The Insider’s Guide to Food Foraging in Cape Town

While foraging for food is not a new concept by any means, food foraging in Cape Town is a trend that is growing in popularity among the city's foodies and chefs, and in line with Cape Town's reputation for being a world class culinary destination.

As one of the Leading Hotels of the World, and because of its prime location in the Mother City, The Table Bay hotel recognised an opportunity to marry urban food foraging smarts with five-star cuisine. The result? An authentic South African culinary experience that is not only delicious, but informative too. In an expedition where one man's sidewalk shrubbery becomes another's culinary treasure, you'll be surprised by the bounty food foraging in Cape Town will deliver.

What to Expect when Foraging for Food with The Table Bay

Led by urban hunter-gatherer Charles Standing, along with Executive Chef Jocelyn Myers-Adams, food foraging in Cape Town is perfect for anyone looking for a unique culinary adventure. Plus, a day spent foraging for food will allow you some laid-back time to soak up the warmth of the sun and to drink in the ocean views that the Mother City is so famous for.

Where do you go foraging for food?

The Table Bay's recent springtime forage kicked off with a quick drive to the Sea Point Promenade to visit an outdoor exhibition by Craig Foster and Ross Frylinck.

Insider tip: This is a great place to pause before foraging for food in Cape Town, as it not only gives you an idea of how the original hunter-gatherers foraged thousands of years ago, but also tells the story of the coast's nutrient-rich waters and how indigenous man survived by foraging for food on these shores.

From the exhibition, the springtime culinary adventure started in earnest as eager foragers embarked on an inspirational and educational two-hour walking tour along the coastline. No matter your background, you'll easily get caught up in the excitement and passion that both Charles and Jocelyn share for food foraging in Cape Town.

Good to know: Each foraging expedition with The Table Bay is customised, and the bounty you'll find when foraging for food will vary depending on the season. The springtime forage served up surprising finds, including wild spinach, wild rosemary, nasturtiums, wild dagga, confetti bush, seaweed, sour fig leaves, lemon leaves and blossoms, num-nums, Cape sorrel, wild garlic and soutslaai  (known as ice lettuce, and found mainly on the Cape West Coast).

After you've worked up an appetite foraging for food in the city's nooks and crannies, you'll be happy to know that you can pick your flowers and eat them too. From food foraging in Cape Town to walking into her kitchen, Executive Chef Jocelyn Myers-Adams consistently proves her culinary genius in creating mouth-watering foraging feasts. This is because cooking with food that you've foraged means there can be no set-menu, as each dish is unique with different foraging ingredients paired to complement each other.

Springtime food foraging in Cape Town: The Feast

Using the bounty from the springtime forage, Chef Jocelyn served up a bluefish tartar with kelp and sea lettuce, lemon leaf, Cape Sorrel, and spekboom as starter. She followed up this incredible dish with the mains, which consisted of mallow-leaf crusted beef fillet with sautéed soutslaai, dune spinach, Swiss chard and wild garlic, cumin-crusted sweet potato chips, red wine jus and pickled agave shoots. For dessert, she plated up a wild dagga chocolate brownie with hibiscus-infused white chocolate mousse, num-num puree, wild dagga chocolate mousse, pistachio sugar works and fresh berries (ensuring a sweet end to a particularly sweet day).

Before you go food foraging in Cape Town, remember to pack the following

• Sunblock and a hat
• Comfortable walking shoes
• A bottle of water – foraging for food is thirsty work!

For a taste of this unique culinary experience, book your place for the 29th of October 2015, when Executive Chef Jocelyn Myers-Adams once again adventures into Cape Town with Charles Standing to go foraging for food. Don't miss out. This is one for the Bucket List.