My adventure spirit took me to Kiambethu tea farm in Tigoni Limuru, a hidden gem and
a popular attraction and was fascinated by the many things I learnt on tea. The house
once hosted the former US President Jimmy Carter and his family, attracts a lot of
visitors. Fiona Vernon, the owner of the farm is the host and with her well-spoken voice,
she takes her guests through the history of the family that brought tea to Kenya, how the
tea tours and how ‘fate’, if I may put that way, saw her handling the tea tours that she
once swore to her mother that she would never do. You’ll also fall in love with the well-
manicured gardens and the view of the Columbus monkeys jumping from tree to tree
and the sounds of birds chirping. The view of the lush acres of tea plantation is
magnificent; they seem to disappear from the horizon.
But apart from the lessons from tea, there is also the food bit which I cherished the
most. After thirty minutes of lectures, walking and a breath of fresh air, it was time for
refreshments and I preferred taking iced tea as we waited for the sumptuous home
cooked lunch. Chef Joseph Vukaya brought to us the starter which was vegetable soup
made from carrots, potatoes, leeks and vegetable stock. I have never been a fan for
starters as I sometimes tend to take more and become full before taking the main meal.
This time round I took it because I really needed the soup for warmth thanks to the cold
weather. Joseph has been a chef at Kiambethu for more than 25 years and understands
the menu at his fingertips. It always amazes me finding staff who have been in an
establishment for long, doing the same thing with a smile on their face. Joseph lets me
know that it’s the environment as well as his passion for cooking that has made him
enjoy serving guests at the farm for that long.
He lead me to the dining room where a buffet was waiting for me to serve whatever we
wished for. I served chicken beef butternut squash, rice, potato and leeks. Butternut
looks like pumpkin only that it’s firmer when cooked and contains more Vitamin A, C
and is a great source of Vitamin E and potassium. It has higher calories too and complex
carbs has more than twice the amount of dietary fiber. Butternut squash can go well
with pork, chicken, turkey, ham or even ribs. It can be toasted, roasted, baked, grilled,
sautéed and steamed. Its seeds are also valuable and can be roasted, salted as well as
consumed as a snack just like pumpkin.
I read somewhere that the butternut originated from the United States in the 1930s as a
natural outcrossing or mutation of the Canadian crookneck squash. It was a problematic
plant and was not reliable in providing a consistent production of straight necked
squashes. So, most farmers worked so hard to breed out these straight necked squashes
in their farm due to demand. It was only in the 1940s when Charles A. Leggett, a farmer
in the US, after much experimentation in his garden brought his squash to the Waltham
Agricultural Experiment field station where the Waltham family assisted him to make
the butternut squash popular. Presently, it is a popular dish in most restaurants thanks
to this trial and error process.
Enough of that long history, I loved it’s sweet, moist and nutty taste, which was a bit like
sweet potato and it made the chicken tastier. We also had some beetroot carrot, some
tomatoes and vinaigrette sauce which gave it a punchy flavor. For desert, there was a
wide array of cheese set on the cheese tray and crackers. There were also fruits, lemon
mousse and homemade ice cream of different flavors like chocolate and vanilla. I am an
ice cream lover and despite the cold, I went for it. The farm has cows and the ice cream
is home made. I later learnt that the food came from vegetables from the farm’s garden and desserts, which are topped with cream, come from the herd of jersey cows on the farm. After the meals, one can head over to buy some of the tea as they conclude their visit.
