“Travel is inspiration. And while we cannot travel now, our inspiration for dining al fresco is inspired by our recent 10-year anniversary trip to South Africa. Being vegan can be a challenge when travelling, but South Africa truly made it easy. The options were many but there are two distinct experiences that transported our tummies and our hearts into the stratosphere! La Colombe at Silvermist in Hout Bay, and Warwick Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. I always say that it’s hard to be romantic on an empty belly… and these two experiences didn’t disappoint.

Each experience was special and different. One an eight-course menu with wine pairing and the other a relaxed, comfortable engagement with wine, good food and thoughtful touches. It has stayed with me encouraging us to rethink and find small solutions during a time when space is critical.”

— Lisa Binns, co-principal Stush in the Bush

The award-winning Stush in the Bush on the elevated plains of FreeHill St Ann closed its doors on March 13, 2020. The reopening took place in spectacular style on Sunday, August 9. Heeding COVID-19 protocols and the desire to make people feel comfortable dining, principals Lisa and Chris Binns crafted a delivery system of sorts to ensure that meals were touched only by patrons. Indeed, courses were presented in IngenBio ‘unbleached’, compostable fibre bowls with lids.

Thankfully, there remains Stush in the Bush bespoke mingling plates by Baughaus that have always been a special part of the dining experience, plus wooden chargers by Bartley’s All Wood. Forever locavores, forever supportive of local and the community the Binnses shared with Thursday Food how they used the ‘sabbatical’ to reflect, write, create space for creative work, dig deep into farming and regenerative practices, and just breathe.

“We are fortunate to have green space, and a farm to support us in these times. Having time to reconnect to why we chose what we did in the first place has been quietly joyful. We are conscious that not everyone has had that, but it has certainly shown us that we have been on the right track, and to continue to count our blessings. Chris has been deeply farming and working with Fersan on their offerings of organic fertilisers, and I have been working on my cookbook. After the initial month-and-a-half, we began to bring in staff in duos and under strict sanitisation protocols to generate product using what is coming in on farm and locally available, and obviously to help support their livelihoods. As a result, new products have been born…

— Bajan (BAY-jun) pepper sauce… “Don’t Tek a Six for a Nine”

— Strawberry Rosé Conserve made from local strawberries and South African Delheim Pinotage Rosé

— Spicy Banana Jam

— Herb Spiced Pickled Beets

“We have been exploring vegan cheeses, and adding to our Cashew Ricotta, Cheese Sauce, and Vegan Parmesan with Herbed Vegan Cheese, Cheddar, and Almond Ricotta. We are still playing with a Vegan Mozzarella,” Lisa shared.

Changes have been made to the dining experience to protect both staff and guests. The most obvious one is the new location. “Luckily for us, our experiences are had in the fresh, open air,” she informed. “Our spaces are designed to reflect our philosophy of living, and we value nature and being outdoors most of all. We started Stush in the Bush with the concept of small, intimate, farm-to-table dining experiences, but the demand drove us up to a maximum capacity. Our intention is to return to that… to create small nooks for couples, tables for family and friends, returning to al fresco dining experiences out on the farm where there is abundant space. We are opening each section independently, starting with the Fig Tree Deck, where we curate a bohemian, earthy dining vibe. We are still offering seven courses, but with an element of surprise, individual packaging and leisure. And of course, we continue to be by reservation only, welcoming private groups and couples alike. Our staff have been utilising new protocols and with our currently in-progress renovations, spacing in the kitchen will allow guests to feel confident about food handling.

We are pumping up our product offerings and building a delivery stand, so that our guests will be able to experience Stush@Home. For us, it is important not to begin anything during COVID-19 that we don’t intend to continue, so offering products, our gourmet rustic pizzas and a few other items allows home cooks to add to their repertoire and gives them opportunities to ‘Stush’ up their cooking with things like coconut yoghurt, watermelon poke, kale pesto and other delicious additions at home. Virtually, we are cooking together apart with my Stush Cooking Club. While defunct for a few weeks, it has gotten a new lease on life and we intend to embrace that to a maximum of six socially distant in-kitchen participants, and 25 live “online” participants, with the option for others to pay-per-view again. It’s clear there is a desire to be more health-conscious and to be able to create that at home for your family is critical. Our thoughts about being locavores [eating/consuming what is here], and limiting imports, continue to be at the forefront of our minds, and all of our food creations.”

Between their decade of wedded bliss, their obvious passion for what they do and the palpable love one feels in their presence, Lisa and Chris Binns, who understood long before many the importance of the land have been welcomed back with open arms. Thursday Food will, like their legion of devotees, continue to applaud, support and bask in the hills of St Ann as often as possible.

We absolutely concur with Lisa that people are ready, but not to go back, instead to go forward with new protocols and hopefully a fresh outlook on what dining out means… to eat locally, to eat fresh, to eat well, to eat ‘Stush’.