I was mulling over the state of the world one day years ago while still living in Johannesburg. There was yet another petrol price hike and various people going on strike, and I wondered what it would be like to not have access to the food in the supermarket up the road. It was not the gloomy, brooding kind of mulling, more like the imagining myself free of dependence on others, free of being vulnerable to petrol price hikes and striking supermarket workers.
We were already growing some vegetables and had backyard chickens which supplied us with eggs, and the local supermarket was nearby for the rest. But suddenly, with the supermarket closed the food seemed precariously out of reach due to the strike. So I thought, ‘What if I could entirely support myself from my own garden and be completely independent?’
At this stage, the retreat centre dream was still very much only a twinkle in my eye, as it were, something I had only shared with my hairdresser. I began to add the dream of creating a vegetable garden to feed the guests, but more than that – creating an example, a way to show people how: how to be independent, how to grow food, and to do it in a chemical-free way. Life is full of challenges,
but I always have the Three Ps:
Passion, patience and persistence.
And the fourth one is pizza. – Butch Hartman
Once you have the fresh produce in your hands, what next?
I far preferred the growing of the food to the preparing of it, so it was very handy to have a husband who was a wizard at bringing incredible flavour to the dishes. This, I realised, was the next piece of the puzzle: knowing what to do with the food once you have grown it, and how to bring magic onto your plate. Enter Richard, a genius at using everyday ingredients to create food yummy enough to leave home for. And so this became a vital part of the whole picture: creating a place to retreat to with the tastiest fresh food, loving care and attention to detail. Our Passion for Sharing Flavour
From the beginning we have been passionate about showing people how to be independent food growers, and creators of dishes that make you want more. To get you to fall in love with flavours, with experimenting, not simply following what has gone before, but exploring life beyond just boiling vegetables. To discover that plant-based food can be so delicious that you are asking us (lining up!) for the recipes and workshops.
Passion is the ingredient
that will move the dream
from inspiration to completion. – Michelle Thomas After years of requests for a recipe book, we have an inspired solution to bring you much more than simply a lot of recipes in a book:
🍾✨The Quinta Carvalhas Recipe Club✨🍾
** I asked my team to attach sparklers and a bottle of Champagne to each newsletter! **
✨I am so excited by this!✨
🥂Open your Champagne and join us 🥂 – it’s a community, it’s where we share, you talk, we listen, we answer questions, and we make magic together.
Join
- Richard – Passionate about making mouth-watering vegetarian cooking easy for every cook in every kitchen
- Andrea – Passionate about recipe development
- João – Passionate about growing the tastiest ingredients
- Skye – Passionate about sharing food knowledge with you
- Steph – Passionate about whipping up delicious desserts
Our Recipe Club members will receive:
- A new recipe every Friday
- Gardening tips and tricks – especially related to growing food
- Interesting tidbits about food, feasting, and flora
- First dibs on tickets for cooking and gardening workshops at Quinta Carvalhas
- First dibs on tickets for partner events and workshops
- Access to a growing library of resources
Things to look forward to:
- Recipe Club competitions 🥠
- Guest articles from fabulous chefs and gardening experts 🍅
- Container gardening hacks 🪴
- Ask Chef Richard Q&A ❓
- Vegetarian Masterclass Series 👩🏻🍳
