Christmas dinner South African style

Merry Christmas friends! Hope you are having a wonderful time with your families and loved ones. We had a lovely evening with my family last night and of course I had to take a few photos to share with you. My youngest sister and I decorated the table and as you can see it's very much a South African setting, not a drop of snow to be seen! My other sister decorated the Christmas tree, doesn't it look fabulous? Wishing you all an equally fabulous time!

Photography: by me

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You and Me and Everyone We Know Market

Vintage lovers be sure to check out the You Me and Everyone We Know market held at the old Labia Cinema on Orange every Saturday morning. Check out their website for the schedule and pop along tonight to their first night market! Perfect spot for some last minute Christmas shopping for a retro loving friend!

Photography: by me

Photography: by me

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Hemelhuijs

Yesterday before work we popped into Hemelhuijs and enjoyed a delicious breakfast, what a perfect way to start the day! Hemelhuijs is beautifully put together, simple yet stylish with a few fun, quirky twists like the reindeer head on the wall... adorned with crockery. There is also a small selection of gorgeous homeware available to buy, my favourite being the most incredible framed butterflies. The menu is full of wholesome meals with all sorts of interesting combinations and flavours, I'm already looking forward to a leisurely lunch there.

Hemelhuijs, 71 Waterkant Street, Cape Town
Tel: +27 21 418 2042

Photography: by me

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Fairview

I've posted about Fairview before here but I think it's high time for an update. We had a wonderful lunch there on Saturday... delicious food, good company and incredible views made for a great afternoon. Fairview is just outside of Paarl so it's really close to Cape Town and they make great wines and cheeses. They have a few goats that live in the cutest little tower which always attracts a lot of attention. There's something about farmyard animals that makes me happy, it must be a nostalgic tribute to my childhood, my grandparents used to have a sheep farm in the Karoo. Hope you enjoy the pics, I love the first one of the billy goat posing so perfectly for me!

Fairview, Suid-Agter Paarl Road, Suider-Paarl
Tel: +27 21 863 3609

Photography: by me

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Chart Farm roses

I paid another trip to Chart Farm on the weekend, a lovely rose farm in Wynberg. The setting is beautiful and it's always a relaxing outing. There's something so nostalgic about walking up and down the rows of roses, smelling all the fragrances and carefully deciding which ones to pick. I think it's because my grandmother always used to have beautiful rose gardens and whenever we used to visit her there would be freshly picked roses in the house. Tip of the day: the roses are half price on Sundays! So pop in on your next free weekend and while you're there, enjoy some tea and cake at their tea garden!

Chart Farm, Klaassens Road, Wynberg Park, Wynberg

Tel: +27 21 761 0434

Photography: by me

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Weekend snippets

Just a few highlights from my weekend, it was busy but fun, there's just so much to do in Cape Town in Summer! Rose picking at Chart Farm, lunch with friends at Pastis in Constantia and a little bit of shopping at Juju et Moi which is right next door to Pastis. Don't you love their Panama hats?

And I also went to an incredible Studio Art Shopping Party in Observatory. A group of talented Capetonian artists displayed their art in this studio space, it was super creative and so inspiring, I'm still upset that I didn't take my proper camera along! So I only managed to take a few pics. (Artists involved were Kurt Pio, Frank van Reenen, Sarah Pratt, Tracy Lee Lynch, Gabrielle Raaff, Tracy Payne, Conrad Botes and Lee Ann Ormandy-Boulter.) So that's it, what did you get up to on the weekend?

Photography: by me

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{Monthly Sweet Tooth} Malva pudding

Hi friends, did you have a good weekend? I had a busy but lovely weekend, I'll share some pics tomorrow. So today it's time for another Sweet Tooth post and I really hope you like today's recipe as it's an all time South African favourite! If you don't know what Malva pudding is, well it's a deliciously sweet dessert with a moist sponge base and a caramelised sauce. It's probably most similar to the English Sticky Toffee pudding. This particular recipe is incredibly easy to make so I highly recommend it! It's great for a Winter's evening to warm you up, essentially the perfect dessert for a White Christmas!

I decided to style the shoot with Christmas in mind and hopefully have given you a few decor ideas! Simple linen, candles and white roses to create an elegant but relaxed table setting. Add a fun DIY wreath in the background for a playful touch.

Malva pudding

250ml cake flour

250ml sugar

2,5ml bicarbonate of soda

125ml milk

15ml brown vinegar

15ml apricot jam

1 egg

1tsp vanilla essence

* Mix all the ingredients together well and pour into a well greased dish.

* Bake in preheated oven at 180˚ for 20 minutes.
* Makes enough for about six small servings

Sauce

250ml milk

190ml sugar

60ml butter

5ml vanilla essence

* Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat gently to dissolve.

* Pour the sauce over the pudding when it comes out of the oven. 
* Once the pudding has soaked up all the sauce, it's ready to be eaten!

And that's it, so very easy! Eat the pudding while warm, serve with cream or ice cream! It's truly delicious and you'll be having seconds for sure! I normally double the quantity to make a nice big dish.

Photography: by me

Tablecloth and napkins, glass vase, wooden block and candles available from Pezula Interiors

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Jamie Oliver

I recently won a giveaway from the Wellness warehouse and now have another Jamie Oliver book in my collection! Jamie's 30 Minute Meals is seriously brilliant though... he's done all the thinking for you and tells you exactly how to get a delicious three course dinner made in no time at all. Most recipe books give you the instructions for each course separately and then you have to work out what to do first and how to juggle each recipe. Jamie's latest book however has done all the prep for you and has combined the instructions for all three courses in a practical order so that you don't waste any time. All you have to do is follow the instructions, no thinking involved, so simple, I love it!

Photography: by me

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Vamp

From the outside it looks like an old, run down church and if it wasn't for the bright yellow door and turquoise sign, you'd never think to venture further. Tucked away inside this unassuming building though, you'll find Vamp, a mass of colour and fun retro pieces. Vamp is the perfect place to find some quirky collectibles and fabulous restored and revamped furniture! Pop in on a Saturday on your way to the Biscuit Mill!

Vamp, Old St Marys Church, cnr of Albert Rd and Treaty St, Woodstock

Photography: by me

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