Always Look On The Bright Side

Chef James Diack is so committed to seasonal eating that almost all the ingredients on the menus at his three Joburg restaurants come from his family’s organic farm in the Magaliesberg. Visit Brightside and you’ll find a little piece of heaven where a boar named after Barry Manilow runs the show…

- Kate Els

“GET OUT, GET OUT OF THERE!” whoops Janet Diack as a member of her eager pack of dogs starts exhuming a precious crop of horseradish. The Jack Russell halts, sniffs the air, then busies himself scratching his hindquarters, knowing better than to carry on with his self-appointed task.

All around Janet, the Earth seems to lean in. A cluster of lemon trees stretches towards the morning sun, while vines reach up through the dewy mist. Brightside Farm is its own world and she is its chief matron, willing nature to work alongside her charm and passion to produce incredible herbs, vegetables and fruit.

Walking through Janet’s garden is an endless treasure hunt, as you take care not to step on flowering marrows (which will be stuffed with her home-made ricotta, then deep-fried), trip over a trombone squash or accidentally smother a tiny lettuce seedling.

This garden is the definition of love made visible: spinach plants stand to attention, hints of purple beetroot sprout from an overgrown greenhouse, and fat jalapeños string themselves from branches. It’s clear there is no pattern to the planting, but it’s also obvious that this is a relentless cyclical process that has taken years to perfect.

IF YOU’VE EVER MADE YOUR WAY to one of chef James Diack’s three restaurants, you will appreciate the unique ingredients on the menu. And when you understand that they all come from this mere 60 acres of land, you, too, will fall in love with every single one of them. Between Coobs, The National and The Federal, James uses everything Brightside Farm can offer, but it’s a relationship that works because of its symbiosis. Whatever can be returned to Brightside, be it coffee grounds for adding nitrates to the soil or the seeds from vegetables not used in dishes, it is willingly received by Janet to begin the process of growth once again.