With the promise of stormy winter weather in the Cape Winelands, we asked staff to contribute their recipes for warming one pot wonders. Brand Manager, Stephanie van Rensburg, shares her recipe for an easy, but hearty chicken curry: “I have a heavy hand with the Masala – it gives that extra bit of heat…. and...

Bastille Day or the French La Fête Nationale is celebrated on the 14th of July and serves as a celebration of a reunited France. In Franschhoek, with its rich French Huguenot history, French traditions have always been treasured and that is why each year Bastille Day is celebrated with a special festival. This year the...

The earthy flavours of rosemary, parsnip, roasted nuts and mushrooms combine in this delicious winter cake.  A dense and delightful cake that will add flavour and flair to any affair. Delicious as a side dish and perfect on its own, as long as you serve it with a glass of wine! Try it with the 2019 La...

There are a few things in life that just make you feel better. Pastry is one of them. Whether you need some comfort or to still a sudden hunger, pastries – sweet or savoury, buttery, flaky, delicate or chewy – will do the trick. One of the dishes on Pierneef à La Motte’s new menu,...

Before Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ the Americas in 1494, cooks following the Persian-Arabian culinary tradition had to rely on a type of calabash pumpkin that couldn’t be used when ripe (the pumpkin dried out and became hollow as it ripened). Therefore they prepared green pumpkin stew. Jan van Riebeeck planted South American pumpkins at the Cape...

During Easter, the tradition in the Cape is to serve curried or pickled fish. The recipe for Curried Fish in our Cape Winelands Cuisine cookbook has a sauce that contains, among other spices, saffron or turmeric. These spices with their intense colour give the curry a beautiful flavour as well as its characteristic yellow colour....

Ingredients Ripe sweet grapes 10 ml lime per 5 litre grape juice* Method De-stalk the grapes, put berries in a big bowl and crush. Cover the bowl and leave for grapes to ferment – this can take a few days. Wait for skins to rise to the surface, pour liquid through a sieve. Measure liquid...

Although Ireland’s history with the potato is tragic (read more), this humble vegetable stays a popular and versatile ingredient. For St Patrick’s Day, we share two delicious potato recipes from our Cape Winelands Cuisine Cookbook with wine suggestions to try this weekend. Potato salad Page 156 of the Cape Winelands Cuisine Cookbook Potatoes in one...

Zwiebelkuchen is a German onion tart traditional to Swabia in south-central Germany. Custom is to enjoy this onion tart with the first fresh wines of the season and often the result is quite a festivity. With La Motte’s 2017 harvest in the cellar, Chef Michelle Theron of Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant shares a recipe...

The energy of harvest time in the Winelands is infectious and La Motte wine estate in the Franschhoek Valley invites guests to join in the excitement with a special Harvest Tour and Tasting, presented for the duration of the 2017 harvest. Starting from 31 January, guests can book for a guided vineyard tour presented by...