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There is a basic, primal quality in bread. It says comfort, home and security. As the warm aroma of freshly baked bread wafts through kitchens, everyone, without exception, swoons.
Tamson, a talented pastry chef in our Grootbos team, says her passion for baking started in her mother’s kitchen watching her mother make the traditional South African, Vetkoek. Vetkoek is a delicious deep fried dough which is eaten on its own or with a savoury mince filling.
Tamson comes from a nearby fishing town and started her journey at Grootbos at the Green Futures eco-tourism vocational college. Coming from a humble background of very modest means, this was her only chance of tertiary education.
After her year of training, she started off as a waitress in the Grootbos lodge restaurants. She often would find herself in the comfort of the patisserie section of the kitchen. This is where she felt most at home.
One day, the patisserie section needed extra hands on deck. Tamson jumped at the chance and has never looked back, following her passion for all things kneaded and baked.
Five years on, Tamson is a permanent senior member of the pastry section at Grootbos and her passion, in particular, lies in baking bread.Her favourite is a french style baguette.
It’s the simplicity of the ingredients and how you mix them, she says. “Flour, water, a little salt and yeast; and the most gentle process”. You are rewarded with bread that is fluffy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and mouth-wateringly fragrant.
Bread takes us back to our roots, to a time of simplicity and subsistence. The simple loaf of `bread` brings people together. ‘Breaking Bread’ with someone shows intimacy, a sharing of blessings.
Makes 4 loaves
Ingredients
Instructions
Grootbos is a world leader in sustainable tourism and has been awarded some of the highest international accolades possible, making us one of only a handful of lodges to achieve this.
COVID-19 is highlighting the fragility of our economic and societal systems. Grootbos’s work is fundamentally linked to building sustainable systems and is invigorated by our vision for the future.
Envisioning Our FutureSummer Sun Special: R3950 pppn (55% discount on normal rate)