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I define my approach to cooking as “Botanical”—to feature Mother Nature on a plate, where each dish is designed to reflect the beauty, balance, harmony and purity that I find in nature.

At our previous establishment in South Africa, the scenery of the Francolin Conservation Area was a safe haven and a source of creative inspiration for my kitchen. The design and intention of the gardens at Château des Tesnières will be no different, with a strong focus on permaculture and agroforestry staying true to our philosophy of sustainability and local sourcing – mostly from our own garden.

I believe that we should seek to enhance our food, our health, and our lives.

For me each creation is centred around capturing nature’s nuances, telling the stories of what inspired me. I have an absolute freedom to express myself and my unique culinary style combines the wonders of Botanical Cuisine with the elegance of fine dining. My aim has always been to bring people in contact with nature through the ingredients that I select, and the way I utilize them in my creations along with herbs and edible flowers which add a playful, fresh and colourful element to the dish. A dance for the imagination and the guest’s own interpretation. 

In South Africa we were one of the first restaurants to be known for botanical cuisine, incorporating all those elements. I, look at them holistically, not simply saying ‘how can we use the flowers to make the plate look pretty?’, but rather how we could use that flower to enhance our guests’ experience. For example; Fennel aids digestion and eases the feeling of fullness; the Hibiscus flower helps to reduce the effects of too much alcohol and reduce swollen ankles. These subliminal touches of meaningfully adding flowers to my dishes heightens the experience, awakening all our senses. Guests leave the table, feeling satisfied, but never uncomfortably so…

A wonderful example of one of these Botanical creations from my kitchen is 

Bountiful Beetroot.

BOUNTIFUL BEETROOT

Heirloom Beetroot, Pickled, Roasted and Marinated with a Mature Reserva Leonardi Italian Balsamic 

“I am fascinated by mythology and the stories of old. It was here that I discovered that the Oracle of Delphi claimed that beetroot was second only in mystical potency to horseradish, and for the ancients it was worth its weight in silver. With the various health benefits that beetroot offers, one can see why. Beetroot contains betaine, a substance that relaxes the mind, and tryptophan (also found in chocolate), which contributes to an overall sense of well-being (and don’t we all need that!). 

Because of its diversity with the natural sweet, earthy taste and ruby-red colour, beetroot was one of my first choices of ingredients to feature on my Botanical menu” 

For me the art of dining is a holistic experience. I believes it is vital to serve visually appealing dishes that tell a story and start stimulating my diners’ senses from the moment the food arrives at the table.

It is important to create a subliminal rhythm to the progression of my dishes throughout the dining experience. Slowly, like a heartbeat, it taps into your senses, growing with each new dish until you experience the continuous melody that my menus conveys. 

Individual creations become instruments in a gastronomical orchestra, each with their own prominent role, following each other in the correct order, until all the elements come together in a joyous composition, leaving you with a sense of fulfillment as the crescendo echoes a song of celebration…
                                                                                                                                      Chef Chantel Dartnall

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