I learnt two new things this week. I’m not sure which astonished me more: Famous chefs don’t necessarily have to be wombats who prance about the kitchen swearing enough to make the Teflon peel off non-stick pans. Rooibos is not just something to drink first thing in the morning and then again at 3pm because, after having manfully (or is [...]
Cats are quite balletic creatures. The effortless way Merlot pulls a 180-degree arabesque-type move to lick her bottom is hugely impressive. I wish I were that flexible. Not to lick myself, of course. I’m not that kind of girl. But it would be quite handy when I’m crouching down to clean my industrial-sized oven. I hung up my point shoes [...]
When women get depressed, they shop – generally for shoes. Given that A) I already have about 40 pairs; B) I actually wear only maybe five of them and C) I would need to move house if I bought just one more pair, I decided to give this up. Not the practice of shopping to get my head screwed on [...]
When it comes to Christmas, I don’t just deck the halls, I deck positively everything. Nothing quite as marvellous as excess at this time of year. Which is why I have a wreath not just on my front door, but also on my back door. It’s been there since mid-November. This weekend, the tree goes up. I don’t know [...]
There are few things I love more than a decent French apple tart, with the possible exception of a proper ’tarte au fromage blanc’ – a sophisticated little cheese tart number made with fromage blanc (a soft white French cheese), raisins and candied fruit. So I decided to recreate it, but give it a seriously South African twist. Instead of [...]