Chefs on Fire

Take 5 top chefs, some open coal fires, endless top notch wines, a heavenly setting and a rock ‘n roll band… and you have a serious party on your hands! For the past 4 years we have made the annual pilgrimage to the valley to celebrate all things Pinot Each year we think its as…

5 ways to “give a fig” or, why TV food programs are not always what they are “cooked up” to be…

A practical cynics guide to interpreting MasterChef! The problem with foodie competitions on telly is that apart from being mind boggling and wonderfully inspiring – they make everything look so easy! We have just started watching Australian Masterchef 2017 – yikes – in 90 minutes these amateurs (some less than half our age) whip up astonishing…

More Top Tapas in Cape Town with Chef Liam Tomlinson

When the swallows arrive, we know it’s time to eat out. Living in Cape Town, we are blessed with visitors who spend South African winters in the north – enjoying summer in the USA and the UK – then return for our summer. These perpetual holiday maker sun seekers can spot fun (and a great…

Food Theatre at La Colombe – Act 1

When friends on holiday from the UK write to you weeks in advance and suggest that as food tourists, you really should also try the gems at home – what else can you do but start saving and clear your afternoon! La Colombe recently made the TripAdvisor top 10 list – coming in at a…

“Tapas Training” in central Cape Town

While planning a 3 week tapas trail in Portugal and Spain, we were determined to be “holiday fit”. Being ready meant not only finding compromise dishes to share and working out portion size – but also relearning how to play at more than one venue in an evening. When friends invited us to join them…

Gym and tonic anyone?

We all know that boutique gins are all the rage, so felt obliged to try a gin pairing at the Woodstock Gin Co this morning. Actually, the tasting was a great birthday gift – and made for a great reason to visit Woodstock. Turns out it is very easy to find – right at the…

Skye Food Wars – and the winner is…. SURPRISE!

Spoiled for choice – where to find the best treat on Skye

The main event – heavyweight Chef Scott Davies from The Three Chimneys

No pressure Chef Scott – not only have you just been appointed as head chef of a restaurant making the TOP 50 in The World list, you have replaced a real legend in the kitchen and 3 Chimneys just LOST it’s hard won star, the foodie world is watching. Even bigger pressure however – 2…

And in the blue corner… keeping it real at the Stein Inn

As fine as fine dining may be… there really is a limit! Not only does your pocket need to be nurtured (especially when traveling on the wobbly ZA Rand), but if you only eat high end, you risk missing finding wonderful “real food”. So with 3 nights on Skye, there was never a question that…

In the red corner, we have Chef Michael Smith of Loch Bay…

As an obsessive, compulsive watcher of foodie channels, imagine my excitement on hearing that the guy who won the main course dish on Great British Menu (the Red Nose Comic Relief Series) was our host and chef! His winning goat tagine was titled “I love children but I couldn’t manage a whole kid”! Bring it…