Miele is well-known for it super-slick, high-tech and innovative home appliances and the Miele K20 000 Refrigerator is certainly no exception. With a Blackboard edition Miele brings in a human element that the whole family can enjoy – have fun writing grocery lists, messages to your loved ones about which shelf you stored the ice-cream on or inventory lists so that none of your favourite craft beers mysteriously disappear.

Of course this is still a serious piece of cooling machinery and the K20 000 is described as five star accommodation for your fresh produce and we definitely believe them. If only all vegetables were allowed to enjoy the comforts of the Miele Generation 6000 design, TFT colour displays and touch controls, and A++ or A+++ ratings for energy efficiency.

miele.co.za | Facebook

Based in the creative hub of Woodstock, Cape Town, Vogel Design is an ethically minded business that creates timeless, original furniture pieces. Owner John Vogel is an architect-turned-furniture-designer, with a strong belief in sustainable, organic design that is both imaginative and functional. We chat to John about his business and design aesthetic…

Organic inspiration is clearly a major influence in your work, tell us about this…
Organic is nature inspired, intersections blend, there is a balance between hard structure and flowing form.

Some of your pieces connect together in almost a puzzle-like way, is this representative of a connection to nature?
It’s about exploring the ideas of interconnectedness, and interaction of parts that make up the whole. It is also about the playful interaction by the user with the piece.
Does owning a bespoke design company in a country like South Africa have unique challenges?
Sure, our local market is small, there are no big design houses to promote designers work and to pay royalties, skills are in short supply, labour laws and red tape are plentiful, we are far from Europe and US markets, which means we have a transport cost disadvantage to those markets, the list goes on…
What is the most important decision you made to get you to where you are today?
My best friend at Archi school asked me if I wanted to work over the holidays and start a furniture factory… I said yes.

If you could design a piece of furniture to save the world, what would it be and why?
For now, I think that it would have to be a brightly coloured woven armchair that dissolves religious dogma from within the user, whilst enhancing a strong sense of universal connection, inner peace and brotherly love. It would also instantly transmute any desire to behead anything or anyone.

What would your 5-year old self say to you about what you do now?
Well, at first he may be disappointed, he wanted to be a bird vet. But then, I think he would be stoked about all the power tools, especially the chainsaw. He may be a bit bummed by the responsibilities.

At Crush we love everything about food, so invariably things return to this subject. So, if you had to design a meal that represented your brand, what would it be?
Organic local ingredients, good taste, made by hand on an open fire, elegantly served, with lingering flavour. It would involve home baked bread, Karoo lamb, a hand woven picnic mat, a tree, good wine, peaches panned over a fire in sherry, with Swiss ice cream.

We see you pledge trees through Greenpop, who we happen share office space with, tell us about this…
We consume trees, so planting them is about giving back, being mindful, creating balance.
Quickfire Questions

Music on your playlist when you are designing… Sigur Ross
Drink to unwind at the end of the day… If I did, maybe a Remy Martin.
Favourite Cape Town go-to spot… Tokai, mountain biking trails. The ones that face down.
Pet peeve… M3 traffic.
Person, dead or alive, to be stranded on an island with… After my wife, Spider Murphy. He shapes outstanding surfboards, which would come in handy on the island breaks.
Final question… can design save the world?
Design can be about applying creativity to a problem in order to produce an elegant and tangible solution, so yes. And… we are all designers.

vogeldesign.co.za | The Woodstock Foundry, 160 Albert Road Woodstock.

The art of pottery is given a quirky, humorous touch at the Ceramic Factory, which started in the heart of Linden, Johannesburg. Perfect for the food and décor fundi, this little gem is filled with treasures for the home.

Ceramic Factory has grown into a thriving business that stocks over one hundred stores nationally. If you want to experience Ceramic Factory in all its glory, you need to head to one of their three showrooms – 4^th Avenue Linden (pop next door to The Whippet Coffee for great cuppa), Clairvaux Estate, Robertson and 117 Long Street, Cape Town.  The newest addition to the family – Clairvaux Estate, is located on the wine estate in Robertson and the factory sits alongside the showroom. Here you can peek in and see just how these cool pieces come to life.

With a new collection of designs being launched every few months, there are many eclectic products to choose from. While some items are purely for aesthetic appeal, others put the ‘fun in functional’, as their slogan suggests, to create useful, fabulous items for your kitchen and dining room.

The ‘Citizen Collection’ is a celebration of humanity and our need for creative expression. ‘The Fro Family’ designs within the collection include funky poodle figurines with afros, as well as a young couple with wild hairdos, depicted on a wine bottle holder, an ice bucket and coffee mugs.

The ‘Village of Rhino’ designs celebrate the rhino in a light-hearted, hopeful way. You can buy Village of the Rhino plant holders, vases, napkin rings and butter dishes, to name just a few of the items available in this range. There are also dogs, pop-culture icons (think a Darth Vader vase) and tiny, rather meanacing looking dinosaurs.

Created by hand, using moulds designed by the Ceramic Factory team, the pieces within this collection are made from terracotta and given a white glaze which accentuates the different shapes and creations; making each piece unique.

Pieces that have become iconic of the Ceramic Factory style are the ceramic skulls that are available in lemon yellow, deep charcoal grey and white. The range of skulls is also available on plates and platters.

Must-have favourites include the binocular salt and pepper set, the cute and playful stegosaurus dinosaur platters and the robot figurines.

A truly South African product from design to production, the Ceramic Factory is stocked with great gift ideas.

ceramicfactory.co.za | Facebook

Make these super easy candle jars  – perfect to give soft, ambient lighting to your patio or balcony on a cool autumn evening. It’s also a handy way to upcycle and recycle old jars, something that you’re bound to have lots of lying around. We also like the idea of giving these away as gifts, or as a way to entertain the kids as they can personalise their own candle holder.

What You Need..

• Glass jars – any size or shape as long as you can fit a candle inside.
• Glass paint pens – we used Dala brand ‘Glass Artliners’
• Tea lights or small votive candles.
• Clean the labels off the glass jars with hot, soapy water. Ensure they are perfectly clean and dry.

Using the glass pens, create your desired pattern on the glass; the easiest way is to put your hand inside the glass and rotate it while drawing. Be careful not to smudge the pattern as you go.

Allow to dry for at least an hour.

Once dried, pop a tea light or small votive candle inside and light. There you go – a quick and easy way to jazz up an area, indoors or outside.

Optional: To create a hanging lantern, use thin wire to create a handle around the neck of the jar. Hang on a nearby tree branch or on a hook.

This contemporary kitchen, located in Cape Town, overlooks the city bowl with sweeping views across Table Mountain. The space, designed by Greg Scott & Liana Abate (Greg Wright Architects), maximises these views and creates an environment that is visually stunning, but comfortable enough for the family to gather and spend time together.

We chat to the architectural team about this project…

What were the clients looking for in terms of look, feel and functionality for the kitchen area?
The clients wanted a house that ‘lived’ well and made the most of the expansive vistas of Table Mountain and the cityscape. They wanted the space to offer an inside-outside experience that made the most of the climate and lifestyle Cape Town has to offer. The kitchen was always considered very central to the home, so had to be social, functional and informal all at the same time. It was to be a place to socialise, eat informally as a family, for the children to work and play in, as well as a place to have a glass of wine whist others are cooking or preparing food.

What were there challenges of the space?
The main challenge was trying to balance easy, single-level living with a vertically orientated program. The house is packed out over 5 levels, but the living level is where all the socialising and entertaining takes place; on a tight footprint, it is not always easy to manage to achieve this.

 Who put the kitchen together? The kitchen was fully designed, detailed and specified by us; then a joinery company (Hardmond Joiners) manufactured and installed to our specification and details.

Liesel Crafford of Konsep Design was the interior decorator on this project, we asked Liesel to tell us more about the interior style.

The client wanted the kitchen to be sleek and modern, yet warm.  The juxtaposition of the wall of charcoal high gloss cabinets with the opposite wall of sliding glass works beautifully in the relatively narrow space, making the kitchen feel infinite to the outside.

The installation needed the minimum of furniture, chairs for the stone table-top and kitchen stools for the counter. For the dining chairs, I selected clean lined Spanish chairs in walnut with soft leather seats to continue the language of the dark oak floors and add the required warmth. The bar chairs were custom designed and locally made from walnut. I purposefully steered clear of stainless steel detail on the chairs. Finally, I wanted to hint at the Asian influence in the client’s life, so the design was pulled together with the addition of organic elements like pots of herbs in the counter drainage trough, dark stoneware plates and handmade ceramics to achieve a contemporary, yet interesting, tactile space.

konsepstudio.com

Macaroni and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food.  We’ve added leeks to add extra richness but feel free to add any other seasonal veggies you like – roasted butternut, cauliflower or even frozen peas! You can also completely omit the leeks for a classic ‘Mac and Cheese’.
Serves: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

Macaroni and Cheese
450 g macaroni pasta
6 Tbsp (90 ml / 85 g) butter, plus extra
olive oil
4-6 leeks, well washed, white and light green part finely sliced
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp (30 ml / 55 g) flour
2 C (500 ml) milk
500 g good quality cheddar cheese, grated

Gratin Topping
½ C (125 ml) bread crumbs (or 2 hot dog rolls)
1 garlic clove
½ C (125 ml) Parmesan and Cheddar mix, grated

Macaroni and Cheese
Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until it’s left with a good bite, being careful not to overcook. Once ready, drain using a colander and set aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt 4 of the tablespoons of butter and a good glug of olive oil over a medium heat. Add the finely sliced leeks and a pinch of salt and a good crack of black pepper, and allow the leeks to cook slowly and caramelise. Add more butter if the leeks get too dry. Once caramelised, take the leeks off the heat and allow to cool.

In a separate saucepan (or an ovenproof shallow casserole), melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over a medium heat. When the butter is foamy, add the flour and stir to combine to a paste, cook for a few minutes until the butter smells nutty and turns a golden brown colour (making a roux as a base for the Bechamel or white sauce). Pour in a little bit of the milk, and combine using a whisk, once the mixture thickens gradually add the rest of the milk, whisking gently the entire time (NB: it’s important to add the milk slowly and whisk well in-between or your white sauce will become lumpy) . Lower the heat and allow the flour to cook out and the mixture to thicken. Keep tasting the mixture to check if the flour has cooked out. If the mixture gets too thick before all the flour has cooked out, add more milk to thin it down. Once the white sauce is ready turn off the heat, and add the grated cheddar cheese, salt and pepper and gently stir to melt everything together.

Gratin Topping
In a clean bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and cheese mix. Blitz the bread crumbs in a food processor with the garlic clove (or if making your own breadcrumbs, blend the soft inner part of the hot dog rolls with the garlic clove).

To assemble
If using an ovenproof casserole, add the pasta and the leeks to the cheese sauce and combine evenly. Otherwise, put everything together in a baking dish. Check the seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary. Top with the breadcrumb and cheese mixture, then place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the mixture is hot throughout and the topping is crispy and browned. Remove from the oven, leave to stand for 5 minutes. Serve as a main meal with a simple side salad.

Find out what else is in season currently click here for our Seasonal Fruit and Veggie Guide.

This kitchen is a modern take on a farmhouse kitchen and is located in a home in a quiet street in Cape Town’s trendy Greenpoint area. Homeowners Paul and Kirsty are both in the hospitality industry so the kitchen was an important feature in the house. Kirsty owns a food consulting company, Source Food, and Paul is a Director of a training company for the hospitality industry. Paul is on the service side, and Kirsty works directly with food so food, drinks and entertaining are a high priority for the pair.

The Victorian-style house was bought by the couple in 2010; the property was very dilapidated and needed a complete renovation, which was exciting for the couple, as it meant they could really do whatever they wanted to. It became apparent though that the kitchen would become the most challenging room of the whole house. The original kitchen was painted 80s yellow; it had old terracotta tiles, awful yellow cupboards and the layout was unconventional and tricky to work in. Kirsty’s brief was that she wanted it to be modern with industrial elements, but still cozy with a farmhouse style to it – it was a challenge! 
While scouring second hand furniture stores in Woodstock one morning, Paul stumbled across the most beautiful store, Artefect, owned by Shelley Sacranie. Kirsty says, “He came to find me in another store, and said, you just have to see this, it’s your perfect shop”. It was. “I fell in love with a beautiful old mirror as I walked in, and knew that that was what I wanted above my fireplace! From there my relationship with Shelley became a friendship; we would pore over pictures that I screen grabbed off the Internet and she would source items that were similar. We had the same vision for most rooms in the house, so that was quick and easy, but the kitchen was impossible.”

“My business is focused on food and we do a lot of events and catering as well as food styling. We pride ourselves on coming up with innovative ways to market food through experiences – hence the motley collection of crockery; cutlery and interesting kitchen items, I am always searching for new and interesting ways to serve food to make people excited about a brand.” owner Kirsty Rowett.

The kitchen began to take shape around the oversized wooden work counter. They played with the idea of butcher’s blocks and an island, but the room wasn’t big enough for a freestanding island, so they moved it to the side and made it into a counter. Kirsty had to have a large double sink, and really wanted a tap like the ones used in professional kitchens “as they are great for washing vegetables.” The design of the kitchen really flowed from there, keeping in mind the perfect triangle of oven, sink and fridge. The result is a kitchen that is really easy to work in. The bin is hidden under the prep counter, which is handy and the kitchen drawers serve as a pantry, so ingredients are easily at hand. They are anti-microwave which saved a bit of space and left room for the equipment they love – their coffee machine, Magimix and Kitchenaid.

The kitchen was designed to have a lot of people, as well as their dog Max, in it all the time. “We spend a lot of time in the kitchen and entertain a lot (well, we did before we had a baby!). Our biggest dinner party to date has been for 51 guests, and most of them were in the kitchen”. Essentially the kitchen is the central space between the outdoor entertainment area and the rest of the house, so it needed to be functional but comfortable and inviting too.

“I feel as though we have achieved what we set out to do within this space; it is a wonderful place to cook together as a couple and to enjoy a relaxed glass of wine. It also reflects our personalities; on display are pieces of crockery and cutlery that we’ve picked up along our way and which hold memories for us. All in all, the space feels like home and that is the most important thing of all.”

When the Urban Hunter Gatherer invited me on a forage and feasting experience, I found myself feeling rather apprehensive. Not only because I had never heard of the sea creatures he was mentioning, but also because I had only ever been warned not to eat strange foods off trees and beaches and fields.

But Charlie’s enthusiasm is contagious, and soon I found myself wading knee deep through forests of kelp, eagerly assessing its level of ‘al dente’.

Charles Standing is the youngest 50 year old I have ever met, all mischievous smiles, unbridled creativity and wild stories of adventures out to sea. An avid surfer, rock climber, free-diver and cook, his love of nature comes through in everything he does.

And so, on a Monday afternoon in the heat of Cape Town’s summer, I headed off to meet him. The plan? To forage along the city’s coastline for limpets and kelp, hustle through to District Six for some wild herbs and finally whip up a kelp and limpet lasagne at Charlie’s home in Walmer Estate. I felt giddy just thinking about it.

We started the afternoon at Rocklands Beach, collecting kelp and breaking limpets off the rocks. Charlie’s knowledge of marine life – from the different types and flavours of seaweed through to the crustaceans and fish – was simply fascinating. Limpets, he explained, are fleshier and less fishy than mussels, and therefore the perfect fit for the lasagne. I nodded and smiled nervously as he gutted them on the rocks.

Adorned with buckets of seaweed and snails, we headed off to District Six. It was a clear, hot day, with hordes of school children bustling past and Monday afternoon traffic pounding the streets. On a drab and littered field Charlie showed us a patch of blossoming wild fennel, growing with admirable stoicism amongst the empty juice bottles and dried-up grass. We filled our pouches and headed back to camp, ready to start cooking.
Charlie’s house is an eclectic sanctuary and testament to everything he lives by. A prolific garden of indigenous plants, strong scents of basil and lemongrass, Marmite the cat lazing beneath an olive tree, surfboards crowding the entrance hall and a kitchen stocked with quirky cookware collected from decades of wandering the Milnerton Market. It feels like the most peaceful kind of country retreat where everything comes back to nature: a love for it, and a need to protect it. Everything in Charlie’s house is recycled, composted and organic. Whilst he prepares a snack of pickled Agave flowers foraged from the Karoo, I find myself wondering through his kitchen in awe, wishing I could stay there forever.

“I love the simplicity of Italian cooking,” Charlie explains, busying himself with our lasagne. “The way meals are designed around the produce, the way it’s all about the freshness and quality of the ingredients. I like to take classic Italian dishes and make them local, using seasonal, foraged goods. I make a killer Putanesca sauce by replacing anchovies with bokkoms, pickled nasturtiums instead of capers and foraged olives from Onrus.”

Charlie is a wine-pourer and an entertainer, and the before we know it the table is laid and the lasagne is hot out of the oven.

“This dish is inspired by South African chef Phil Mansergh,” says Charlie, as he serves us a generous helping of lasagne with a basil and tomato salad. “I was inspired by his kelp lasagne served at an event last year, and wanted to take it a step further by including foraged meat. Limpets or alikreukel both make a refreshing local alternative to the classic ground beef.”

The verdict? Delicious. A hearty, home-cooked meal with kelp as al dente as only the best pasta can be.
As the afternoon draws to an end, I start to feel a cold coming on. Charlie rummages through his cupboards and shelves, adorned with berries and pickles and potions. He whips me up his own version of a hot toddy: Foraged lemon slices, freshly-harvested raw honey and a buchu-infused brandy elixir all stirred up in a mug of steaming hot Rooibos.

“Everything we need is already growing around us,” he says, handing me the most heavenly hot toddy I have yet to encounter. “If we have a bit of imagination and a lot of awareness, we can create absolute magic.”

theurbanhuntergatherer.com

Delicious produce is grown in healthy, living soil. #Harvesttotable series brought to you by Reliance Compost.

Classic Asian flavours wrapped up in a crispy little dumpling skin. So delicious!

Makes: 50 (serves 6)
Difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Spicy Sriracha Dipping Sauce
½ C (125 ml) water
¼ C (60 ml) Sriracha sauce
¼ C (60 ml) lemon juice
¼ C (60 ml) honey
2 tsp (10 ml) cornflour
1 tsp (5 ml) garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) ginger, finely grated
2 tsp (10 ml) sesame seeds + extra for serving
2 tsp (10 ml) coriander, finely chopped

Deep-Fried Dumplings
1 tsp (5 ml) olive oil
⅓ C (80 ml) spring onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp (15 ml) garlic, finely chopped
1 (4 g) green chilli, finely chopped
220 g chicken mince
250 g (½ packet) Findus Wok Classic
2 Tbsp (30 ml) oyster sauce
2 Tbsp (30 ml) hoisin sauce
salt and pepper
50 wonton wrappers (about 7.5cm x 7.5cm), thawed
oil, for deep-frying

handful of micro herbs, to garnish (optional)

Spicy Sriracha Dipping Sauce
Place the water, Sriracha sauce, lemon juice, honey, corn flour, garlic and ginger in a saucepan. Heat until melted. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the sesame seeds and chopped coriander. Allow to cool.

Deep-Fried Dumplings
Heat a saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add in the olive oil, spring onions, garlic and chilli. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add the chicken mince to the hot pan and fry for 8 minutes. Add in the Findus Wok Classic, oyster sauce and hoisin sauce. Fry for 5 minutes.

Add the mixture to a food processor and process until finely chopped but not puréed. Season to taste and allow to cool.

Place a teaspoonful of the cooled chicken and vegetable mixture on one half of the wonton wrapper. Moisten the sides with a bit of water and then fold the wonton skin over the filling to form a triangle. Repeat with the rest.

Heat the oil for deep-frying to 180 °C. Fry the dumplings for 2-3 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on sheets of kitchen towel.

Top the warm dumplings with a sprinkling of extra sesame seeds and micro herbs and serve with the dip on the side. 

TIP: If you find the Sriracha sauce too hot for your liking then simply stir in a teaspoon or two of some Double cream yoghurt – it will add a bit of creaminess and reduce the hotness of the sauce.

Photography and styling by Illanique van Aswegen
Assisted by Inge Bartsch

Udon Noodle and Vegetable Broth

A delicious, traditional dish with oodles of noodles and bags of flavour.

Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

1 tsp (5 ml) olive oil
½ (80 g) large red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp (15 ml) garlic, finely chopped
500 g (1 packet) Findus Wok Bali, thawed
4 C (1L) chicken stock, hot
1 (4 g) red chilli, finely chopped
400 g udon noodles
½ C (125 ml) mange tout
¼ C (60 ml) coriander, finely chopped
salt and pepper
4 large free-range eggs, soft boiled*

handful of onion sprouts, to serve
handful of micro herbs, to serve

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add in the oil, onion, garlic and Findus Wok Bali. Fry for 5 minutes. Add in the stock, chilli and noodles. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the vegetables and noodles are tender. Stir in the mange tout and coriander and then remove from the heat. Season to taste.

Ladle the broth into bowls. Halve the eggs and place one in each bowl. Scatter with onion sprouts and micro herbs.

*TIP: To soft boil eggs, bring a pot of water up to the boil. Turn it down to a gentle simmer. Gently lower the eggs into the pot using a large spoon. Boil for 8 minutes and then remove from the boiling water and immediately refresh in cold water to sop the cooking process. Peel and set aside until ready to use.

Photography and styling by Illanique van Aswegen
Assisted by Inge Bartsch

School holidays are around the corner – make sure that your holiday is always valuable time spent with the whole family where everyone feels like they’ve had a break, with these 6 sensational destinations scattered around SA.

Western Cape

Wild Clover Farm

Only half an hour from Cape Town, Wild Clover is a quick and easy break away from city life. This family-owned estate boasts a number of activities for adults and children alike, making it the ideal destination for families who are looking to spend valuable time together.

The ultimate attraction is no doubt The Kids Zone. Parents are able to let their little ones run wild (under their own watchful eyes and those of the professional staff) and immerse themselves in a long list of awesome activities; including an 80m push bike track, a high-tech jungle gym and communal sand pits.

Parents can join in the fun with archery (beginners welcome), a “pops and tots” 4km cycle track, game viewing in the Villiera Wildlife Sanctuary and clay pigeon shooting (accommodates beginners and experts, with maxi- or mini-clay pigeons used).

To be “in the clover” is to be carefree, to live a life of comfort and without the stresses that tend to take over. This is the philosophy embraced by Wild Clover, something they want each of their guests to walk away feeling.

Find out more by visiting Wild Clover Farm.

Arolela Farm

Travel under an hour and a half out of Cape Town to the sleepy town of Caledon, where Arolela Guest Farm awaits you and your family for an intimate, rural experience. The guest farm coexists with a working farm that produces wheat, barley, oats and sheep.

Operating under the beautiful Overberg mountain range, life on the farm will introduce the family to the a typical day in the life of a farmer, from freshly baked farm bread and vetkoek in the morning to feeding the animals and afternoon mountain strolls.

The farm is a haven for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, and enjoys spending their time being active. Hikers, cyclists or just those looking to breathe in fresh air with the family can take advantage of the mountain trails and passes, as well as cool off in the De Vlei and Klipfontein dams during the summer heat.

The guest farm is self-catering and close to Caledon, Botrivier and Hermanus.

Find out more by visiting Arolela Farm.

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Gauteng

Bon Vaal Hotel

The Bon Hotel Riviera on the Vaal is a short 45-minute drive from Johannesburg (meaning no more “are we there yet” moments). The hotel has 91 rooms, and has been converted from a farmhouse that was built in the 1800s. Activities include boat cruises along the Vaal (from sunrise to sunset), a Kids Club (which includes activities for families to do together – speed boating for instance – or just letting them be with kayaking and face painting, while parents get some R&R by the pool).

Watersports season starts in September and includes activities like wake boarding, skiing, tubing, speedboat cruises and jet boarding. And after a day on the water two restaurants and picnicking facilities make for the perfect unwinding and relaxing family mealtime.

To find out more visit Bon Hotel Vaal.

Irene Farm

It is no wonder why Irene Dairy Farm has quickly turned into one of the favourite destinations for Joburg and Pretoria dwellers. This fairytale farm has been through five-generations of ownership by the van der Byl family, dating back to 1895.

The functioning dairy farm is the perfect day out for anyone in the area. The Dairy Shop and Deli sells certified raw milk, as well as other farm-made confectionaries. Visitors can take advantage of home-style cooking for breakfast and lunch, with buffets being served over the weekend, with a special note to the traditional South African braai buffet that takes place on Saturday afternoons. Kids can run free with hens and chicks, climb the antique tractors, and play underneath the 120 year-old oaks trees while parents happily watch from the restaurant.

To find out more visit Irene Farm.

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Kwa-Zulu Natal

Alpine Heath Resort

Take the family into a world of four-star seclusion with the Alpine Heath Resort. This self-catering mountain village lies mid-way between Durban and Johannesburg, and is surrounded by all the splendors that only natural beauty can bring. Crystal clear streams, mountain trails and rolling hills set the scene for an ideal family getaway.

But don’t underestimate this quiet getaway, the list of activities is long and diverse: horse riding, mountain biking, tennis and squash are all there for the energetic, while putt-putt, table tennis, pool darts are perfect family activities. Children (and parents) can take advantage of the Kids WOW Zone, with 7-day programs crafted especially for children. Some of the unique highlights: bug hunting, bush collage-making, biscuit decorating and treasure hunts.

To find out more visit Alpine Heath Resort. 

Babyete Zulu Game Lodge

 The Babyete Zulu Game is the perfect safari lodge for families with children older than 4 years. The incredible game viewing in the Zululand Rhino Reserve is just the tip of the iceberg of activities to do. The Pumba Club for kids is equipped with jungle gyms, slides, trampolines, tree houses and seesaws ideal for kids. A highlight of the holiday has to be the Elephant Sanctuary where guests can interact with resident elephants Rambo, Rachel and Jabulani.

Other activities include bush dinners, game drives and guided walks, horse riding, snorkeling and scuba diving, dolphin trips, butterfly walks and more! The Bayete Zulu lodge is self-catering with a large kitchen well equipped for families. Staff is also available to cook and tidy if needed.

For more information visit Babyete Zulu Game Lodge.

Book your special family time without delay!

I’ve never been one for cults but when it comes to sriracha sauce I’m in for life. Nowadays there are many sriracha brands but the one that started it all was America’s Huy Fong. It’s affectionately known as the rooster or cock sauce due to it’s iconic rooster bottle design. It’s won multiple international awards and has overtaken Tabasco as the world’s most popular hot sauce. Believe it or not, Tabasco even secretly launched their own version of sriracha just to be able to compete. But things were not always like this for the mighty rooster. To understand just how staggering the success of sriracha is, we have to go back to the beginning…

In 1980 a Vietnamese refugee named David Tran arrived in Los Angeles aboard a ship called, Huey Fong – David later named his company Huy Fong in honour of the refugee ship. He didn’t have a cent to his name but he knew how to make a mean sriracha – a hot garlic chilli sauce that originated in town of Si Racha in Thailand. Shortly after David was selling his fresh chilli version of sriracha out the back of his van to Asian restaurants around Los Angeles. Fast forward some 35 odd years later and sriracha is a hot sauce juggernaut.

It has entire cookbooks dedicated to it. There are food festivals centred around it. It has spawned a cult of paraphernalia ranging from phone covers, shopping bags and clothing to shoes, artworks and a host of food products, and even a beer. It’s been immortalised by The Oatmeal (a famous web cartoonist), and it even has an award-winning documentary that tells David’s story and the story of sriracha’s cult following. The most crazy thing about all of this is that David has never spent a cent on advertising. They even don’t have a Facebook page, Twitter or Instagram account. Their entire company has been built on word of mouth.     

Rooster sauce has made it’s way into the kitchens of high profile chefs and it’s now available around the world. Alas for poor old South Africa, rooster sauce has yet to hit our shores but all is not lost. As the saying goes, “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and sriracha has droves of imitators. In the Crush Team’s first ever chilli sauce chilli off, we’re putting the locally available sauces against each other in a head-to-head taste-off. As a surprise twist we’ve managed to wrangle a bottle of the original rooster sauce to see how the competition stack up to the king cockerel.

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The Panel

Karl – Writer
Matt – Publisher
Julie – Editor
Jess – Writer

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The Line Up

Mikee: this brand hails from Arizona and it’s available at selected Spars.

Suree: this brand hails from the Thailand and it was the first sriracha to land on our shores. It’s available at most supermarkets

Flying Goose: this brand also hails from Thailand and is sold exclusively at Woolworths.

Flaming Tiger: this brand hails from Cape Town and it is 100% proudly South African. It will be available soon.

Huy Fong: needs no introduction. Unfortunately it’s not available here.

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The Test

Our panel was asked to score the sauces out of 5 and give their overall thoughts and impressions. Each sauce was tried on a Santa Anna’s nacho chip and two rounds of testing were conducted,   the first round was for comments and the second round for scoring.

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The Results

Mikee

Karl – 4/5
Matt – 3.5/5
Julie – 4/5
Jess – 3.8/5

Overall average: 3.8/5  76%

The team really liked this one. It had a delicious roasted flavour and it was quite tart, zingy and fresh with a vinegar quality. It also had a tomatoey vibe to it with a hint of smoke. Some said it was a little too spicy but others said it had good balance. It had layers of flavour which is always good.

Suree

Karl – 3/5
Matt – 2.8/5
Julie – 2.5/5
Jess – 2.8/5

Overall average: 2.7/5  54%

The team really didn’t like this one. It smells and tastes very strongly of garlic. Some say it had like a cheap synthetic chilli burn. It also had a burnt, almost acrid taste which left an unpleasant aftertaste on the palate. It felt very one dimensional and flat.

Flying Goose

Karl – 3.9/5
Matt – 3/5
Julie – 3,8/5
Jess – 4/5

Overall average: 3.7/5  74%

The team mostly enjoyed this one. It starts out quite sweet which leads into a pleasant burn. It’s not overly spicy at all but it has great balance and good tomato flavour. Some said it tasted a little salty and almost had a soya sauce like quality. This is like the Toyota of sriracha.  

Flaming Tiger

Karl – 3.9/5
Matt – 3/5
Julie – 3.7/5
Jess – 3/5 

Overall average: 3.4/5  68%

The team mostly liked this one. Some thought it was a little too sweet but it had a tasty, lingering burn. Up front it tasted a little sharp but the flavour developed well as we ate more of it. It has a slightly bitter finish but not in a bad way. It did have an interesting texture compared to the others, almost slightly gummy.   

Huy Fong (The Original)

Karl – 5/5
Matt – 4.5/5
Julie – 5/5
Jess – 4.5/5

Overall average: 4.47/5  95%

The team were blown away by this one. The rooster is packed with fresh chilli and roasted red pepper aromas – by far the most nose on any of the sauces. It starts out slightly sweet then explodes into a fireball that sends pins and needle like prickles up and down the tongue. It has a definite lingering deep burn. Overall it is fresh, punchy and delicious with a deep rich red colour that differed from the other sauces. 

THE VERDICT? The real deal rooster sauce came out tops by a country mile, with Mikee, a relative unknown, Flying Goose and our local version, Flaming Tiger following that. Since real rooster sauce is only available if you know someone coming from the States, your next best bets are the Arizonian Mikee, sidekick Goose, or you can support local and pop a Flaming Tiger in your pantry.

At the end of the day taste is a preference, so you need to try them all for yourself, to find the one that you like best. If you are keen to make your own, try this RECIPE for a homemade version.

A favourite holiday activity for kids is building forts from blankets and sheets. Why not upgrade to a very nifty teepee? This no-sew teepee for kids is easy to make and can be a project that moms or dads can do with just a few items. Kid-tested and approved!

What you’ll need for your No-Sew Teepee for Kids

4 x 1.8 m x 32 mm diameter wooden poles
1 x 1.2m x 6 m laminated canvas drop cloth (we purchased ours from a local paint shop)*
rope or thick twine of your choice
4-6 screws (length should not exceed the diameter of the poles)
drill + drill bit to fit the thickness of your rope/twine.
scissors
sticky tape
a pencil
6 large bulldogs clips (optional but useful for draping)
electric screwdriver

optional
whitewash paint
fairy lights

Getting Started

Start by painting your wooden poles with whitewash paint. They should only need 1 layer if you want to achieve a distressed look.

Next, drill a whole about 22 cm from the top of the first pole. Take your twine or rope and seal the edge with a piece of sticky tape, this will make it easier to feed through the hole. Feed through the hole, but do not cut the rope yet.

Stack your poles roughly in a teepee format to see how they will stand. Mark where to drill your next holes, they should roughly line up, but this depends on how wide you want your teepee to stand.

Drill the rest of the holes and then thread the rope through the final three, tie the open end with a strong, secure knot and snip off the sticky-taped end. You may need an extra pair of hands to help hold the poles up at this point. Arrange the teepee legs at the angle you want them, then wrap your rope/twine around the top several times to secure, go up and under with the rope – in order to do this you will need to cut your rope with enough length to secure and tie.

Assembling your No-Sew Teepee

Next, spread out the legs of your teepee to the correct spacing. Take the canvas drop cloth and fold to the middle, cut down the middle widthways. Take the first fully edged piece of cloth and drape at the front of the teepee, where you would want the opening to be. Allow to drape right to the floor and use a bulldog clip to hold in place. Repeat the drape on the other side of the opening to form your doorway, clip to secure.

Pull the material tightly up and around the back of the teepee, crossing over to cover the back – there will be some overlap. Clip in place. The draping is really up to how you want it to look, the most important thing to remember is to pull it taut across the back poles so that it is neat and doesn’t bulge on the inside. The drop sheet is long enough to wrap around and cover the back from each side and should not need to be sewed.

Use an electric screwdriver to place screws strategically to hold the canvas in place, and then remove bulldog clips. Attached a string of battery powered fairy lights to the top or on the inside of the teepee.

Finishing Touches

Fill the inside of the teepee with soft blankets, throws and pillows and your child’s favourite books and toys.

*canvas drop cloths/sheets come in varying sizes, check the size of the one you buy and ensure that it will have enough width or length to drape your teepee.

Every teepee needs a fireplace! Check out our Flameless Indoor Fireplace

Check out our other DIY projects.

Kids can get restless during the school holidays, especially if the weather is not playing ball. Make these DIY Seed Bird Feeder ornaments to pass some time, and do some good for our feathered friends. They are so easy to make and the birds in your garden will love you for it, especially as winter draws near and food becomes more scarce.

You will need
2 C (500 ml) mixed birdseed
2/5 C (100 ml) flour
1 sheet gelatin
2 Tbsp (30 ml) syrup
1/4 C (60 ml) warm water

a silicone baking mat or baking paper
tray
non-stick cooking spray
cookie cutters
3-4 straws
twine

Mix the flour, water and syrup in a bowl.

Bloom the gelatin in a little cold water. Squeeze out and add to the flour mixture, mix to to form a paste.

Add the birdseed to the paste and mix to combine.

Line the tray with the silicone baking sheet or a sheet of baking paper. Spray the insides of the chosen cookie cutters well with non-stick cooking spray. Place flat on the baking mat/paper and spoon the birdseed mixture inside. Use the back of a speed to press the mixture down and to pack the  cookie cutters as tightly.

Cut several lengths of straw and use one per cookie cutter – insert at the top, not too close to the edge, this will be where you will insert your twine once dried. Set aside to harden overnight.

The next day, gently slide the bird seed ornaments out of the cookie cutters, remove the straw and insert a length of twine and secure.

That’s it! DIY Seed Bird Feeders, done. Hang in a tree and keep an eye out for hungry feathered visitors.

Check out our other DIY projects.

With winter rolling around and indoor play becoming a reality, you’ll need things to keep your kids busy and entertained. Why not get them involved in making this indoor flameless ‘camp fire’. They’ll love the challenge of building it and it makes a great addition to an indoor fort or teepee. The only downside is that it doesn’t roast marshmallows, but you can always make them these S’mores for camping authenticity instead.

You will need

white craft paint
paintbrush
6-8 sticks (we collected ours from the local park)
10 or more rocks (we also collected from the local park and beach)
gold spray paint
newspaper
battery powered string of fairy lights (soft yellow or warm white)
25 cm silver circular cake board (optional) If you can’t get hold of a cake board you can cut a circle out of cardboard and cover with tinfoil.
wood glue (optional)

Firstly, trim the branches to roughly the same length, about 25-30 cm.

Give a rough coat of paint for a distressed look, or for a more finished look, paint completely. Allow to dry completely.

Clean the rocks of any dirt or debris and line an area with newspaper. Spray with gold spray paint (do this in a well ventilated area).

To assemble, place the circular cake board in the centre, arrange the fairy lights in the centre of your board, ensuring that the battery box is easily accessible, so that you can switch the lights on. Arrange the rocks around the edge of the cake board.

Stack the sticks in a pyramid shape up over the centre to form a camp fire. You should be able to balance the sticks in the centre at the top, using the stones at the perimeter to wedge and hold the sticks up. If you struggle to keep them standing you can use and elastic band to secure at the top, alternatively, glue the sticks at the top using wood glue. Only do this if you don’t want to be able to break it down and pack it away. Part of the fun for kids can be getting the sticks to stand!

Flick the fairy light switch on and hey presto, an indoor, danger-free camp fire!

Upgrade your kids pretend forts made from towels and blankets to their very own tent. Check out our No-sew Teepee.

Check out our other DIY projects.

We recently discovered the thriving garden at Peddlars & Co and head chef Brad Ball put this simple and satisfying dish together, featuring the bounteous aubergine growing in the garden.

Serves: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes

Beef
600 g centre cut beef fillet, trimmed
crushed sea salt and black pepper

Caponata
2 large aubergines, finely diced
2 tsp (10 ml) salt
1/3 C (80 ml) olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 tin (240 g) whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp (15 ml) tomato paste
1 C (250 ml) green olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 C (125 ml) capers, rinsed
small bunch of parsley, chopped
4/5 C (200 ml) balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

To serve
6 baby tomatoes, quartered
good quality olive oil
micro herbs

Beef
Season the beef well with salt and pepper to create a good crust. Wrap the fillet in cling film and roll as tight as you can to form a cylinder. Place in the freezer for an hour, but do not allow to freeze solidly.

Caponata
In a heavy-based frying pan, fry the chopped aubergine until caramelised, remove and set aside. In the same pan, sauté the onions until soft and then add the celery, garlic, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar and olives. Continue to reduce until thick and sticky. Add the capers and parsley and check for seasoning. Add a pinch of sugar to balance the tartness of the vinegar, if necessary.

To serve
Slice as the beef thinly as you can, roughly 80-100 g per person and arrange on each plate. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil and then place a spoon full or two of caponata on each plate. Garnish with baby tomatoes and micro herbs and serve.

Recipe by Chef Brad Ball of Peddlars & Co.

Find out what else is in season currently click here for our Seasonal Fruit and Veggie Guide.

Delicious produce is grown in healthy, living soil. #Harvesttotable series brought to you by Reliance Compost.

Chef Brad Ball is no shrinking violet in Cape Town’s food world. He’s a stalwart of the restaurant industry having cut his teeth in a number of the city’s kitchens, before taking over at the helm of the hugely successful Bistro Sixteen82 at Steenberg Estate. After five tremendous years there he moved on to Peddlars & Co, where he has been a huge part of the major expansion and overhaul of the much-loved Constantia institution. One such overhaul has been to a fair sized barren piece of land, behind Peddlars & Co, which has been converted into a thriving vegetable garden.

The land borders on the property of a third generation flower seller’s garden and the plot was mostly being used as a location to sell flowers. Brad and his team approached the council in October 2014, and soon a lease was set up to take over the unused land, with the intention of using it to grow produce. Before they knew it, the garden grew wild and free, and the kitchen is reaping the rewards. According to Brad, the kitchen relies heavily on the garden and it is currently responsible for roughly 80% of the kitchen’s produce. What makes this all the more special is that between the four onsite eateries (Volaré, Graciales, The Oak Terrace and The Local), The Peddlars & Co, group can seat up to 300 people at a time – and the garden keeps up with the demand easily. The only items they’re ordering in are things like potatoes, onions and garlic, simply because the chefs require such a high volume. It’s a harmonious system they have going, as they replant every time they pick something, and this method is yielding incredible results.

The plot of land is circled by happy fig trees, there are untamed vines of tomatoes, giant shrubs of spinach and flowering zucchini plants, bigger than anything a vegetable supplier could ever wish to get his hands on. And yet, with all this abundance, none of it is going to waste. The mountain of habaneros are destined to be turned into a chilli sauce and Brad is finding new ways to incorporate everything – fennel pollen, basil flowers and aubergine flowers (with a prominent herbaceous parsley flavour) are popping up all over his dishes. Any leftover vegetables, are being given to the surrounding community. The people growing and using these vegetables appreciate the integrity of the planting process, and the plants are grown in an organic way.
For Brad, starting a vegetable garden for the restaurant was an easy decision. Having grown his own successful garden at home for 7 years now, the concept made complete sense to him. And while his green-thumbed influence has helped the Peddlars garden prosper, there have been a few minor hiccups, such as the rocket growing faster than they can pick it. This may not sound like a problem for most, but Brad isn’t a fan of the large leaves as they tend to be more bitter. Another niggle for them is the purple basil, which for some reason appears to be the only item that is truly struggling, apart from the watercress that simply wasn’t close enough to water to grow happily. Aside from that, Brad seems rightfully proud of the garden.  He describes walking through it as a renewing experience, and the inspiration it brings about is no small feat. Just looking through the list of possible seeds he can get from his supplier fills him with joy, and brings about new dish ideas for his menus. This organic produce is very close to his heart, as it is the only thing he would dream of serving alongside their free-range meat, supplied by Ryan Boon, and 100% sustainable seafood. Brad is a SASSI ambassador, and believes wholeheartedly in the need to eat ethically, seasonally and locally.

So what’s next for this growing garden? Winter, for one thing. And that means an exciting new batch of vegetables, such as cauliflower and broccoli. In the future though, the sky is the limit. Brad and Peddlars & Co would love to set up a weekend market where locals are able to stop by and buy their organic veggies. If this incredible rhythm continues, Brad even hints there could be potential for them to supply other restaurants in the area with incredible fresh produce. It’s a refreshing sight to see such a celebrated chef have this level of respect for the raw material he uses in his food. It’s an ideology that many chefs should be buying into. Not only for the better flavour of the food, but for the welfare of our planet.

Win dinner for two at Peddlars & Co valued at R600!

peddlars.co.za | Facebook | Twitter

Delicious produce is grown in healthy, living soil. #Harvesttotable series brought to you by Reliance Compost.

The ever-effervescent Suzelle is our very own local DIY maven; she has shown us how to make everything from hair accessories using coffee filters to how to dolly up our shopping trolley. She’s been busy lately with some new DIY projects that have been right up our alley and we just had to share. To celebrate World Water Day (22 March) she hooked up with Helen Zille to tell us how to minimise our water wastage – a seriously hot topic at the moment. We think what the pair of them had to say is really worthwhile. Suzelle also recently created a really cool mini greenhouse garden, and we’ve shared that below too. This long weekend you have a garden project to do, plus, you now have no excuse to be wasting water – there’s it!

Suzelle’s vivacious personality and her dedication to the art of home improvement will have you in stitches. Her unique brand of comedy paired with actual useful tips, are a winning combination that really epitomise the phrase ‘local is lekker’. We caught up with Suzelle to find out a bit more about what makes this colourful lady tick.

Tell us a little bit about Suzelle the kid, where she grew up, what her favourite activity was and whether she always had such fabulous hair accessories? I am a small town girl from Somerset West. I have always been proud of my appearance. I started wearing my hair in an up-style when I was little because it used to get in the way of my arts and crafts projects. Then I started adding bows and flowers because it was a way for me to express my creativity.

Your videos inspire people to do new things that they may not have thought possible – was it always your intention to make the world more beautiful and to make peoples lives easier with each DIY project? You know what? I didn’t have a plan when I started. I’ve always just been very hands-on and I love to use my creativity. I just want everyone to know that they can do it too.

Have you ever injured yourself (or Marianne) during filming? Sometimes situations can get a bit hairy especially when we are up on a ladder and using power tools, but luckily we have never had anything serious happen.

Who taught you how to use power tools? My parents and my oupa.

We love your dress sense; do you have fashion idols that inspire your look? I love Katie Holmes and Charlize Theron!

We hear that HRH Prince George had a cool tree house built for him. If you were commissioned to make a DIY gift for HRH Princess Charlotte, what would you make? I would make her a mobile out of everyday objects but I would spray paint them all gold and silver because she is a real princess.

If you could have invented one thing, what would it be? Cable ties.

Quickfire Questions

Your personality as an ice cream flavour… Tooti Fruity.
Favourite DIY project so far… The Braai Pie
Favourite high tea sweet treat… Koeksisters
Yummiest thing to braai… Boerewors Bagel Dogs
Who would be your partner on the Amazing Race? Marianne. She basically is a GPS.
Puppy or kitten? No comment
Do you sing in the shower? Of course, and in the car.

Photo credits: Ari Kruger & Adriaan Oosthuizen

suzellediy.com | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

Delicious produce is grown in healthy, living soil. #Harvesttotable series brought to you by Reliance Compost.