Vegetable soup has been part of Cape cuisine since the first Dutch settlers arrived here in 1652. Different vegetables, sometimes with and often without meat or bacon, were used to prepare this soup. As was the custom 300 years ago when meat was omitted from soup, olive oil is used and the soup is thickened with finely...

Try this quick and delicious recipe from our Cape Winelands Cuisine cookbook – it is perfect for breakfast, brunch or lunch! Many versions of bacon tart appear in old cookbooks. All the recipes are basically a variation on a salty ‘bread pudding’ made from egg custard, bread and breakfast bacon or ham. This recipe is...

Lamb is such a core ingredient in South Africa and it has been so since the earliest days. Within a few years of Jan van Riebeeck’s arrival at the Cape, there were enough sheep to supply the population with all the mutton they needed. O.F. Mentzel, a German soldier who came to the Cape in...

It is harvest-time in the Winelands – surely the most exciting time of the year on a wine farm. More than wine, harvest-time also offers grapes and must – two lovely seasonal ingredients to cook with. Last year we shared the story of must – its ancient history and how it has probably been introduced...

Late summer in the Cape Winelands offers a bounty of fruit and therefore the traditional cuisine of the area uses fruit in all kinds of ways – in desserts, pastries, confectionery, salads… Pierneef à La Motte restaurant’s late summer menu celebrates the season with a light and playful festival of summer fruit in delicious dessert...

Jan van Riebeeck planted the first melons at the Cape. In the Netherlands and later at the Cape, the fruit was served thinly sliced and eaten with salt and sometimes with pepper. As an interesting aside, the first melons harvested at the Cape were quite small and, in 1659, Jan van Riebeeck declared that a...

Wentelteefjes (or French Toast) with dried fruit compôte. From our Cape Winelands Cuisine cookbook (page 27). This dish can be traced back more than 2000 years to a Roman chef called Apicius, who cooked for the aristocracy during the time of Christ. Where and when the name French toast was created is uncertain; however, it...

The beginning of a new year usually sees us aspiring to a healthier way of living and New Year’s resolutions usually focus on more exercise and better eating and drinking habits. Carbohydrates are often regarded as the main culprit when it comes to weight gain and most of us see bread as the head girl...

We think bread can be part of a healthy lifestyle. So why not try this recipe for our popular Grandmother’s Bread as per the Cape Winelands Cuisine cookbook (page 15). Mrs Huberte Rupert found this easy bread recipe ca. 1960 on a packet of flour she bought from Haldenwang Bakery in Bird Street, Stellenbosch, and...

So the Christmas table has once again charmed everyone with decadence and delight. Now the table has been cleared, the leftover meats are in the refrigerator and although you thought it would never be possible, you are peckish again. It is the holidays after all, so why not change that leftover roast into a delicate...