This is not the first time that I have admitted to adoring butter and cream – unsalted, churned, single, double or, better still, clotted. To pick up where I left off last week, I met a chef in the Midlands who just might love the good stuff a touch more than I do.

At the foot of the Drakensberg, just where the rock face etches out Cleopatra, I had the pleasure of visiting Cleopatra Mountain Farmhouse. Owners Richard and Mouse Poynton have decided to open the restaurant to guests who are not staying at the hotel, which means that anyone can now enjoy their delicious country food. I tucked into an extraordinary but simple sweet onion tart tatin in a rich, creamy, buttery, herby sauce, with piping hot buns to mop it up with.

Next was a bowl of pea risotto (I’m sure I detected a knob of butter, or even a dash of cream) topped with long-cooked oxtail ragù and a touch of aioli. Homemade naartjie crêpes with vanilla ice cream, yes, you guessed it, churned with cream, finished off a delightful lunch.

I just wish I could have stayed for dinner!

Happy eating!
Abigail