Being seasonal and sustainable is very fashionable – and with good reason. But there truly is nothing new under the sun. In the early days of the Cape, seasonality and sustainability were of the utmost importance and in fact, these culinary traditions still reflect in the way we go about food in the Cape Winelands today. ...

Sweet potatoes were planted by Jan van Riebeeck at the Cape and were usually baked or cooked whole, mashed or cut up and stewed with sugar, cinnamon or naartjie peel and butter. A humble vegetable that makes a beautiful accompaniment to the traditional winter-time snoek in the Cape. Sweet Potatoes Serves 4 Ingredients 4 medium...

Winter is citrus season in the Western Cape and it is the ideal time to use the lovely sweet and sour flavour combinations in the kitchen. This original recipe for the Citron Tart in our Cape Winelands Cuisine Cookbook used cake flour or eggs as thickening agents, but we have adapted it for today’s modern...

Braised (gesmoorde) snoek is an inexpensive, traditional dish that makes a regular appearance at the table during the cold Cape winters. The most well-known method for preparing this dish is as follows: Sauté onions in lots of butter together with pepper, salt, fresh ginger, lemon zest and juice, and a pinch of fresh chilli. then...

Carbohydrates have fallen from grace. Regardless of their nutritive value, affordability or ability to keep, admitting to eating, preparing or heavens forbid enjoying anything containing carbohydrates is almost social suicide in certain circles. A staple food in many countries however, carbohydrates are served in various forms all over the world, but most notably in a...

Although the popular story goes that Marco Polo introduced Europe to pasta when he first brought it from China, there are evidence of pasta long before his travels. And while the jury is still out on whether it was the Chinese or Persians who first made pasta, what we do know is that it is...

Pies date from the middle ages, when, with the limited ovens and equipment of the times, perfecting a pie required exceptional skill. Pies were therefore often used to impress and to showcase technique. (Just think of the nursery rhyme: ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’ where Four and twenty black birds were baked in a pie!)...

This traditional, hearty Barley soup is an economical but delicious dish – ideal for a wintery weekend. Although Barley today is often simplified to only consist of ingredients such as meat bones, barley, onions, carrots, salt and pepper, in the days of the Old Cape, meat and fish were often used together in a recipe,...

Enjoying international acclaim for the quality of its food and wine offering, La Motte wine estate’s passionate wine and culinary team invites guests to an evening of Vintage Wine and Venison in Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant, presenting a 5-course menu beautifully paired with exclusive older vintages from the La Motte Vinoteque. Chef de Cuisine...

Bourbon-glazed duck breast Master consommé, smoked potato dumplings 1995 La Motte Shiraz 2005 La Motte Shiraz Fermented honey and mustard rabbit galantine Bloomed mustard, rosemary and rooibos, cassoulet, spiced pear puree 2011 La Motte Chardonnay – single vineyard 2007 La Motte Pierneef Shiraz Viognier Mushroom-roasted venison loin Piquant emulsion, mushroom ketchup, truffled palmiers 1995 La...