MIDLANDS MEANDER: LINGA LAPA

You cannot scare me with carbs – and bread is my major downfall in life, especially fresh, white bread, straight out of the oven. The bigger and fresher the bread, the better. Serve it with a few spreads and cheeses and you have me dining up a feast. Us three girls on our road trip in up to KwaZulu-Natal Midlands happened to find the Linga Lapa just after we turned off towards our accommodation for the evening. We’d been driving for what felt like days, and we we’re proper hangry (by now, you should know this is a real thing).

The Midlands Meander is the history-filled route, running between Pietermaritzburg and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Mountain Range, which is a World Heritage Site, and is famous for these sorts of spots, selling local produce.

Starving, we picked up a few deli treats to take back to our cottage to enjoy on our beautiful balcony at Brahman Hills, which happened to be just over the road. The winning item we picked up had to be the Danish Feta Stuffed Pepperdews in Homemade Olive Oil. The others chose the totally divine Smoked Chicken Salad which was just a treat (minus the chicken for me, of course). There were all sorts of pestos, spice packets and spreads available at the country farmstall-type deli, so we decided on a beautiful Black Olive and Tomato Tapenade style Pesto, which was so light with the kick of chili coming through in the after taste, and a Tomato and Chili Jam, which I didn’t love.

All in all, it was a beautiful, spontaneous think-on-our-feet meal – which we enjoyed in one of the most beautiful venues on the Midlands Meander.

Find the Linga Lapa Restaurant, Deli and Butchery at the Intersection N3/R103, Exit 132 on Nottingham Road, KwaZulu-Natal. You can follow them on Facebook, although they don’t seem to be very active. To make a reservation at the restaurant, you can call them on 061 898 4939.