Hartford House - The best dining experience

Hartford House has a distinguished presence, the majestic estate was built in the early eighteen hundreds, the thorough bred horses grazing in the distant fields, the bespoke luxurious accommodation and the simply unforgettable cuisine made this an outing to remember.

There is no better place for celebrations. Whether its weddings, anniversaries, or birthdays, each event is personalised and styled to ensure your every desire is fulfilled, every detail attended to.

Last week I celebrated my birthday, it was not meant to be a big celebration, to be honest I do not like big parties and would rather conserve my energies on individual celebrations rather than big events.

Hartford House is the perfect space for intimate festivities. Its private, its discreet and it really does cater to their guests' every whim. It was the birthday present I so wanted to give to myself, Hartford House was the only way I wanted to celebrate this happy event.

Ominous clouds greeted us. There was promise of rain and we rejoiced as the thunderous sky opened up and poured its heart out on the parched meadows and the thirsty fields. We sat back and watched the drops and listened to the symphony of rain.

That night dinner was served in the private dining room in front of a glowing fireplace. The chef phoned our villa to ask for our dining preferences and he delivered.

The meal was out of this world; we started with the visually breath taking and scrumptious Garden Salad with liquid nitrogen granito. It was truly a taste sensation the crispy warmed baby vegetables served with the smoking nitrogen beetroot granite, spectacular in a word.

For the main course we had the last of the vegetable garden's offerings with slightly smoked potato, pureed cashew cream, served on a wild giant mushroom accompanied by asparagus and fennel crisps. Chef Constantejn knows so much about how to liven up a vegetarian feast.

The desert was truly a master piece so colourful and full of flavour, yet so light and airy. The soya strawberry, rhubarb and soya milk foam was truly a magnificent way to end the evening; oh please do not let me forget about the birthday cake of chocolate ganache. Mind-blowing.

There are some unique places in the world that are worth a second and third visit, they are few and far between, however Hartford House is one place where I want to come back to time and time again and enjoy the splendour and the opulence of another era, another time when things were more precious, time was more valuable and memories were priceless.

Even though Hartford House is already booked out for Christmas, you can still plan a special family getaway or an intimate time out, all you need to do is phone and check the availability. Their number is 033 263 2713 or just email the general manager Duncan Bruce on gm@hartford.co.za and experience the sublime.