Roushanna Gray

Roushanna Gray is the founder of Veld and Sea, an immersive and experiential wild flavour focussed business. The concept of Veld and Sea is to track the edible landscape through the seasons, with workshops that invite others to experience what nature’s flavour of the moment is. In Summer coastal foraging, in Autumn and Winter land-based harvesting and in the Springtime the focus moves to the flowers.

For Roushanna this personal interest began just over a decade ago when she joined her husband and his family on their farm and nursery adjacent to Cape Point. With no prior knowledge or plant background, living that close to nature inspired a desire to learn more about her surrounds, including what could be consumed and what couldn’t be, leading to a wild and slow – yet delicious learning experience. 

Roushanna opted to do this by becoming acquainted with one species at a time, and with the support of her mother in law, a horticulturist, was guided through the early days of the process. She opened a tiny tea garden at the nursery and looked to match the flavours of what was on the menu with what she was noticing in the plants around her.

Roushanna opted to do this by becoming acquainted with one species at a time, and with the support of her mother in law, a horticulturist, was guided through the early days of the process. She opened a tiny tea garden at the nursery and looked to match the flavours of what was on the menu with what she was noticing in the plants around her. 

Soon tiring of mainstream rooibos and honeybush, Roushanna yearned for more, expanding her offerings as her knowledge grew, incorporating new available flavours foraged from her surrounds as her eyes were opened by her expanding knowledge to the abundance of nutritious and delicious wild flavours around her.

This practically gained insight was supported by hours spent trawling through the internet, books, talking to chefs and cooks and the locals who know their land best.

We ask which indigenous plants and seafood excite her the most on the exploratory walks and sensory experiences that she embarks on daily, either on her own or with guests of Veld and Sea – and Travel Designer. She remarks excitedly that it’s ‘the constant change of the wild food micro-seasons’ which captivate and thrill her. She can’t choose which she loves the most, as there’s always something new and special to discover and savour. 

We speak at the beginning of Autumn and it marks the end of the seeds and the beginning of the months when nature will reward with mushrooms, acorns and dandelions. The gifts from the ocean and land speak to her, always with something new and varied to offer and she answers to their call.

In the current world of mass food production it is good to explore the advantages of sustainable practices such as these, and the ethos of truly going back to nature for the best nutrition and sustenance. With the flavours collected and used in the experiences at Veld and Sea ticking all the boxes – organic, seasonal, free and packed full of all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that make you healthy, you can’t go wrong. 

Anybody who loves food and cooking (be it as chef or home cook) will attest to the fact that the fresher the ingredients the better, as you don’t have to overwork the food too much but can simply celebrate the true flavours of the plants.

A day with Roushanna and Veld and Sea varies depending on the season. Generally, it will start with a meet and greet at the cabin where you’re served an array of wild flavour snacks before heading to the ocean, mountain or forest (depending on the season) for an immersive and hands-on foraging experience. With foraging becoming popular and rather fashionable, it’s important to adhere to legal sustainable practices and regenerative foraging, which Roushanna guides you through. Once the bags are filled and you have your lot, you return to the cabin and as a group create a beautiful meal to feast on together.

Roushanna jokes that she can talk about seaweeds and wild plants for hours, but until you’ve picked it yourself and partaken in the circle of learning, harvesting, processing and eating from nature, with respect for the natural environment, it’s hard to truly grasp the satisfaction.

Talking about her proudest moments and achievements, Roushanna says she’s been working with local flavours for over 10 years now. It’s a ‘slow and patient process’ she repeats, and it is exciting to see the increased interest and how open and receptive people are to these crazy real flavours. ‘Five years ago it was quite a struggle to introduce people to things like seaweed, which they considered slimy and smelly, asking how can you eat that? But today everybody seems to have a more open sense of awareness and willingness to learn.  You see this with the vegan movement and how everybody just wants to do the right thing by means of being more eco-friendly, learning about the environment, getting to know the ecological systems and the way the natural world works.’

Personally in terms of her own identity, Roushanna comes from a mixed-race melting pot of a family and has often questioned where she best fits into Cape Town culturally. At times this has been difficult as she had often felt a sense of dilution, that was until she found where she belongs and fits in best – a place to live and learn through the plants and the diverse and wondrous flavours that they bring to her life.

Born and bred in Cape Town, Roushanna has lived in many parts of the city. Growing up in the suburbs, it was only in her mid-’20s that she moved out to Cape Point, still on the fringe of the city it is more influenced by the elements and when the wind blows, it howls. It’s this sense of wild that she loves, and she’s unlikely to ever move away. There is likely no more beautiful place for her to be bringing up her family.