Discovering South Africa on a budget: Christmas in Prins Albert

Prins Albert became even more popular after the screening of the Kokkedoor TV series. I do not own a TV but did manage to watch a few episodes and followed

it in magazines. This was not the reason for our decision to have our Christmas lunch there though. Both my mum and I have a love for Prins Albert, long before Pam Golding spotted the potential!

My great grand parents once owned the dairy.
The original house was in De Beer
street, opposite the school. The cows grazed on the veld stretching on the
edge of the town and at milk time the cows slowly returned to the stables,
each one had her own spot and Oupa Loots milked them by hand. There were
plenty fruit trees and fruit were exported via train.

Later years they moved to a small "dorpshuis".

During my stay in Johannesburg I often stayed overnight at Prins Albert en
route to Mossel Bay, even if it was out of the way.

I watched the town grow and "inkommers" opening guesthouses and restaurants.

Prins Albert has not lost its allure though, the "watervoor" still offers relieve from the heat and everyone still greets.

Back to Christmas 2013 though.

We decided to have Christmas lunch in Prins Albert. It was just my mum and I this Christmas and cooking for two really is not fun.

It was hot, very hot and we had a flat tyre after crossing the mighty

Swartberg Pass. The Swartberg Hotel offered cool relief from the dry Karoo

heat.

Tables were plain but stylishly decorated. Individual menus were printed and

lovely presented.
The appetizers were simply gorgeous. Stuffed mushrooms, Thai veggie

springrolls, Ostrich carpassio and blini with smoked salmon, all served at

room temperature.

Starters were prawn cocktail with lychees and avocado.

The main meal was a buffet of different meats, salads and veggies..too many to

mention.

The nice touch was that they prepared a veggie Wellington for the vegetarians.

This was delicious..a crisp, buttery crust and lovely spinach filling.