Food and Wine

© Sundowners at Mombo Camp

Food is a big part of the safari experience and at a premier lodge great emphasis is put on the cuisine, but even at premier lodges there are mishaps - and being in the bush makes it difficult to find alternatives when things go wrong.

One particularly memorable night the desert was served and two German hunter friends tucked into it and demolished what was on their plates, whilst the other guests had put their spoons down after the first bite. I was about to have my first taste when I heard Leigh whisper to me 'it's terrible .... I think there is something wrong with it' ..... I took a tiny bit onto my tongue and nearly spat it out but calmly put my napkin to my mouth and wiped it away.
I went into the kitchen to ask the chef what the desert was and I could see something was amiss. Hoping it was not some sort of revenge muti that she had prepared I asked what the issue was. "I eh ehmm .... I put in salt instead of sugar ..... it was dark and all I could see was the white substance ..... ehh sorri ....'
Relieved that it was a simple mistake, as she seemed rather traumatised by the whole thing, I did not pursue the matter. We decided not to say anything unless it was raised by one of the guests. I am not too sure how the Germans felt the next day as they flew out to Maun but a dessert bowl of pure salt surely had some effect on them.

Wine tasting

The wine cellar was a strange little place at Little Mombo, what with a selection of supposedly fine wines that had not been well kept. It was after the first supply truck had arrived soon after we arrived that Leigh mentioned to me why the wine in the camp was not of the best quality.
Nine hours on a truck, packed on top so as not to damage the wine, meant that the cases took most of the heat and combined with the shaking of the vehicle ensured that the wine was not at its best when it arrived in camp. After a report to the Maun office the wines were then flown in by aircraft supply.
House wines were opened every evening for guests but there was a selection of premier wines available at extra cost for guests who so desired. The Little Mombo wine cellar had a few bottles that were never requested until one evening when a gentleman, who was apparently one of the richest people in the UK, asked to sample some of them. He proceeded to reject every bottle Leigh opened for him, which was no issue for Leigh as he recorked them, wrote them off and kept them for future staff get-togethers.
By Leigh Kemp
Botswana Safari Tours and Game Lodges
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