Vanilla Bean and Almond Meringues with Mixed Berry Sauce

At the end of November we packed our bags and headed out of the burbs for a weekend in the Overberg. This was a welcome break after a busy few weeks on the home and work fronts, plus a chance to spend some quality family time together. Our destination was a farm called Landmeterskop near Stanford and were invited to join some good friends who had been there before. What a gem of a place! 

Iced Cappuccino Crunch Brownies

Earlier this month I attended the Good Housekeeping Celebrity Bake Stars event at D'Aria in Durbanville. There were bubbles and nibbles and foodies galore, and the audience was treated to a demonstration by Zola Nene and Clement Pedro who shared loads of fun recipe tips and tricks.

Restaurant review: Dash restaurant

It is not often that hubby and I get out on our own for a meal (the closest we get to a date night these days seems to be on school parent evenings, ouch!). So we were thrilled to be invited to Dash restaurant for an elegant meal, just the two of us.   

Dash is situated inside the Queen Victoria Hotel at the V&A Waterfront. The first thing I noticed as I walked in was the view of Table Mountain, and what a view it is! After a warm and friendly welcome we settled down at our table to peruse the three course set menu. 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Truffles and a food demo in Bloemfontein

Two weeks ago, after months of planning and anticipation, it was finally time to hop on a plane and fly to Bloemfontein where I had been invited to demonstrate some of my recipes to the lovely ladies of Bloemfontein Fynproewers. Exciting times! When I landed I was met at the airport by Alma, one of the committee members who took me straight to the demo venue where the other committee members were all busy in the kitchen preparing my dishes for the audience to taste the following day. I had a chance to get my bearings, check the recipes and also familiarise myself with the demonstration area. At this point the excitement and the nerves were really starting to kick in! 

10 Minute Cheese and Herb Rolls

Two weeks ago I was invited to attend an event hosted by Sasko and which took place at the South African Chefs Academy in Observatory. The Sasko Chefs Kitchen was a fun afternoon of cooking, food photography and of course eating! 

Out & About: Food Photography Workshop

Last week I had dinner with two of my oldest and best friends, and while we were catching up on family, work, the usual stuff, I mentioned that I had attended a food photography workshop the previous weekend. It was then that one of my friends rehashed a story about how the two of us had been sitting in our high school French class one day and how I had mentioned that I would love to be a food photographer one day. I always knew I would be involved in the food world one day, but it was amazing to hear her story as I had completely forgotten saying it! Life is a funny thing eh?

Out & About: Sedgefield and Wild Oats Market

The last few weeks have flown by and I have found myself up to my ears in all sorts of preparation - organising the nursery, stocking up on newborn nappies and cooking extra meals for the freezer. Are you noticing a theme here? Last week though we managed to escape for a long weekend in Sedgefield with the family, just the relaxing, sun-kissed and sand-coated short break we needed! 

Cookie Swap 4 & Chocolate Orange Sugar Hearts

Cookie Swap 4 took place on the 2nd of August, and once again it was a national event that saw cookie lovers from around the country gathering together to exchange treats, socialise and most importantly raise money for Learn to Earn and specifically their Bake For Profit students who are in dire need of more kitchen equipment to assist with their training. Do have a look at the website to see how this fantastic organisation gives people "a hand up, not a hand out"! 

The Knorr Flavourful Goodness Experience

Last Thursday I was invited to attend the Knorr Flavourful Goodness Experience at the SA Chef's Training Academy in Observatory. Food bloggers, nutritionists and members of the media were invited to "rediscover the joy of simple family cooking" along with familiar face Chef Wendy and the Unilever team. 

Lemon Curd

Before we delve into this week's recipe I wanted to share my most recent dining out experience with you. Black Sheep Restaurant in Kloof Street, Cape Town has been around for a little while now, and it is not surprising to see why it is so popular. There is a seasonal blackboard menu which changes regularly, but no shortage of tasty dishes to choose from. The layout of the restaurant is interesting, with a downstairs bar area and tables set out on multiple levels. Snappy service in a relaxed atmosphere made for a delightful meal. 

I enjoyed a fragrant and tender lamb curry served with rice and flatbreads, and I found the level of heat was just right for me, (extra chilli is provided for those who prefer their curry more fiery). Dessert was a light gingerbeer sorbet served with gorgeous lime curd and a gingersnap.Which got me all inspired to make this next recipe...

Weekend at Birkenhead House, Hermanus

Recently I was lucky enough to enjoy the weekend of a lifetime when my husband and I stayed at the luxurious Birkenhead House &Villa in Voelklip, Hermanus. This was the prize that I received after winning the Two Oceans Simple Snacking Challenge last year. And before I forget, let me also just quickly apologise for the lack of recipe this week - will some pretty pictures do instead? 

Radio Tygerberg Potjie Competition

When I started blogging, one of my goals - apart from sharing my favourite recipes - was to challenge myself to try new ingredients and dishes. I certainly have done that a number of times, but last Saturday I truly stepped out of my comfort zone when this English cook from the Southern Suburbs agreed to take part in a potjiekos competition in the heart of the Boland as part of the Ommiberg "Round the Rock" Festival.

Out & About: ROOT44 Market

Not far from Cape Town, on the R44 to Stellenbosch you will find Audacia Farm, home to the popular ROOT44 Market. We headed down there last Sunday morning to see what was on offer.

Freshpak Media Event & Rooibos Iced Tea Two Ways

Image courtesy of Freshpak.

Let us start this post with some fun facts about me. Fact #1: 99.99% of my days start the same way - with a cup of rooibos tea. They have done for around about the last 7 or 8 years. It is fair to say that I am a fan! Fact #2: I used to make iced tea (including a rooibos flavour) for a living, before my travelling years. I was thrilled then to receive an invitation from Freshpak to a creative afternoon with chef, Kirsty Rowett.

Grand opening of the new Pick 'n Pay, V&A Waterfront

Images courtesy of Pick 'n Pay

It's not every day that I get to escape the regular morning routine and attend a grand event. This past Thursday was that day as I was invited to be a guest at the much anticipated opening of Pick 'n Pay's brand new store at the V&A Waterfront (insert "oooooooh" sound here). I arrived at the new store, situated on the lower level of Victoria Wharf, shortly after 8am. The doors were closed, but outside the excited guests were given a welcome drink, delicious snacks (handy, if like me you had rushed out of the door without any breakfast), coffee and cookies. It was lovely to have some time to mingle and catch up with some of my fellow bloggers who were also in attendance.

Win tickets to the Cape Town Festival of Beer!

Today is a doubly happy day - not only is it the start of the weekend but I also have a give-away for you, fabulous readers! Up for grabs is a set of double tickets to the much anticipated Cape Town Festival of Beer which is on from 22 - 24 November 2013.

Out & About: City Bowl Market

For a while there I thought this post was never going to make it out! It's scary how accustomed we are to having access to the whole world at our fingertips - and how out of touch we feel when that connection is no longer there. So the short story is that my wireless internet connection decided to take the weekend off... and, err.. never came back. My IT-whizz hubby has managed to make an interim plan so I am kind-of sort-of back again, enough so for me to tell you about my recent visit to the City Bowl Market.

National Cookie Swap 2013 & Spiced Dark Chocolate Cookies

Well readers, I can't wait to tell you about an exciting event that I attended over the weekend. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter then you'll no doubt know what I'm talking about - the 3rd annual Cape Town Cookie Swap! This year it was a national event with cookie swaps also taking place in Johannesburg and Durban on the same day (Saturday). Proceeds from the event went to Khayelitsha Cookies, and I'll be telling you a bit more about this fantastic company in a little bit... 

Out & About: The Palms Market

Dried fruit by Droog

I have been itching to visit some new food markets and on Saturday morning we stumbled upon The Palms Market quite by accident. I'm so glad we did!

Knight Fine Furniture at The Palms

I arrived at The Palms Lifestyle Centre in Woodstock, with hubby and toddler in tow, for the grand opening of the Knight Fine Furniture showroom. While admiring the beautiful store and catching up with friends we couldn't help but be tempted by the smell of sizzling prego rolls and freshly brewed coffee wafting upstairs - not to mention the sounds of Newton Theron and his band, entertaining the crowd with classic hits and adding to the fun atmosphere. 

What struck me the minute we walked into The Palms was the decided vibe in the space. As I strolled through the ground floor food market I was greeted by the friendly faces of the traders - eager to share their sumptuous products and chat with passers by. 

Milk tart at the Zoelendal stand 

I was immediately attracted to a colourful display of dried fruit at the Droog stall (find them on Facebook). Outside the Rococoa chocolatier a staff member was keen to show me an eye-catching chocolate pizza topped with dried kiwi, strawberry and pineapple pieces. At the Zoelendals table Gerrit Van Dalen displayed his stunning savoury and sweet tarts, along with other fresh produce (you can visit their emporium at Newlands Quarter). And my husband wasted little time in following his nose to find out where that prego roll had come from and getting one for himself - which was devoured in no time! 

Also to be found at the market: artisan sausage and cheese, herbal tea, exotic mushrooms, pastries and cakes, beer bread, preserves and oil, sweet treats, liqueurs served in chocolate shot glasses, not to mention a variety of foods to take-away and enjoy on the go. 

Busy Saturday morning at The Palms

With so many beautiful food items available and delightful people to talk to I could easily have spent the entire morning going from stall to stall - sadly it wasn't possible this time around with my aforementioned toddler starting to tire, but all the more reason to visit again. 

To sum up, the thing that makes this market so special, apart from the authentic products, is the people who make them. Who pour passion and love into their craft, and it certainly shows! 

The Palms Market is situated at 145 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock and is open every Saturday from 9am to 2pm. For more information you can visit their website.

Zoelendals savoury tarts / Market day