Our chefs' ingenuity in producing fantastic meals from the smallest of kitchens have won many accolades from our guests.

Here is a selection of some of our favorite recipes, many of which have been requested time and time again by those who have sampled them in camp!

• Watermelon, Feta & Olive Salad ->

• Curried Chicken & Mango Salad ->

• Lamb/Pork/Chicken Tagine ->

• Million and Gin's Babotie ->

• Carrot, Honey and Ginger Soup ->

• Dreamy Red Velvet Cake ->

• White Chocolate and Lemon Mousse ->

• Chocolate Crunch Cake ->

• Tomato and Mozzarella Galettes ->

• Carrot Cake ->

• Fillet Steak en Croute ->

Watermelon, Feta & Olive Salad

A beautifully light summer salad dish care of Nigella Lawson - the combination of sweet and savoury is a winner with both guests and tree squirrels, who eat our Tupperware boxes to get at it! Perfect for a hot sunny day!

Ingredients
• 1 small red onion
• 2-4 limes, depending on amount of juice
• 1.5kg sweet watermelon
• 250g feta cheese
• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, leaves removed from stalk
• 1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
• 3-4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• 100g pitted black olives
• black Pepper

Slice the onion very finely and place in a small bowl with the lime juice. Cover this and leave to steep for a good hour. This process will turn the onions a translucent pink and will make their taste sweeter.

Remove the skin and pips from the watermelon and cut into bite sized chunks. Crumble over the feta and add all the other ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

Add a little black pepper and enjoy in peace without the squirrels!

Curried Chicken & Mango Salad

A simply yet stunningly effective dish care of Delia Smith - well, simple except for the Zambian bush camp version which involves the poor staff beating eggs and oil together frantically in melting heat to make homemade mayonnaise for the sauce, developing rather alarmingly large arm muscles in the process! We suggest you use a ready made jar instead!

Ingredients
• 1 roast medium chicken (cold) - either bought or freshly cooked
• ½ tbsp Madras curry powder
• 2 ½ fl oz (65 ml) mayonnaise
• 1 ½ fl oz (40ml) natural yoghurt
• 1 tbsp mango chutney
• 1 ½ oz (40g) raisins
• 1 ½ oz (40g) dried apricots, ready to eat, chopped
• 3 spring onions sliced thinly
• 3 oz (75g) baby leaf salad
• 1 dsp chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish
• salt and pepper

Strip the chicken into pieces. Make a sauce from the mayonnaise, curry powder, yoghurt and mango chutney. Add to the chicken along with the raisins, spring onions, apricots, salt and pepper and mix through. Place the baby leaves on the base of the serving dish, spoon the chicken on top and garnish with the coriander.

Enjoy!

Lamb/Pork/Chicken Tagine

A highly versatile and vibrant dish which suits chicken, pork or lamb:

Ingredients
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1½ tbsp paprika
• 1½ tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1.1kg diced lamb/pork/chicken
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 570ml tomato juice
• 2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
• Juice of 1 orange
• 115g dried apricots, chopped
• 55g dates, chopped
• 55g sultanas or raisins
• 600ml lamb stock/chicken stock or pork- depending on type of meat used
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• 2 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

To serve:
• Pilaf Rice/Saffron rice

Place the cayenne, black pepper, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and meat in a bowl and mix to combine. Cover and leave overnight in the fridge.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large casserole dish. Add the grated onion and garlic, cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes so that the onions are soft but not coloured. In a separate frying pan, heat the remaining oil and brown the cubes of lamb on all sides then add the browned meat to the casserole dish. De-glaze the frying pan with ¼ pint of tomato juice and add these juices to the pan. Add the remaining tomato juice, chopped tomatoes, apricots, dates, raisins or sultanas, lamb stock , orange juice (optional) and honey to the casserole dish. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and place in the oven or for 2-2½ hours or until the meat is very tender.

Serve sprinkled with coriander, parsley and with a large glass of wine...
Enjoy!

Million and Gin's Babotie

A classic South African dish made at Kapani by a Zambian and a Scot! A favourite of guests at Norman Carr Safaris:

Serves 6

Ingredients
• 1 Kg minced beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 heaped tsp basil, chopped finely
• 1 heaped tsp thyme, chopped finely
• 1 heaped tsp coriander, chopped finely
• 1 tsp powdered cinnamon
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• ½ tin tinned tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 dsp raisins
• ½ cup bread crumbs softened with 180ml milk
• 1 heaped tsp turmeric
• 2 tsps curry powder
• 2 tsps soy Sauce
• 1 egg, beaten

With a little oil in the bottom of a casserole dish cook the mince on a high heat until all the liquid has evaporated. Add 1/3 cup of cooking oil and fry the mince until well browned - the bottom of the casserole dish should look brown too as this browning provides a great deal of the flavour for the dish.

When this is done, add the salt and pepper. There should be enough pepper to taste the spice in the meat. Then, add the onions and garlic and fry until onions are softened and stir in the flour. Add the herbs, tinned and fresh tomatoes, raisins, tomato puree and soy sauce and continue to cook.

Meanwhile, soak the breadcrumbs with the milk in a bowl and add the turmeric and curry powder - the mixture should be a rich yellow colour. Add this mixture into the casserole and stir until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add final seasoning if required and a little more milk if the mixture becomes at all dry - there needs to be a good amount of moisture in this dish or else it will dry out.

Finally, transfer to a greased baking dish, spread the beaten egg over the top and bake in the oven at 180 Degrees Celcius for approximately 40 mins until it is cooked and the top set.
Enjoy!

Carrot, Honey and Ginger Soup

Just when you thought it could never be cold enough in Zambia, it is! Here is a classic winter warmer:

Serves 5

Ingredients
• 30g butter
• 750g carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 10cm piece of fresh ginger, chopped
• salt & pepper
• 1 ltr chicken stock
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp double cream
• 1 tbsp chopped chives to garnish

Melt the butter in a pan over low heat. Add carrots, onion, garlic, ginger and cook with the lid on until very soft, this should take about 20 minutes. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until carrots are cooked through, approximately 15 minutes. Cool slightly, then place in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add honey, cream, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a sprinkling of chives and a swirl of cream.

Dreamy Red Velvet Cake

We cannot remember where or when we were fortunate enough to find the recipe for this beautiful cake but if ever there were a reason for persuading friends to come for afternoon tea or even just for pretending friends are coming for afternoon tea this may very well be it - it is divine!

For the cake:
• 120g unsalted butter
• 300g golden castor sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 300g plain flour
• 230g buttermilk or ordinary milk if this cannot be found
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 20 g cocoa powder, sifted
• ½ tsp red food colouring, or sufficient to give the cake a rich red brown colour
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:
• 180g unsalted butter
• 150g sifted icing sugar
• 450g full fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Chocolate curls for decoration

Pre-heat the oven to 190 Degrees C/170 degrees for fan assisted ovens. Line and grease a 20cm diameter cake tin.

For the cake:
Cream the butter and castor sugar together until light and fluffy. This is easily done with an electric whisk and should take around 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and beat thoroughly. Add the flour in three separate stages alternating with the buttermilk/milk. Then add the salt, vanilla and cocoa powder and enough red food colouring to turn the cake a rich red/brown. Mix the vinegar with the bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and add this to the mixture.
Spoon the prepared mixture into the cake tin and bake for between 45 mins and one hour - a cake skewer inserted into the middle of the cake should come out clean when ready.

For the icing:
Cream together the icing sugar and butter until soft, mix in the cream cheese and vanilla essence. Spread over the cake and sprinkle with chocolate curls.
Enjoy!

White Chocolate and Lemon Mousse

Serves 6

Ingredients
• 225g white chocolate broken into pieces
• 3 large egg yolks
• 50g icing sugar
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 500ml double cream, whipped until soft peaks are formed

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. The bottom of the bowl should not be in contact with the water and take care not to over-stir the mixture as this will cause the chocolate to overheat and seize. Cool for a few minutes.

Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in another heatproof bowl set over the same water and whisk until thickened - the mixture should hold a trail at this point. Remove the bowl and set aside to cool for 10 minutes, whisking once or twice. Carefully fold the melted chocolate and lemon zest into the egg yolks.

Whilst the egg yolk mixture and chocolate mixture are still soft, fold in the cream, one third at a time. Divide the mousse between 6 ramekins and chill until set.

Chocolate Crunch Cake

Warning - it is not advisable to feed this cake to hyperactive children as it is sugar overload on a plate!

Ingredients
• 12oz rich tea biscuits
• 12oz good quality dark chocolate
• 1 x 400g tin condensed milk
• 4oz butter
• 2oz sultanas or a large handful of chopped marshmallows to keep the little ones happy

Simply melt the chocolate, butter, condensed milk and half the chocolate over a low heat in a pan. Crumble the biscuits into the pan, along with the sultanas or marshmallows and stir thoroughly. Pour into a tin lined with tin foil and leave to set in the fridge or freezer.

Once completely set, melt the remaining 6 oz chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water - the bowl should not be in contact with the water. Patience is required here, just let the chocolate slowly melt and do not over stir as this will cause the chocolate to seize

Let the chocolate cool slightly and then pour over the cake. Return to the fridge to set.

Tomato and Mozzarella Galettes

For this simple recipe you can either make the tapenade as below or you can buy it ready made in the shops for ease of cooking. The basil pesto again can be bought ready made but can also be simply homemade by blitzing basil, olive oil , parmesan cheese and pine nuts in a food processor. The individual quantities will depend on individual tastes.

Serves 6

Black Olive Tapenade
• 110g (4oz) pitted black olives
• 3 tbsps flat leaf parsley
• 2 cloves garlic - chopped
• 110g (4oz) young leaf spinach
• 4 tbsps olive oil

For the Galettes
• sliced tomatoes
• 15g basil leaves
• buffalo mozzarella cheese - 2 medium rounds
• puff pastry - bought is fine and quite frankly is just as good
• basil pesto
• olive oil

For the tapenade simply place all the ingredients in the food processor and season to taste.

To make the galettes - roll the pastry out to a thickness of approximately 1 cm. Cut out 6 equal sized discs of puff pastry. Place these between two sheets of baking paper and then sandwich between two baking sheets or roasting trays. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees Celcius (170 for fan assisted ovens) until golden brown and crispy. By sandwiching them in-between trays you prevent the pastry from rising and are therefore left with luscious crispy pastry.

Once cooked spread tapenade sparingly on top of each galette. Quarter the tomatoes and half these quarters again if necessary to leave you with slices fine enough to place in a fan shaped circle around the centre of the galette. Once arranged top with a generous slice of mozzarella and place in the oven 15 minutes prior to eating, until the cheese has just begun to melt.

To finish, add enough olive oil to the pesto to produce a thick pouring liquid and decorate the edges of the plates with small drizzles of this mixture. Throw over some shredded basil leaves and devour!

These can also be made in a smaller version as ideal canapés.

Carrot Cake

The key to this "morish" cake is to have more carrot than cake (if you see what I mean!). A relatively healthy cake, until you get to the icing that is, but it is just not as much fun otherwise! This is also a great recipe for people with lactose intolerances, in which case the icing can be made simply from icing sugar mixed with a little lime/orange juice and zest.

For the cake
• 1.5 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups plain flour
• 2 heaped tsp cinnamon
• 400g tinned pineapple - drained
• 3 generous cups grated carrot
• 1 cup sultanas
• 0.5 cup passion fruit pulp (optional)

For the icing
• 250g cream cheese
• 125g butter
• 500g icing sugar
• Either zest & juice of 2 limes, or zest & juice of 1 orange

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade

Place the oil, sugar, eggs, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour and beat well, then add the chopped and drained pineapple, grated carrot, sultanas and passion fruit pulp and beat again until you have a batter-like mixture. Grease and line a cake tin, pour in the mixture and bake for between 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean (reduce this time for fan assisted ovens). Turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth, add the butter and mix together. Sieve in the icing sugar and finally add the lime/orange zest and juice. Mix together to combine. Leave to set for half an hour in the fridge and then ice the cake.

Fillet Steak en Croute

Serves 6

Ingredients
• 400g roasted oyster mushrooms, finely chopped
• 20g dried wild mushrooms soaked in boiling hot water - reserve this liquid
• 50g butter
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 tbsps brandy
• 0.25 cup fromage frais
• 1 tsp thyme
• handful of flat leaf parsley
• squeeze of lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 750g fillet steak
• puff pastry
• beaten egg
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• red wine

Season the Oyster mushrooms, coat with olive oil and roast at 180 degrees for about half an hour. Melt the butter in a pan, sauté the garlic and mushrooms. Add brandy, thyme, 2 tbsps of the liquid from the mushrooms, fromage frais, lemon juice to taste, salt and pepper. Simmer until you have a spreadable pate, stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.

Season the beef. In a pan heat a couple of tablespoons of ground nut oil or vegetable oil and seal the beef on all sides. Transfer to a plate and leave to cool. Reserve any juice from the pan and add this to the sauce at the end.

Roll the pastry out until thin (approximately half a cm) on a lightly floured surface. Spread over the mushroom pate, leaving a border of a few centimetres around the edges and place the fillet onto the pate. Reserve the spare pate to make the sauce. Trim the pastry allowing enough to make a parcel for the steak and brush the borders of the pastry with beaten egg. Bring the two long ends of the pastry up together to cover the beef and pinch them together, sealing with the egg mixture. Trim off any excess pastry. Tuck the short edges in, press together and seal with beaten egg. Now place the beef, sealed edges down, onto a baking tray. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 220 degrees C for 30 minutes or until golden. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

For the sauce, sauté the shallots with a few peppercorns in a little vegetable oil until golden, add the remaining pate and juice from the beef, some red wine, and crumble in a little chicken stock cube and more liquid reserved from the mushrooms if wished. Reduce down for a few minutes, season and serve.