Things to do in South Africa

Lairds Lodge: a Cape Dutch homestead offering a heart-felt welcome

We strive to create the best South African experience possible, and that includes the food offering…

By Bee Bee Bhebhe

Chef at Lairds Lodge

When Lairds Lodge opened in 1995 it had just three guest rooms and I was cooking in a tiny kitchen with domestic pans. I now look after a team of four in the kitchen and the Cape Dutch homestead has grown to include 17 rooms and 24 staff. It’s a friendly, family set-up and the owner, Lesley, tries to greet every single guest.

We strive to create the best South African experience possible, and that includes the food offering. We take great care with our ingredients, keeping everything seasonal, and use our garden as much as possible. Nothing here comes from a bottle. I am self-taught – I worked part-time as a gardener and I incorporate a lot of that knowledge in my food and presentation. Lockdown gave me plenty of opportunity to tend the garden!

Guests love our artistic, French-style breakfast fruit platters. Dinner is a sociable four-course affair and can be served in the traditional dining room, or the cosy wine cellar, and our wine ambassador pairs everything with Cape wines. We offer a full veggie menu, too.

Our Garden Route location between Plettenberg Bay and Knysna is very convenient. The Plett winelands offer wine tasting and lunch spots across 16 estates and the area has lots of unspoilt beaches. Guests can be on the coast in the morning and at cellar doors in the afternoon.

I’m a pastor as well as a chef so in my spare time I spend a lot of time in the community. I like to think I offer ‘spiritual food’ as well. The lodge is very involved in the community too. Thanks to generous donations from Lairds past guests, we were able to supply over a tonne of maize to the e’Pap Foundation. Ten kilos of e’Pap can feed a family of four for two months.

Available in these itineraries…

Itinerary

Route 62 Cape Gourmet Self-drive
by Becky Souissi

Length15 Days

Price range£5,375 - £5,895pp
Itinerary

South Africa Family Adventure Self-Drive
by Helen Austin

Length13 Days

Price range£4,095 - £4,595pp

Alfred & Bee Bee Bhebhe

A passion for food led Bee Bee into the kitchen. His first ever job was as a griller, in Johannesburg and he relocated to the Cape when an opportunity arose in the kitchen at Lairds Lodge. One his most popular dishes is a deboned roasted quail served with homemade stuffing and a dijon sauce. Bee Bee is also a pastor, and spends a lot of time with the church community.

Plan your holiday withAlfred&

Your journey will start with one of our UK team – someone like Laura, who's travelled extensively in South Africa. They’ll shape your ideas into the trip of a lifetime. But they won't do it alone. They'll draw on the expertise of our contacts on the ground, connecting you to the people who'll make your holiday one you'll always remember - ex banker who can show you the hottest foodie spots in Cape Town, the award-winning young sommelier who can introduce you to Stellenbosch's finest wines and the walking safari ranger who can guide you to the best game.

Laura Preston

Travel Expert for Alfred&

Having travelled extensively through Africa, Laura has a wealth of experience. She is passionate about Tanzania’s diversity from the quiet wilds of Ruaha that feel completely private to the silvery sands of Zanzibar and Stone Town’s spice-laced streets. In South Africa, she sought out the best views over Table Mountain, cocktail in hand, as well as the lesser-visited Kruger conservancies for more exclusive safaris. But her favourite place in the world has to be the Serengeti for its wide-open plains and incredible game that epitomise that feeling of Africa.
Wayne Howarth

Head Safari Guide at Kariega Game Reserve

Wayne loves being outdoors and has spent most of his life between the family farm and working on Private Game Reserves in the Eastern Cape. He has been guiding at Kariega for 12 years. His qualifications include Field Guide Association of South Africa (FGASA) Level 2, Advance Rifle Handling, Skippers Licence Category R and first aid. One of his career highlights was becoming a finalist in the 2021 Safari Guide of the Year competition.
Rupesh Kassen

Founder and guide of Eat Like A Local

Rupesh Kassen abandoned his decade-long career in banking to move to East Africa, where he trained and worked as a chef. He later became immersed in South Africa’s food scene and worked as a food critic before setting up Eat Like A Local in Cape Town. Rupesh now offers guided food tours to showcase the city and its diverse culture and history through food.
Fundi Ziqubu

Sommelier

Fundi was born in Durban and fell in love with wine when it was introduced to her by a few Capetonian friends. On discovering her passion she got the chance to study wine with the department of tourism in collaboration with the Sommeliers Academy. Being appointed sommelier at Lanzerac was a career highlight and in 2019 Fundi was named most up-and-coming wine steward by the Distell Inter-Hotel challenge.
Ntobeko Ntshingila

Duty Manager at Three Tree Hill Lodge

Ntobeko has been part of the Three Trees family for 13 years and describes it as a lovely journey with lots of room for growth and experience. She has her own family, including a daughter of 18, and a son, aged three. She lives in a nearby village with her parents, four siblings and three nephews. When not spending time with her family she manages her broiler chicken business, which brings her extra income.
Cheryl Blackburn

Owner and guide, Three Tree Hill Lodge

Being born in the Kruger National Park instilled in Cheryl a love of nature and wildlife. Having lived and worked as a guide in the Kruger reserve, and also in Botswana, she eventually got the opportunity to run her own lodge, with her growing family, in the lush KwaZulu Natal Drakensberg region. She still finds time to guide guests on foot, tracking white rhino in the neighbouring Spioenkop Game Reserve.