The smell of ginger is so warming and welcoming and in winter it is tempting to add some to your cooking. Try our recipe for ginger cake - it is such a sophisticated dessert! Recipe for Ginger Cake Ingredients 1 cup (250 ml) brown sugar 180 g butter 2 eggs 1 cup (250 ml) golden syrup 3...

La Motte enjoys sharing its passions with guests and, during the summer holidays, visitors to the estate will be treated to a host of internationally-acknowledged experiences. Not only are guests invited to the elegant Wine Tasting Room for an introduction to La Motte’s renowned wine portfolio, the team at Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant also...

One cannot discuss the Old Sauces of the Cape, without sharing a recipe for that piquant sauce used in the traditional cooked onion salad called slaphakskeentjies. (The direct translation for slaphakskeentjies is small floppy heels, but one explanation for this peculiar name is from the original Dutch where “slap hakke” means without energy or spunk,...

Have you noticed the trend for all things “caramel”? Christmas decorations, magazine covers and recipes of late focuses on the rich golden hues of caramel, whether in its original form, as the very trendy salted caramel or even as the warm and welcoming colour on a roasted chicken or pan-full of sinful potatoes. We thought...

The Western Cape Farm worker competition each year recognises the valuable and important role farm workers play towards the sustainability and growth of agriculture in South Africa and highlights the various career opportunities available in the agricultural sector. This year saw more than 1000 entrants from 15 regions, including Franschhoek. Rose van Wyngaard was appointed...

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...

This is the last week of the Franschhoek Art in Clay Festival. Titled, The Setting – contemporary ceramic tableware, the beautiful exhibition in the La Motte maturation cellar features 30 ceramic artists and studios as well as a set table by The Potter’s Gallery. Do make a point of visiting us this week! If you...

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...

Acclaimed Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant on La Motte Estate has just introduced its Summer Menu – a celebration of traditional Cape Winelands Cuisine, served in a way that both entices the palate and stimulates conversation. While the new menu stays true to the estate’s passion for conserving heritage and tradition as well as its...

Wood as a medium brings endless potential with its inherent natural grain, form and rawness. Jackson Hlungwani is amongst South Africa’s best known contemporary artists and sculptors who made this medium his own and refer to it as ‘woodwork’. He is also one of the Helgaard Steyn Award Winners – the current contemporary exhibition in...