Picnics and cocktails and matchy-matchy mum and daughters … all the things we’re loving this February.
Friends. Food. Flavour. All we need, really.
Michael Olivier says Friends. Food. Flavour. is the culmination of a long journey. He was invited by the Voyager Wine Estate in Western Australia to prepare a Cape Buffet for the duration of the Margaret River November Wine Festival. He, along with his wife, Madeleine, researched, deconstructed, and rebuilt the recipes, leaving them with a collection of essentially Cape dishes, which he wanted to publish. And what a collection it is. The book, sensationally illustrated by the jolly talented Roelien Immelman, includes dishes from the Cape Buffet, as well as additional ones from their restaurants and friends. So there’s Snoekpatee rubbing shoulders with Oeufs en Meurette, Pampoenkoekies and Soetpatats alongside a Tuscan Brick Chicken, Bobetie follows Arroz de Pato Portuguese Duck Rice. There are recipes from local foodies who we know and love – Dianne Bibby, Ina Paarman, Sam Linsell. It’s a feast – visually, too … too, too delish to resist. Penguin, R400
Blossom Cocktail
Cocktails for the season of love. And the prettiest one imaginable is this. It uses Japan’s legendary Roku Gin. For this Blossom Cocktail, you’ll need 50ml Roku Japanese Gin, 25ml each Triple Sec and fresh lemon juice, 50ml cranberry juice, tonic and an edible flower to garnish. To make, add all ingredients except the flower into a shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled glass with lots of ice. Garnish with an edible flower. If you have the time, go the extra mile and make flower ice-cubes. It’s a bit fiddly, but well worth it. Fill an ice-tray with water, carefully place pretty, edible flowers into the water and freeze.
A joyful wine
If you’re a fan of Steenberg Ruby Rosé (we are) you’ll have noticed it has a fresh new, elegant look. If you’ve yet to try this lovely, pale coral dry rosé, we urge you to do so. The perfect wine for a Valentine picnic, there are subtle scents of strawberry sherbet, blueberry coulis, rose petal, watermelon and fresh garden herbs, while you’ll taste juicy summer melon, berries and spiced peaches. R112 from steenbergfarm.com/shop
Bright and beady
We’re in a bright and cheerful mood … and these embellished seed bead earrings certainly lift our outfit as well as our mood. Oversized – at just over 10cm long they just brush your shoulders – they work just as well with jeans and a white tee as they do with a summer evening dress. R275 from lovisajewellery.co.za
We’re going all matchy-matchy this month, with this Like Mother, Like Daughter limited-edition collection from Poetry. Too gorg for words. You’ll find online at poetrystores.co.za
Compiled by: KYM ARGO
