The day dawned with a soft apricot light rising from the East. Months of preparation was in the bag, and the entire Londolozi team stood quietly at 5:45am, still waking up, behind the pathway fence at Varty Camp car park. There was excited chatter and wishes of a happy Easter as we waited for the last few guests to board their vehicles for their morning Safari. As the last flecks of dust settled, radios were abuzz and the set up for what would be a phenomenal Easter Breakfast began.
Once all the preparation was done, The Londolozi Ranging team began to stream back into the car-park with vehicles full of hungry guests- surprised to see that they were not destined to return to their individual camps for breakfast as normal.
Taking a slightly different approach to the last few years, breakfast took the form of a Mad Hatter’s Tea party- Londolozi Style. Anna Ridgewell, and her team of Chefs, prepared the food for an Easter Market that could only be described as sublime. With stalls of mouth-watering treats set up and decorated with bright bunting, alluring names and sumptuous displays of food, this year’s traditional Easter breakfast began to take shape around us. Freshly baked chocolate hot-cross-buns, croissants, sweet and savoury muffins and buns dripping with sweet icing at the Boulangerie made way for lavish wheels of Camembert cheese and slices of roast beef with lashings of mustard at the Charcuterie stall. Fresh fruit was abundant, along with the Londolozi Kitchen’s mini bunny chows (a South African curry inside an emptied-out loaf of bread). Traditional chocolate Easter treats were also on offer, as well as a Secret Stall that house delicious stacks of fresh crepes. Thirsty safari goers could sip on a fresh mango lassi, a Bloody Mary or an ice-cold class of Graham Beck Brut- depending on their fancy.
The bright hustle and bustle of the food market oozed onto the lush, cool greenness of the Varty Camp Lawn. Tables and chairs were dotted around, neatly tucked under the shade of the trees that create the famous canopy that you’ll normally see herds of nyala and troops of monkeys playing under. Glowing white lanterns hung from the trees, and Shwe Shwe bunting fluttered in the breeze.
Everywhere you looked, Londolozi staff manned food stalls, operated hand-washing stations and served refreshing drinks- amidst the bright colours of the market. Being of service is in our blood, and nothing makes us happier than to delight our guests with festivities like Easter breakfast.
Without a strong family bond, we would be nothing. And, just as service is in our blood, so too does the bond of family run thickly through our veins. We relish days like today where we can come together as one large family of Londolozi Staff and Guests to celebrate important days like Easter. So, as the sun begins to set on another magical day in Africa, from all of us at Londolozi, we hope that wherever you are, you enjoyed a day full of festivities, food, family and lots of fun.
Happy Easter to you all!
Written and photographed by Amanda Ritchie
Well done it looks amazing.
This looks so amazing! I really wish I could have been there with family, both close and extended. ?
Wow that looks fantastic!!