Andrew Unsworth strikes gold in the hills beyond Barberton

The Makhonjwa Mountains around Barberton are the oldest in the world. I'm not sure that it really matters how old mountains are; they were there before we were and it's comforting to think they will still be there when we have eaten everything on the planet and become extinct but, yes, it's nice to know we have the oldest mountains.

Old mountains are soft mountains, smoothed and rounded over millenia, and that makes for the beautiful landscape between Barberton and Badplaas, and the Nkomazi Game Reserve is tucked away into the mountains just there.

We arrived at the entrance gate at the designated time, for you have to leave your vehicle there and are fetched in a Jeep for the half-hour drive to the Komati Tented Lodge which is right on the river - no cars or car park.

Nkomazi's 17 000ha, comprising former game and tobacco farms, is a mix of mountain, river and open grassland that is more reminiscent of East Africa than the bushveld. The reserve had some game but the big five and more have been re-introduced, by the same team, Shamwari Dubai World, that successfully "re-wilded" both Shamwari Game Reserve and Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in Western Cape.

This is understated luxury. The 12 tents, hidden from each other in the riverine bush, have air-conditioning if you want it, en-suite bathrooms, private plunge pools and viewing deck. Well, the shower was en-suite - the bath was on the deck, and I used it even in the rain.

We managed one game drive with manager Ulrich Schutte, and as soon as I hinted that I was as interested in the flora as the animals, he took the hint and we talked trees, before stopping for the traditional sundowners on one of the massive rounded rocks that pepper the hills and offer perfect views of the plain below.

More drives were ruled out by sloth and rain, providing the perfect excuse to laze in luxury and listen to the rush of the Komati River over rocks. An energetic South African dentist from London fished in the river. We gathered for teas and meals in the elegant lounge tent. We went to bed early.

Another game reserve tradition is trotting out the chef to explain the menu, and I was intrigued by the gorgeous Valencia Maluleke.

She hails from Malamulele in Giyani, now in Limpopo, and after training at the Technical College of Venda she has notched up seven years' experience at three other private game reserves - Manyeleti, Tinga and Dulini.

She had joined Nkomazi just two weeks before I visited and had, she says, been given the freedom to change anything on the menu.

"The dinners needed some colour to be alive and attractive," she says. "Colour and taste are what I've been working with." That certainly makes a change from every other chef rabbiting on about using only the freshest local produce with the minimum of fuss.

When I asked for a recipe, she e-mailed the one on this page. I also really enjoyed her venison potjie with red wine and a papaya marinade to tenderise the meat.

•  Unsworth was a guest of The Mantis Group and Thompsons holidays