocean and cliffs. You’ll stay at the Turbine Hotel & Spa, a five-star boutique hotel which makes interesting use of its past as an old power station. The hotel is located on the picturesque Thesen Island, offering entrancing views of the harbour and lagoon, which you can explore on a pontoon cruise or on a kayak.

Cross the causeway that connects the island with the mainland and head to Mitchell’s, South Africa’s second largest brewery, for an extensive tour on how handmade beer is perfected and for a sampling of the draughts at the end. Visit the dramatic Knysna Heads for a higher vantage point and train your eye to spot dolphins and whales or follow the coast to Plettenberg Bay to walk along white sands framed by crystal-blue waters.

As you are by the sea, you should definitely make time to fit in some seafood. Sit down with a plate of white mussel cracker or grunter (a local favourite), try an ostrich potjie (slow cooked in a wrought iron pot) and, an absolute must, is to slide a dozen or so oysters down your throat. You’ll be taken on an oyster cruise around the lagoon, where you can listen to the stories of the area’s seafood industry before cracking open a few hard shells and washing the delicacies down with a glass of local wine – at the end of the tour you’ll be a skilled shucker and a whole lot merrier.