ABOUT THE BOOK
“Elephant social behaviour has taught me that life should be about caring, giving, helping and sharing. And that too, is what creating the best food is all about.” - Françoise Malby-Anthony
A celebration of French-inspired cuisine and a tribute to the wild, Dining with Elephants invites you to discover not only exquisite dishes, but the magic of a life lived close to nature.
This book is a collection of true stories from 27 years of living in the African bush. A feast of close encounters: elephants strolling past your table, rhinos squatting on the lodge veranda, cheetahs hunting at your front door, and a bushbaby at the bar.
Each story captures the chaos, humour, and profound lessons of life among the wild. It is about coexistence, sharing space with untamed wisdom, and discovering humility in the presence of true intelligence.
Alongside, Françoise shares the inventive, resourceful dishes she created with her Zulu kitchen team.
Dining with Elephants is not an ordinary cookbook; it’s a feast of stories and flavours from the heart of the African bush, where French cuisine meets wild adventure.
MALBY-ANTHONY SHARES MEMORIES AND RECIPES:
When we first began our journey at Thula Thula more than twenty-six years ago, our world revolved around a small herd of seven elephants. They were known locally as “problem elephants,” and their formidable matriarch, our legendary Nana, had earned quite a reputation as an escape artist.
At the time, Thula Thula was little more than a dream taking shape in the wild hills of Zululand. Lawrence and I had opened the Elephant Safari Lodge in May 2000, surrounded by vast landscapes, ancient trees, and the powerful presence of the elephants who had come to define the spirit of the reserve. Yet in those early days, we faced a very practical challenge: how could we convince guests to travel to this remote corner of South Africa and experience the magic of the bush with us?
The answer came to me quite naturally. Being French, I believed that if there was one universal language capable of bringing people together, it was food. Good food. Creative food. Food made with passion and imagination.
And so an idea was born — to bring the elegance and creativity of French cuisine into the heart of the African bush. Lawrence immediately loved the concept. Why not serve refined meals worthy of a Parisian table, but surrounded by the sounds, scents, and beauty of the Zululand wilderness?
From that moment on, cooking became an essential part of the Thula Thula experience. Each morning began with generous breakfasts, followed by three-course lunches and elegant four-course dinners served beneath African skies. Guests arrived expecting a safari and discovered, to their delight, an unexpected culinary journey as well.
Of course, creating a French kitchen in the bush came with its share of challenges. My vegetable and herb garden quickly became irresistible to the elephants, who would regularly help themselves to whatever was growing. There were many moments of improvisation, laughter, and occasionally chaos as wildlife and cooking collided in the most unpredictable ways.
Yet those very challenges became some of the most cherished memories of life at the lodge. Encounters with curious animals, dinners prepared under the vast African sky, and the joy of sharing meals with guests from all over the world slowly shaped a unique culinary story — one deeply rooted in both French tradition and African wilderness.
Over the years, guests began asking for the recipes behind the dishes they had enjoyed. Compliments flowed, along with the same recurring question: “When will you write a cookbook?”
This book is the answer to that question.
But it is more than simply a collection of recipes. It is also the story of a Parisian woman who found herself learning the delicate art of coexistence with wild animals in an African wildlife reserve. It is a story of adventure, resilience, humour, and deep respect for the natural world.
Within these pages, each recipe carries a memory — of elephants wandering through the garden, of evenings shared with wonderful guests, and of the extraordinary journey that has been Thula Thula.
Because here, in this remarkable place, food, nature, and life itself have always been beautifully intertwined.
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