Latest recipes from La Motte

Over the next week we will share a few recipes for sauces traditionally made in the Cape Winelands. From a sour sauce for slaphakskeentjies to a sauce for Crayfish and an interesting anchovy and caper sauce to serve with pickled ox tongue. This week, we share a meat sauce made with almonds and ginger. With...

Accompaniments play an important role when it comes to food and wine matching. Your choice of a Béarnaise sauce or red wine jus with your fillet will impact on your choice of wine in quite a serious way! Sauce might go by a variety of names – from the humble gravy to the posh velouté...

In October La Motte’s rose garden is a spectacular sight and this year we will open the private garden to the public during the weekend of Franschhoek Open Gardens. To celebrate the beauty of this special flower, we have also arranged a Talk by South African authority on roses, Ludwig Taschner of Ludwig’s Roses. Join...

Carbonade is the French term for meat quickly grilled in a pan or over the coals and served medium–rare. In 1710, the granddaughter of Jan Van Riebeeck mentioned the Cape karmoenade she enjoyed and, in 1797, Johanna Duminy wrote about the carmonaade prepared for lunch from two legs of lamb, on their arrival at the...

It is beetroot season in the Winelands and day after day the most glorious bright bulbs are making their way from the garden to the kitchen. True to our traditional affinity for combining sweet and sour tastes, in South Africa, beetroot was generally pickled in a sugar and vinegar dressing and served as a refreshing...

Now is that awkward time of year when you feel like summer and eating lighter, but the weather is not always playing along. Treat yourself tonight to our lighter in style, but comforting and delicious Cape Vegetable Soup. Lighter than the hearty winter soups, but still comforting. From our Cape Winelands Cuisine Recipe Book. (Page...

A Cheese and Wine is often used to describe a cocktail party where a glass of wine and an array of canapés or a buffet of snacks – and usually a wide variety of cheese – are served. And while your favourite glass of wine and a few delicious cheeses on a platter, may sound...

This weekend, the Franschhoek Valley is dressed in the colours of the French flag for our annual Bastille festivities. At La Motte, we celebrate with beautiful wine, a French-inspired menu at Pierneef à La Motte restaurant, a classical music concert with a French flavour and delightful gifts and confectionery in our Farm Shop. One of...

The winter holidays is the perfect time to bake some traditional Soetkoekies (sweet biscuits). A delightful treat for the family and easy enough for children to try when they need entertainment on a rainy day. Soetkoekies 4 cups cake flour ½ tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground ginger...

Try this delicious recipe for chicken with sorrel and lemon. Not only is it perfect for winter, but it is more than 300 years old! It comes from a cookbook titled De Verstandige Kock (ca. 1668) and has basically stayed unchanged. If you are an experienced cook, you can try to preserve lemons yourself. The...