Trout, rhubarb, celery and radish.
Trout, rhubarb, celery and radish.
Image: Gabrielle Holmes

Since opening in 2012, taking its name from the ancient giant camphor trees planted in 1700, the fine-dining Camphors restaurant at Vergelegen estate in Somerset West has gained a reputation among South African and international guests for exceptional food using seasonal ingredients.

The award-winning restaurant has consistently been placed in the top 10 of the prestigious Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards. It is currently placed eighth, and last year won the prestigious Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award.

The estate is well known for producing some of SA’s top wines, so that is a starting point at Camphors where the food experience is created to highlight and complement it. The menu is hyper-seasonal and has at its disposal a basket of natural and farmed fresh produce.

Camphors restaurant at Vergelegen.
Camphors restaurant at Vergelegen.
Image: Supplied / Vergelegen

The bounty of the estate’s diverse landscape, from the vineyards to the forest and the herb garden, is given pride of place by the kitchen team. Pears, lemons, chestnuts, almonds and pomegranates are some of Camphors’ homegrown produce.

At least 80% of Camphors' ingredients are sourced from hand-picked small producers and there are long-standing relationships with dedicated niche suppliers. Many growers have overcome considerable difficulties to maintain the highest standards during the recent drought, and the Camphors team considers it a responsibility to do justice to every ingredient.

A meal at Camphors is a food journey that tells the story of where the food is sourced and celebrates how food brings people together.

In the special Vergelegen edition of Business Day Wanted, read more about how each ingredient on a dish served at Camphors tells a unique story.

Karoo lamb, fennel and apricot.
Karoo lamb, fennel and apricot.
Image: Gabrielle Holmes

- This article was sponsored by Vergelegen.

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