Good Taste Magazine (Art of Living)

By Keri Harvey

“Everything I need is right here,” says Gordon Wright, “Graaff-Reinet is bustling, beautiful and inspiring to live in.” As South Africa’s fourth-oldest town, it’s an eclectic mix of African and European cultures, which can be seen in the architecture of the buildings and the rich heritage of the place. It’s cosmopolitan and definitely not quiet.

Gordon was an investment banker and moved to Graaff-Reinet two years ago to live a more authentic life with his wife and two sons. “I wanted my boys to grow up riding their bicycles in the street,” he says. So when he found Andries Stockenström Guesthouse “by pure chance”, his dream of indulging his passion for cooking took flight. Now so do some of his guests, who come from as far as Johannesburg and Cape Town for monthly dinners at his acclaimed Gordon’s Restaurant.

“Cooking is my first love,” says Gordon. “I always heard foreigners asking for real South African food, so that’s what I do. My menu is exclusively Karoo food and I only source my ingredients locally. Here, organic is a way of life, so food has good flavour and is excellent quality.” Gordon’s signature dish is Cape Wild Hare—hare is commonly eaten in Europe but not in South Africa, yet it is thoroughly Karoo food. It’s served slow roasted, infused with herbs, honey and whisky.

Graaff-Reinet may be a Karoo town, but it’s no ‘dorp’. It’s vibey and eclectic, with a mix of cultures and languages. The town is littered with over 300 national monuments—more than any other town in South Africa. Most of these are private homes and virtually all are in pristine condition. In town there is the historic Reinet House and the Drostdy to see, intricate Porcupine Quill House, the world’s largest living grape vine, the Obesa cactus and succulent collection with over 4 000 species, and the Jan Rupert Art Museum, housing one of the finest collections of Pierneef paintings in southern Africa.

The town is completely surrounded by nature reserve and wildlife. There’s the Camdeboo National Park conserving the towering dolerite columns of the Valley of Desolation. There are also fossils and rock paintings to see, along with Anglo-Boer War engravings. Just out of town you can do everything from picnicking to paragliding, mountain biking to microlighting, and there’s theKalkkop meteorite impact crater to visit too.

“Graaff-Reinet is truly the gem of the Karoo,” says Gordon. “It has so much to offer—history, heritage and the great outdoors. The people live authentically, and they still walk around at night because they can. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”