Latest News from La Motte

With the French Bastille Day (Fête Nationale) celebrated on 14 July, the Franschhoek Valley commemorates its French heritage with the annual weekend-long Bastille Festival, while at La Motte, we enjoy sharing a few French secrets with you to enjoy during July. Join us as we embrace the influence of the French on our winemaking heritage,...

Legendary chef Auguste Escoffier famously declared that the three great secrets of French cuisine are: butter, butter, butter. While this is a playful culinary proverb, French gastronomy is built on a few core pillars that elevate simple ingredients into world-renowned masterpieces. We know that French cooking relies on the freshness and quality of its ingredients,...

Do you also like to cook a steak at home? Experience an exceptional experience of flavour and texture that starts with something as basic as butter, but ends as a harmonious combination of flavour and texture – from your grill to your glass. We don't expect you to go to the effort of sourcing buchu...

When slowly roasted, garlic caramelizes and softens, making it an ideal flavouring for a steak butter. This recipe combines the roasted garlic with earthy rosemary and the floral notes of pink peppercorns to enjoy over a beautifully marbled ribeye steak Prep time: 1 hour, 15 mins plus chilling  Ingredients: –    200g butter, softened–  ...

Containing deeply caramelised shallots, portobello mushrooms and a hint of truffle oil, this rich compound butter lends a luxurious finish to fillet steak. Prep time: 1 hour, 15 mins plus chilling  Ingredients: –    200g butter, softened–    2 shallots, thinly sliced–    1 Tbsp butter–    1 tsp white sugar–    3 medium portobello...

A classic French bistro recipe, Café de Paris butter is a delicious combination of anchovies, tarragon, garlic and Dijon mustard. It’s wonderful on steak, chicken and even fish. Prep time: 15 mins plus chilling  Ingredients: –    200g butter, softened–    3 brown anchovy fillets–    1 Tbsp baby capers–    1 Tbsp fresh parsley–...

While the bounty of summer with lush green vineyards and age-old, shade-providing oaks, is the image predominantly associated with the Cape Winelands, it is when we are confronted with the stripped winter landscape that we are often struck by the unexpected beauty of the naked vines and bare oak tree branches against the stark white...

Winter in the Winelands is the perfect time to enjoy beautiful food and wine - in front of a fireplace on rainy days and in a sunny spot when the mellow winter sun is out. L'Ami Family Brasserie introduces a set menu for winter that promises to warm you right up! Additional to the regular...

Serves 2 as main - 4 as side Ingredients 400g tin chickpeas, drained 30ml olive oil 45ml garlic and herb seasoning (or any seasoning of your choice) 6 small beetroot, peeled and cooked 12 baby carrots 2 red onions, quartered 120ml full fat plain yoghurt 45ml tahini 15ml red wine vinegar 15ml honey fresh thyme...

Serves 4 - 6 Ingredients 250ml polenta 1000ml vegetable stock 30ml butter 50g parmesan cheese, grated olive oil for frying 2 cloves of garlic, mashed 4 sprigs of thyme, plus more leaves for serving 240g mushrooms, such as shitake, porcini and portabellini 100g chorizo, removed from the casing and coarsely chopped Method Preheat the oven...