Gourmet goodness
With close to 900 million people worldwide adopting a vegan lifestyle, Chefs everywhere are crafting menus to satisfy the growing demand for veggie dishes that are 100% plant based. The more people opt to exclude meat and animal products from their diets, the more the hospitality industry is stepping up to fill the goodness gap, adding pizazz to healthy dishes that could quite easily cause serial carnivores to convert to the green side.
The ’12A’
In 2002 the Red Carnation Group acquired the property in Oudekraal that was to become The Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa. Around the hotel alien plant species were removed and extensive indigenous gardens were cultivated at the foothills of majestic Table Mountain, inviting hotel guests to take walks amongst the fynbos while enjoying the breathtaking scenery. A member of Leading Hotels of the World, The Twelve Apostles won ‘South Africa’s Leading Spa Resort’ in the 2014 World Travel Awards, while Travel + Leisure named it one of the ‘Most Romantic Hotels in Cape Town’, and voted it amongst the ‘World’s Best 500 Hotels’.
The Vegan High Tea
The ’12A’ has introduced a Vegan High Tea that is popping with colour and variety. Pastry Chef Gina Marziani’s sweet and savoury goodies are presented on an oval shaped tiered curate stand filled with mini sandwiches, wraps and forest berry jellies, Valrhona Manjari premium chocolate and peanut bons bons and the coconut panacotta (my favourite) to end off the feast. Exotic loose leaf teas such as the rooibos infused with orange and spices are deliciously refreshing and aromatic. And to top it all, there are sea views to faint for as you nibble and sip on fine fare in the Leopard Lounge.
Sustainability
The hotel borders the Table Mountain National Park, a World Heritage Site and Management, throughout the Group (I know this first hand, as I have also experienced the Rubens at the Palace in London) is environmentally conscious and committed to protecting the fauna and flora, adopting sustainable practices throughout the business so as to maintain a low carbon footprint, even through the Vegan Hight Tea, a culinary extension of that ethos.
Stop on your way and give resident cat Ingwe a scratch…
On a personal note…
I’m not sure I could be vegan at this point or ever, but increasingly I find myself leaning towards vegetarianism which is perhaps a start to the more serious journey into becoming vegan. I saw a clip on factory farming once and now I know too much and my conscience pricks whenever I see meat on my plate. I’m with Ellen DeGeneres when she says, “I suddenly realized that what was on my plate was once a living thing, with feelings. And I just couldn’t disconnect myself from it any longer.”
Get your green game on at the 12A…bon appetit and enjoy!