One of the favourite breakfast dishes served at Samara is this Farm-Style Eggs Benedict, prepared by our chefs using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients – including free-range farm eggs, rustic bread and homegrown herbs. Layers of toast, creamy avocado, crispy streaky bacon, perfectly poached eggs and silky homemade hollandaise sauce come together in a dish that captures the feeling of post-game drive mornings.
Ingredients (serves 1)
For the Farm-Style Eggs Benedict
- Bread of choice (sliced, toasted)
- Crispy streaky bacon
- Avocado pulp (smashed avocado with lemon, salt, pepper)
- Fresh rocket
- 2 poached eggs
- Hollandaise sauce (recipe below)
- Butter
- Salt & pepper to season
For the Hollandaise Sauce
- 3 egg yolks
- 150 g butter (clarified, melted)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt & cayenne pepper
Method
For the Farm-Style Eggs Benedict
- 1. Begin by toasting your bread of choice and placing it on a plate – buttered if preferred.
- 2. Add a bed of fresh rocket as the first layer, followed by a generous spoonful of avocado pulp.
- 3. Top with crispy streaky bacon before carefully placing two poached eggs on top.
- 4. Spoon over warm hollandaise sauce.
- 5. Finish off with micro herbs or edible flowers fresh from the garden and season to taste.
For the Hollandaise Sauce
- 1. Whisk the egg yolks together with the lemon juice over a bain-marie until slightly thickened.
- 2. Slowly drizzle in the warm clarified butter while whisking continuously to create a smooth, glossy sauce.
- 3. Season with salt and cayenne to taste.
- 4. Keep the sauce below 65°C to avoid splitting, then spoon over the eggs while warm.
How to Poach the Perfect Egg
- Bring a pot of water to a gentle simmer and add a splash of white vinegar. Carefully slide the eggs into the water and poach for 3–4 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks remain soft. Lift out gently and serve immediately.
Whether enjoyed after a sunrise game drive or recreated at home for a leisurely weekend brunch, we hope this recipe brings a little taste of Samara to your table — and with it, memories of time spent immersed in Nature.
Samara Karoo Reserve is a leading conservation journey to restore 67,000 acres of South Africa’s Great Karoo landscape and beyond through rewilding and responsible tourism. Staying at one of Samara’s lodges acts as a direct contribution to this vision.