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20

JAnuary 2015

EATING LOCALLY

The world is being united in taste as

exotic flavours from around the
world cross borders. But, while you
can easily find Mediterranean, Indian,
Chinese and Thai cuisines on most
supermarket shelves, theres nothing
thats uniquely African. Thats why
Debbie Bousfield went to explore
what the continent had to offer
By GILL HYSLOP Photographs by BRUCE TUCK

hen it
comes to
Africa,
theres noone more
uniquely
suited
to creating a range of Africaninspired food products than
Debbie Bousfield. A direct
descendant of five generations
of hunters and safari specialists,
shes embraced Africas
passion for food. Together with
innovative food technologists,
her Prue Leith-trained niece,
Jo Green, and internationally
acclaimed chef Morn Strh,
she has developed a range of
convenient cook-in sauces and
soups under the label Gourmet
Africa: United Tastes of Africa.
Without a doubt, this distinctive
range is causing a food revolution
on the global stage.

debbie bousfield

foodandhome.co.za

january 2015

21

Every aspect of the story around

Burchells Foods is connected with
a deep love for Africa, its peoples and
its heritage.
Debbies familys adventures began
in the late 18th century when her
great-grandfather, Richard Granville
Nicholson, escorted Empress Eugnie
to the site of her sons grave after the
Anglo-Zulu War. In the 1960s, family
members headed up the East African
Game Department in Tanganyika and
trained lions for famous films like Born
Free. Debbies father, Jack Bousfield,
was a legendary crocodile hunter
who had a life-long love affair with
the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, often
escorting aristocrats and film stars
into obscure corners of the continent.
His vision to start a safari camp never
became a reality before his tragic
death in an aircraft accident; however,
several years later, his son Ralph
established the award-winning Jacks
Camp in his memory.
Operating from the historical
family residence Hartebeest Rivier
Opstal on De Breede Estate, located
just outside Worcester in the Cape
(declared a National Monument in
1986) Debbies bond with Africa is
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22

JAnuary 2015

EATING LOCALLY

prevalent in the name of her holding

company, dedicated to naturalist
William John Burchell who documented
much of South Africas unique flora and
fauna. In 1813, Burchell stopped at the
Hartebeest Rivier farm on his way to
the interior, inspiring Pieter Jacobs
Jnr (the son of then owner of the
gracious Cape Dutch Opstal) to follow
in his footsteps into the relatively
unknown Bechuanaland.
Like many residents before them,
the Jacobs family were industrious
farmers with extensive herds of cattle
and sheep and also produced wine.
The original cellar dates back to the
mid-1700s and wine production was
recorded as early as 1742, a tradition
that continues today. The boutique
wines produced by De Breede Organic
Vineyards are winning acclaim,
particularly in export markets like
Europe and the Far East.
Embracing traditional dishes from the
Cape to Cairo such as a Cape Malay
Curry to Yassa au Poulet (an onion and
mustard sauce from Senegal), Doro
Wat (deep, rich tomato flavours from
Ethiopia) and Maharagwe Ya Nasi (with
coconut and beans from Tanzania), as
well as a peanut snack called Klui Klui
thats enjoyed throughout Africa, and
a basil and alligator pepper pesto called
Mbongo Basil from Cameroon, among
others in the range of 32 products
the Gourmet Africa products go
way beyond just offering a new taste
experience, but inspire with a story
involving the tradition of eating this
particular meal in its home country.
Ideal for vegetarians, the range
is also lactose-, GMO- and glutenfree, and packed in recyclable,
microwaveable stand-up pouches.
All products are made without
preservatives, colourants or additives,
and the ingredients sourced from
a nearby socially- and environmentally
sustaining African farm project. If thats
not enough, theyre also produced in
South Africas first green food factory.
The Worcester-based production
facility is a fully retrofit building
reducing the need for unnecessary
building materials and building waste;
is powered by non-fossil organic bio
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fuels, solar-powered hot water and

low-energy light; recycles its grey
water; uses environmentally friendly
alternatives to chemically manufactured
antimicrobials; and creates fertiliser
from vegetable matter recycled through
earthworms, among many other
practices. Additionally, a percentage
of each product sold is donated to the
8 000-hectare Tachila Nature Reserve
in Botswana. Debbies 84-year-old
mother, Nicky Bousfield, set up this
a wildlife charity to preserve the natural
and historical heritage of the region
and increase eco-tourism potential and
employment opportunities.
Traditionally, all over Africa, the
basis of a meal is a delicious thick soup
or stew, expressly made to be shared
in true Ubuntu fashion, comments
Debbie. I was lucky enough to be born
in the porini (the African bush) in remote
Tanzania, where our closest neighbours
lived 100km away. This was raw Africa
and I have an unbelievable passion for
the land, its peoples and its cuisines.
Ive devised a new frontier of
authentic traditional flavours that the
world has yet to discover; certainly, this
number of regional dishes has never
before been available as a collective.
Its very important to me that the range

maintains its true authenticity. I want

the world to taste the original flavours
that Mzee (a respected elder) used
to make. I also employ the people of
Africa in both the growing and making
the products, using ingredients from
Africas very own abundant pantry, she
concludes, underscoring the underlying
theme of quality food with a conscious.
burchills.co.za/gourmetafrica

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