July / Aug 2018 Issue 50
ed’s note
JULY / AUGUST
Life is short. Eat the cupcake. Just like that, we’re over halfway through the year. It’s a cold day today, and I’m sitting at my desk with a hot cup of coffee in my hands, and warm slippers on my feet. What does winter mean for you? For me it means an extra cup of daily coffee, snuggles on the couch, and delicious meals. Making the decision to run each day has not been easy, but I’m trying. It helps to ease the guilt after I’ve reached for an extra helping of food at night. I’m all about the balance. This issue we’ve included some amazing recipes, we discover some exciting new brands, and we chat to some inspiring local authors. I hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as I enjoyed creating it! If you want to get involved in a future issue, please contact me on christine@flatwhiteconcepts.com With love, laughter and a lot of coffee. Christine www.christinebernard.com Cover photo by Warren Bernard www.flatwhiteimages.com
@author_cb christinebernardauthor
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Recipe Developer, Food Photography, and Stylist.
www.bibbyskitchenat36.com
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taste A SIMPLE SUNDRIED TOMATO SOUP I’m easily drawn to the warmth of our kitchen, pulling chairs in closer to huddle around the hearth, steaming bowls of soup clutched between our hands. Easing us into soup season, we have this light and simple sundried tomato soup. It’s uncomplicated and clean, the taste distinctly tomatoey. Vine ripened tomatoes – slightly tart with flavours that sing red. To amplify the taste and add depth of flavour, I’ve included a few darkened, oil-soaked sun-dried tomatoes.
Ingredients • 2 tablespoons olive oil • 2 -3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced • 2kg ripe Roma tomatoes or the same weight, whole tinned tomatoes • 6 large sundried tomatoes (preserved in oil) several stems fresh oregano, de-stalked and roughly chopped • 1 tablespoon sugar or xylitol (or slightly more depending on the acidity of the tomatoes) • 1.8 litres chicken stock or vegetable stock , if doing a vegetarian version • Salt and freshly ground black pepper • Large handful basil, roughly torn • Cream, to serve • Extra virgin olive oil, to finish
Method 1. Rinse the tomatoes under cold water. Cut into quarters and then halve once more. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep sided saucepan. 3. Fry the garlic for several minutes over a medium heat, being careful not to burn it. 4. Add all the tomatoes and sauté for about ten minutes until the juices are released and the tomatoes are softened. 5. Stir through the sundried tomatoes, oregano and sugar. Season generously with salt and pepper. 6. Pour in the stock and simmer on a medium high heat without a lid for about an hour. You want the liquid to reduce quite substantially so leaving the lid off is key. Depending on the water content of the tomatoes, you might need to reduce it down for a further 15-20 minutes. 7. Add the basil and cook for another minute or two. Transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth. 8. For an extra smooth consistency, strain the soup through a sieve. Return the soup to the pot and heat through. Correct the seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 9. Drizzle with cream, extra virgin olive oil and a few sprigs of basil.
Bibby’s Kitchen @ Thirty Six www.bibbyskitchenat36.com
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ROAST BUTTERNUT AND BLUE CHEESE FRITTATA My approach to cooking is always to maximise flavour, whether it’s meat or vegetable-dense dishes. One way of adding bags of flavour is by roasting. Another is to incorporate exciting textures and tastes like savoury and sweet. For this frittata I roast the butternut in ground coriander and all-spice. Next up are the creamy eggs. Softly whisked and puffed-up soufflé style with blue cheese and salty feta. How good? Wait, we’re not done yet. A crown of toffee apple red cherry tomatoes are dipped in hot caramel and piled on top. Now we’re done. For the caramel I use Natura Sugars Golden castor sugar. It’s superfine texture and golden colour makes for a deep amber coloured caramel. Natura Sugars are unbleached and non-irradiated, a process which helps retain a distinctive molasses-rich taste. Serve the frittata warm or at room temperature with a fresh garden salad.
For the caramelised tomatoes • ½ cup Natura Sugars Golden Castor sugar • 250g vine cherry tomatoes
Method
1. reheat the oven to 200º C. 2. Line and grease a roasting tin. Place the butternut on the tray and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with coriander, mixed spice, salt and pepper. 3. Roast for about 35 - 40 minutes or until fork tender and golden. 4. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and sauté the onions until caramelised and soft. 5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream and wholegrain mustard. Season lightly with salt and pepper. 6. Grease a 23cm ovenproof pie dish. Lay the roast butternut, onions, half the feta and blue cheese on the base. Pour over the egg mixture. 7. Scatter with remaining cheese and pine nuts. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until puffed and • 2 tablespoons olive oil golden. • 1 large onion, thinly sliced into half moons 8. In the meanwhile, start with the caramel. • 500g butternut chunks, peeled Place the sugar in a saucepan on a medium high • ½ teaspoon ground coriander heat. • ¼ teaspoon all spice or mixed spice 9. Swirl the pan without stirring the sugar until • 8 free-range eggs the caramel is a dark amber colour. 10. Dip the tomatoes halfway into the hot cara• 125ml cream (or half milk, half cream) mel and place on top of the warm frittata. • 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard •125g blue cheese, roughly crumbled into 11. Serve the frittata immediately with a fresh garden salad. chunks
Ingredients
• 100g feta, crumbled • A handful of pine nuts • Salt and black pepper
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where brewing meets the grind Pose the question “Brew?” to someone, and their answer will normally define their lifestyle. If they say “Cheers! Nothing like sipping a cold one” you’re looking at a confirmed beer drinker. If, however, the answer is “Double espresso – hold the milk,” we have a coffee connoisseur on our hands. And now there’s a third option, brought to you by Boston Breweries and Deluxe Coffeeworks: an option that will leave both sets of brew addicts licking their lips and looking for more – Black River Coffee Stout. It’s exactly what it sounds like: a jet-black brew with a toffee coloured head with an unmistakable aroma of perfectly roasted coffee beans. With a hint of delicious malt in the background, this is a taste-bud activating scent that invites that deep first sip. A caffeinated beer? “Absolutely!” says Chris Barnard, Chief Brewer and MD of innovative Boston Breweries craft brewing company. “This is a stout: a drink that is to be savoured rather than chugged. It is the perfect evening drink, and is ideal at meal time too. It’s a fantastic accompaniment to sweeter foods, and the subtle carbonation makes it perfect to cleanse palates after creamy dishes.” Black River Coffee Stout lives up to the reputation that stouts have built since 1677: hugely popular dark brown beers made with roasted malts: they were stout by name and stout by nature. Boston Breweries have stuck with the centuries old brewing tradition, but with a coffee flavoured twist that would have had our ancestors drooling.
“Black River Coffee Stout fits the Deluxe Coffee profile to perfection. We are passionate about coffee and we think that this is good enough reasons for us to do what we do: roast, supply and serve coffee in the best way we know how. In Black River Coffee Stout our coffee taste is brilliantly captured, and we are proud to be collaborating with Boston Breweries on this great stout.” This adventurous approach also highlights the Deluxe Coffeeworks team’s belief that what counts in the world of coffee is not hackneyed tradition, but what the clients want, and how they like to consume their brew. This is reflected in Deluxe Coffeeworks laid back, old-school fashion: great music, good company and perfectly brewed coffee. Add the Boston Breweries innovation and brewing perfection to this mix and you end up with a whole new world of taste and flavour; a world where brews collide to create a drink that is reminiscent of two completely different, but equally refreshing processes. The sticker on Black River Coffee Stout’s bottles says it perfectly: “Where brewing meets the grind!” Deluxe Coffeeworks full-bodied, full flavoured and smooth coffee beans enhancing Boston Breweries perfected brewing methods promises to be a ground-breaking move that will set the beer and coffee drinking worlds alight. Available in both bottles and traditional kegs, Black River Coffee Stout with its thick, chocolate coloured head and superb coffee flavour notes is a brewing innovation whose time has come.
Judd Nicolay, co-founder and operations man- www.bostonbreweries.co.za ager of Deluxe Coffeeworks is in full agreement. www.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
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The Hungry Herbivore We chat to Amy Ares and Brent Borman, the team behind this popular vegan eatery. www.thehungryherbivore.com
Hi Amy, tell me a bit more about when and loved creating new foods we decided to go ahead and start cooking. We began in markets, why you decided to open? but grew so much that we got to open up the In 2013 I decided to start living a healthier life- restaurant in September 2016. style, and stumbled upon raw food. I became increasingly interested in creating new desserts What is your most popular item on the menu? and recipes. My new found passion began to grow, and in 2014 Brent and I decided to move Our Oh Sweet Kim burger is a winner for vegans back to South Africa and open The Hungry Her- and non vegans. It consists of a sweet potato, bivore to make healthy eating more accessible. quinoa, lentil and kimchi patty with spicy mayo, caramelized onions and avo. How has the company changed since you Tell us about your catering options. started? We started out as a 100% raw food company, but back then (2014) the market was too small for only raw food. We continuously got asked to make cooked vegan meals, and because we
We mostly cater our raw vegan cakes, as those have always been a winner. They are gluten free and refined sugar free, but decadent and full of healthy fats and minerals. We do baked
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cakes and private catering on the side and everything is always customized for the clients specific needs. For those that are hoping to move toward plant-based products, but are struggling to take the leap, what advise do you give? Do some research, find out where to buy some vegan staples and take the plunge. Challenge yourself to do 21 days and see how easy it is. Grab a couple of simple recipes off the internet, get experimenting, and you will quickly see how much fun it can be. Do you have any upcoming plans for the future? Or any news you want to share with us? We are always changing, adapting and learning. This year our focus is on manufacturing and supplying other restaurants and cafes with sauce, cakes and pizza cheese to make veganism more accessible everywhere. We would love to get some investment so we can expand all over SA.
Pop in for a visit at 11 Orphan Street, Cape Town. www.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
Your Vegan protein fix
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10 plant-based foods that are packed in protein. A post by: www.thehungryherbivore.com
1. Quinoa
6. Tempeh
Uncooked Quinoa has about 14g of protein per 100g of tempeh can get you about 19g of pro100g. Quinoa is an extremely healthy grain and tein. Tempeh can be used as a meat alternative can be used to substitute rice or can be added in many dishes. to meals such as salads and wraps for extra protein.
7. Seitan or ‘wheat meat’
2. Lentils 100g of uncooked lentils contains about 26g of protein! Lentils can be used as a mince substitute or added to many dishes for extra protein and nutrients.
3. Black beans & Kidney beans 100g of raw black beans has about 22g of protein, and raw kidney beans have about 24g of protein per 100g.
4. Chickpeas For 100g of chickpeas you can get roughly 19g of protein.
For 100g of seitan you can get about 75g of protein. Wait. whaaaat!? Incredible!
8. Whole wheat pasta Did you know that 100g of cooked whole wheat pasta contains about 7.5g of protein? Crazy, right?
9. Hemp seeds For 30g of hemp seeds you can get about 11g of protein.
10. Powders - Pea Protein or Muscle works Vegan Protein
5. Tofu
Just like any other protein shake - Muscle Works is a quick way of getting your protein. Each serv100g of Tofu contains about 8g of protein! Tofu ing contains 20g of protein and 30 servings per can be used in many dishes - I would definitely tub. suggest trying out tofu scramble (drool) - visit the website for the recipe . www.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
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Please note: prices may change.
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THINGS WE LOVE Legado - Journeyman Blend, 250g Roaster’s notes:
Tasting notes: Bold, Sweet, Chocolate Brewing Method Suggestions: Aeropress, Stovetop & Espresso Current Blend: 50% Rwanda Inzovu, 50% Uganda Mt Elgon Selling price: R75.00 Visit capecoffeebeans.co.za
Coffee Bean studs Handmade polymer clay coffee bean stud earrings Selling price: R90.00 Visit www.turkeydimple.co.za
Just Add Water, 1.75kg Just Add Water! And enjoy a cup of chocolately comfort, in an instant! That’s the deliciously yummy promise of NOMU’s Brand New Instant Hot Chocolate, perfected by NOMU to produce amazing taste, delicious, chocolatey flavour, on the go and whenever you please! Selling price: R215.00 Visit www.nomu.co.za www.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
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THINGS WE LOVE
Personalised Colouring Pencils 12 colouring pencils, personalised in gold foil. Selling price: R165.00 Visit www.lovelettersstationery.co.za
Books, Coffee and Blanket Forts. T-shirt designed be me. For coffee and book lovers everywhere. This store has some other fantastic shirts on offer too so definitely check them out! Selling price: R200.00 Visit www. thatstore.co.za
UCOOK Box Choose from 9 seasonal recipes and 3 categories each week. Get the ingredients and recipes delivered to your home or work. I highly recommend this. Selling price: Varies! Visit www.ucook.co.za
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THINGS WE LOVE
Mexican Candy Scull Bamboo Clock These Stunning clocks are made from 100% bamboo and laser cut to create beautiful styles. Selling price: R550.00 Visit www.hallojane.co.za
The Book Case The Book Case is a monthly, mystery bookish box that includes a highly-anticipated, newly-released novel and 3-5 exclusive bookish items that all tie into an awesome pre-released theme! You’ll never, ever know what’s in the case until you receive it at the end of every month! And that’s the excitement of it all! Selling price: R550.00 – R650.00 Visit www.thebcase.co.za
Espresso Maker - 6 Cup There’s no need to leave the comfort of your home or office for a heavenly cup of coffee, simply get this espresso maker and brew your own. Selling price: R299.00 Visit www.woolworths.co.za
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THINGS WE LOVE
Carb Clever™ Coconut & Vanilla Flavoured Granola 250g This Carb Clever™ Coconut & Vanilla Flavoured Granola is made from seeds and nuts with added coconut flour. Enjoy with yoghurt or milk or eat as a snack on the go. Selling Price: R55.99 Visit www.woolworths.co.za
Six Dogs Blue Gin, 750ml The infusion of the blue tea plant lends this unique gin its natural blue colour. With the addition of a good tonic, the colour changes to a light pink. The classic taste is further enhanced through the addition of rose pelargonium. The colour of this gin is entirely natural, and will fade over time. Selling Price: R539.00 Visit www.yuppiechef.com
Find and buy wine online in South Africa FindWine is your guide to finding the best wine. No more standing at wine shops, staring at labels or debating prices. Once you find a wine you like, they give you price comparisons from respected online merchants where you can place an order for delivery. Selling price: Varies. Visit www.findwine.com www.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
Please note: prices may change.
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Ecogemgem.
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Living a kinder lifestyle. Thinking globally, acting locally
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What is Ecogemgem?
What is your most popular product?
Ecogemgem is my business baby, something that I started when becoming a new mom to help me get back to doing what I love. The business has evolved into a beautiful brand of cruelty-free items and vegan living statement items that are now available countrywide on online shops as well as some walk in stores.
It would have to be the 'Postman sing bag’, for it’s minimilistic style and useful size (it’s a great inbetweener bag). Also, the 'Reusable produce bags'.
Why did you decide to create this business? When Riley Ray was born, I decided that the best thing I could offer him was my time. This meant leaving my (very) long time day job and becoming a stay at home mom. However, because of my "never sit still" personality, I was soon searching for something else to do, and before I knew it I was unpacking my old sewing machine to keep my creativity flowing as a hobby. I had also just decided to live a vegan lifestyle, and discovered that quirky vegan-quoted shopping bags and tshirts were so expensive to buy. So I decided to make my own. I made some for me, then for a friend, then for a friend’s friend. Soon, the demand was big enough for me to start something of my own.
Tell me more about the name.
Any plans in the next few years? I would like to make sure I have enough momentum gained to be able to train up and empower underprivileged young girls with a new job skill, that can’t afford to study and with skills that will always be needed. After all, every item I have ever made is self taught, and I want to pass this on. I would also absolutely love to walk past big branded stores and see my brand on their shelves promoting plastic free shopping.
Who inspires you? My mom, a beautiful, go-getter, professional and extremely hard working woman who is completely self made. Also, a very close friend of mine Kerri Bainborough who initially showed me that living a kinder lifestyle was the way forward. Of course the most inspiring thing for me, is walking around Durban or Cape Town and seeing someone walk past wearing an item or bag of mine. It’s such a special and satisfying feeling.
Many of my friends have always called me GemGem, and considering the items I first began How can we get a hold of your products? making were promoting a plastic free lifestlye (or, at least, to stop once off use plastic) Eco just Directly through me is always first choice. You made sense. It also rolls off the tongue nicely can email me on ecogemgem@gmail.com for and was fun to brand. catalogues and newsletter sign ups. You can also follow me on Insagram: @ecogemgem
What was the first product you sold?
Otherwise online store 'Faithful to Nature' as well My 100% vegan-quoted shopper bags, with the as 'Bespoke Artichoke' both have an Ecogemgem logo ‘Friends not food’ - with cute little farm section as well as a beautiful zero waste shop in animals, dogs and cats on the front. I was very Cape Town’s Woodstock called Shop Zero. proud.
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We chat to four inspiring South African authors..
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writing was “too sentimental” to be published, I nonetheless started writing again in my late 20s. And the rest is history.
What was your first novel, and where did the idea come from?
1 NERINE DORMAN
Khepera Rising was my first novel. I got the idea one day when I was walking home from the train station in Fish Hoek, and a little old lady with lilac-framed glasses leapt out at me exclaiming “Jesus loves you!” I was so taken aback because I hadn’t expected this at all – I'd been so busy day dreaming on my route. It must’ve been my gothic get-up and the skull and crossbones on my T-shirt that set the old bat off. Which got me thinking – what if I was the very person these perennially dull folks in the valley feared I was? Oh, wait, actually I am, but let’s not dwell on it [LOL]. That’s how Jamie – our friendly neighbourhood black magician came into being.
Your top three books of all time?
Have you always wanted to be a writer? My selection is quite pedestrian, I’m afraid, Or did life step in and change your plans? with JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings; Neil I always loved writing; I think I first realised I was good at it when I started high school. I wanted to create worlds like Middle-earth and relive the kind of excitement and immersion in fiction that I found in the films I enjoyed. I think if I’d known fanfiction was a thing (or had internet in those days) I might’ve started a whole lot sooner. As it was, my wonderful English teacher (thank you, Mrs Orpen) encouraged me greatly even if she was a bit at a loss for how to advise me on the journey to getting published (this was the days before Google and anyone who was a published author must've gone through some bizarre esoteric process to "get there", right?). Though I was discouraged during my early 20s by a (now ex) boyfriend who told me my
Gaiman’s Sandman comic books (I glomp them together as one book all right?); and Robin Hobb’s Assassin’s Apprentice. These were lifechangers for me in terms of making me want to tell my own stories.
What are you currently reading? I’ve got Cameron Johnston’s The Traitor God at the top of my reading pile – it’s hitting all the marks with me at present as thoroughly engaging dark fantasy. Lots of skullduggery in a well realised environment, with a touch of black humour from a smart-mouthed protagonist. I have a weakness for those, I admit it.
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create What are you working on? Stuff. [She says ominously.] All right, all right. Currently my work in progress is a YA SF novel called Sing down the Stars that I’m aiming to submit to the next Sanlam Youth Literature Prize. I was a finalist the last time, so I’m aiming for gold this year. After that, I’ll be revising a novel I worked on with my co-author Carrie Clevenger a few years back, which will then bring me to trying to put out some of my back list and a sequel before year end. No pressure, right?
When you're not writing, what are you doing? Honestly, I wish I could read more – for pleasure. I go through a fair pile of book reviews every year and don't read enough of the books *I* personally want to read. Fanfiction is my guilty pleasure, however. The past four or five years I've picked up my art again, so I spend some time each day messing around either in PhotoShop or with ink, pencil or graphite. The idea is to eventually do fan art of my favourite stories, but right now my art is that gangly "not quite right in the head" phase. Other than that, I'm a musician – I'm one half of the duo behind Isobel, a Cape Town-based neofolk project (guitars, vocals) – so I have to spend at least some time every day practising. Other than that, I potter about in my garden – I have a big garden with lots of birds and unusual indigenous plants. Visitors usually get a guided tour with
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create a whole lot of rattling off of names and other details until their heads spin. And sometimes, if I've the time, I'll game – usually on the PS4. I've a weakness for fantasy RPGs. Dragon Age is my favourite.
Do you have a specific place to write? I’ve recently tied myself down to just using the Mac Pro that’s in my office – it has a nice big screen and a great sound system. I used to write all over before I went freelance (even on the train in notebooks or on my phone) but now I’m approaching this more as “work” as opposed to a past time – so I have set times each day when I sit down and say “all right you’re going to put down 250 words now”. I write in bursts and I find having that focused time really helps.
If you could have dinner with 3 authors OR literary characters, who would it be? Difficult one. I’d have to say that’d be my favourite living authors: Neil Gaiman, Storm Constantine, and Robin Hobb. I would have loved to have dinner with JRR Tolkien, but unless I engage in a spot of necromancy, that ain’t gonna happen.
a great way to get my mind active for visual work. During the day I’ll do mostly design and sometimes editing, depending on work load. Very glamorous, I know, but it pays the bills. Then in the evenings I’ll have music practice, read for an hour and then feed animals. By then the husband creature is usually home, so I do the whole making dinner, wifey thing. And then after that I have time for my writing and more editing, but I have a strict cut-off time of stopping by 11pm so I can still read a chapter before passing out. People often ask me how the hell I get everything done or find time, and for that lists are important – breaking big jobs down into easily digestible tasks. I set aside portions of time for the activities that firstly bring in the money and after that bring in pleasure and relaxation. However, weekends are also about chilling out and socialising, so I’ll watch movies, visit with friends or game then. Cabin fever can be a real pain sometimes, as I sit without a car during the week – but I make a point of phoning and having face time with at least one friend a week, so I can still hear what other people's voices sound like. The scary thing is I often don't leave the property for 4 to 5 days at a time.
What does a typical day look like for How can we follow you? you? Oh, I'm the queen of routine. Once I’ve gotten my husband out of the house, I make the bed (it’s important for me to always make the bed) and then I get dressed (working from home, the temptation to sloth around in PJs is overwhelming – I'm only allowed to do that on public holidays). Then I feed the dogs, have breakfast, and get my day started which is usually around 8.30am. I try to do at least one drawing before I begin designing – it’s
My books are available at assorted vendors online, but if you want a brief overview of what I’d recommend (and why) go check out my suggested reads at http://nerinedorman. blogspot.co.za/p/about-my-stories.html Other than that, I welcome people stalk— Ahem, following me on Twitter @nerinedorman
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write the biography of the sole survivor of the Sizzlers Massacre in Cape Town. The book was never published, but I realized that I could write, and that I enjoyed it! I haven’t stopped since.
What was your first novel, and where did the idea come from?
JOANNE MACGREGOR
My first novel was Turtle Walk, a fun high school story with an ecological theme for younger YA readers. At the time, my own children were young teens and I was annoyed that most of the YA novels on bookstore shelves were from international writers, set in a fantasy world, with male protagonists and female sidekicks. I wanted a local story, set in a real world, with kickass heroines - clever, resourceful girls who save the boys. In the meantime, I’d been horrified to learn about the devastation wrought to our marine wildlife by commercial longline fishing and wove that into the book I wanted to write, and wanted my children to read.
Your top three books of all time? The ones that stay with me are East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford, and The Harry Potter series.
Have you always wanted to be a writer? Or did life step in and change your plans? What are you currently reading? Nope. When I was young, and already an avid reader, I don’t think I understood that an actual person wrote the books I devoured. Books were a product, like Cadbury’s milk chocolate, that were sent from England to my local library, and were stamped with a production logo - “Enid Blyton”. Once I was old enough to understand the concept of a book having been written by a real person, authors were still mythical beings, like unicorns. I didn’t know any writers and certainly didn’t think I could one day be the author of a book. Things changed when I was asked to
A Fatal Inversion by Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendall’s pen name). I love clever crime thrillers!
What are you working on at the moment? It doesn’t have a title yet, which is a little worrying, but I’m 70 000 words into another psychological thriller for adults. This one may or may not have a supernatural twist. (Like most writers, I’m superstitious about saying too much about my current project, in case I jinx it!)
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When you’re not writing, what are you doing? I’m a counselling psychologist by profession, so I spend alternate days in my therapeutic practice, and occasionally I also do corporate training in change management. I love to read (of course!) and cook, but I don’t have as much spare time as I would like these days. I love to sleep. Honestly, if sleeping was an Olympic event, I’d be on the national team. I try very hard to avoid spending time eating Niknaks. I fail.
Do you have a specific place to write? I have a desk tucked into the corner of our lounge and that’s where I write. I prefer to be alone, and to write in silence, but (as the song says) you don’t always get what you want!
If you could have dinner with 3 authors OR literary characters, who would it be? Jo (“JK”) Rowling, Stephen Fry, and Shakespeare. It’d be magic!
What does a typical day look like for you? It depends on whether it’s a therapy day or a writing day. (They’re never on the same day, because therapy is very demanding work - it exhausts me emotionally and empties my creative tank for the rest of the day.) On writing days, I wake up early, get the household moving, make school lunches, have three cups of strong tea and then sit down to write in 30-minute bursts. If I’m plotting or working out a story problem, you’re likely to find me in my bed with an airline mask over my eyes, imagining the next scene in a kind of waking dream-state, or driving around the ringroad that skirts Johannesburg, muttering to myself and speaking into my iPhone voice recorder. If I’m actually writing a scene, you’ll either find
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me scrawling in a cheap notebook with a purple or green felt-tip pen, or clicking away on my fabulously noisy and satisfyingly tactile mechanical keyboard, while nibbling on sunflower seeds or salted liquorice.
Where can we buy your books? Either directly from me (www.joannemacgregor.com) or on Amazon.
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punctuation, but that’s what editors are for. I’ve always been a communicator. Being a communicator begins with one word, “why?”. I never stopped asking that word. It drove my folks and teachers nuts. But it was research. I was trying to build a body of knowledge, because to write without knowledge opens one up to ridicule. I have a lust to know how the world works. Then, armed with knowledge, I want to share what I learn.
What was your first novel, and where did the idea come from?
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MICHAEL SMORENBURG Have you always wanted to be a writer? Or did life step in and change your plans? Don’t ask my English teachers this—it’ll make them laugh, because I doubt I ever handed an essay in on time or to spec; I was so busy surfing. I think the lessons missed shows in my poor
My first published novel was A Trojan Affair, a drama about the friction between the folks of a small conservative town, led by the dominee, fighting to stop the SKA, a scientific instrument searching for the origins of the universe, coming to their town. It was a story I wanted to tell about modernity invading tradition and the Trump-age friction between religion pushing back against science. Twenty years before that I had written, LifeGames, with a pencil sitting on a beach in Spain back in 1995. I have no idea where those 400 pages came from—it just poured out over 10 days, ruining my vacation. The plot imagines a mega-company providing serious immersive virtual reality training to people wishing to further their careers.
Your top three books of all time? My first candidate is Shogun by James Clavel, because it took me deeply into feudal Japanese culture. My next is non-fiction (two titles, but they had the same effect on me): Cosmos by Carl Sagan and The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. And then a piece of pulp, one might say: The Eye of the Tiger—one of Wilbur Smith’s least known books. It is a complete escape into adventure. It was the first adult book I ever read and I still read it from time to time when I need an escape.
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What are you currently reading?
Several. I’m promiscuous! The best of Lawrence Green (research about the lesser known facts of Cape history), Carrion Death, a whodunnit crime novel by Michael Stanley, and Islands by Dan Sleigh.
What are you working on at the moment? I’m writing two books simultaneously, both are sequels — one is historical adventure, the other is a thriller. I’m a binge writer and never put pressure on myself to write. I wait for the bug to bite and then simply obey the urge.
When you’re not writing, what are you doing? Spending time with my wonderful family, going to the beach, and running AirBnb rental properties. And these days, nursing all the injuries I picked up doing stupid things before I knew I could break.
Do you have a specific place to write? I’m not fussy at all. I’ve written on laptops at parties while drunken louts try to ply me with tequila (I don’t accept, I’m too infatuated with reality), on a nude beach (all 400 pages of LifeGames was written on a nudist beach in Spain). In bed. The gym is great, with lots of hubbub but nobody bothering this porky balding middle aged git.
If you could have dinner with 3 authors OR literary characters, who would it be? Darwin for sure - not to hear anything from him, he’s already told us what he knows. I want to tell him about all of the wondrous discoveries he couldn’t imagine — from DNA to continental drift. I think I’d like Blackthorn - the protagonist of Shogun. He was brave and resourceful, comwww.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
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posed and wise. Christopher Hitchens. I’d just Have you always wanted to be a writer? shut up and listen to anything he wants to tell Or did life step in and change your plans? me, because he knew everything and expressed it in a manner that few ever could. I’ve always enjoyed telling stories. In school I got very involved in tabletop role-playing, where I What does a typical day look like for often found myself in the role of game master. I loved game-books too, and wrote my first one you? at the age of 12 or 13. But the first time I ever In summer, I race hither and thither, moving considered writing seriously, and getting my our cleaners in and out of properties and wel- work out into the world at large, was in 2012, at coming interesting guests. I hit the beach, surf, the age of 32. Self-publishing and e-books were read, and doze. In winter, it’s a bit of the above, just starting to take off, and after reading a few but at a slower tempo. If I’m lucky, the writing of them, I decided, “I can do this!” bug bites and I knock out a bit of a book. Funny how life works, isn’t it?
Where can we buy your books?
What was your first novel, and where Amazon, of course, and at fine bookstores eve- did the idea come from? rywhere too.
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My first published work as a short story called A Petition to Magic. I think I was going through a tough time at that stage, and struggling to get to grips with the idea of “getting back onto the horse”. That’s more-or-less what that story is about--coming back from a huge mistake and trying again.
Your top three books of all time? I’m quite eclectic in my reading tastes (and my writing, you may have noticed if you’d read more than one of my works), so I’d have to say The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss, IT by Stephen King, and Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind.
What are you currently reading?
GRAHAM DOWNS
11.22.63 by Stephen King. It’s good, but it’s proving to be a long read.
What are you working on at the moment? I’m between projects at the moment, after the
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Do you have a specific place to write?
Not really. Wherever I can. Mostly, it’s at my desk in our household study, on my trusty desktop PC.
If you could have dinner with 3 authors OR literary characters, who would it be? See my three favourite books of all time. Stephen King, because he has a wealth of writing experience, and I think his personal life has been pivotal in shaping his world-view. Terry Goodkind, because I think he has some strange ideas on morality, and I enjoy a good debate, and Dr. Seuss, for his carefree approach to life. I’d love to ask him how he stayed so positive all his life.
What does a typical day look like for you I’m up at 04:50. My wife and I grab a cup of coffee, feed the dog and play with her for a while, then prepare packed lunches and get ready for work. We’re out the house by 06:30 (I’m a very slow riser, and I hate mornings, so we literally release in April of my new book, Memoirs of a just barely make it out of the house, an hour and Guardian Angel. I do have some ideas swimming forty minutes after getting up). around in my head, all jockeying for my attention. I’m trying to give each of them a suitable I can’t drive, so she drops me off at work by amount of pondering, before I decide which one 07:30, before heading off to work herself. Then I’m going to pursue first. it’s work-work-work until 17:10 or so. Home from work, we greet, feed, and play with the dog, then When you’re not writing, what are you make supper for ourselves. An hour or two of TV later, it’s off to bed. doing? I’m a software developer in Johannesburg, so that My word, I have a boring life! Good thing I read takes up the vast majority of my time. When I’m voraciously. There’d be no escape, otherwise. neither writing nor programming, I’m thinking Where can we buy your books? about doing one or the other. My wife and I also keep each other quite busy, and we’re often gallivanting on weekends, eating out, going to friends, or meandering through medieval fairs.
Oh, everywhere. Amazon, Kobo, iBooks... if your favourite online store doesn’t stock them, let me know and I’ll go beat them into submission. The best place to find all those links, though, is on my website, https://www.grahamdowns.co.za/.
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T’s & C’s apply.
Eternal Summer
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Stay an extra day in the West Coast with the West Coast Way 3 for 2 Deals until the end of August. Did you know that the Cape West Coast enjoys The Lodge at Atlantic Beach – Melkbosstrand more sunny days per year than any other coastline in South Africa? So this winter, why not follow one of our six popular themed routes. They’re jam-packed with 101 destinations and offer exciting actions, attractions and activities all along the coast and inland on the West Coast Way’s Tractor Route, Berg Route, Foodie Route, Culture Route, Wild Route and Cape Way Route. “With West Coast Way, you can customize your very own road trip by simply mixing and matching selected stops on the various routes to explore all the West Coast has to offer – and there really is something for everyone!” Carmen Lerm, Founder West Coast Way. Thali Thali Game Lodg – Langebaan
R1095 per night for 2 people sharing including Breakfast in Deluxe Room. Upgrade applies to 2 adults travelling with children. 021 553 4653 or email enquiries@thelodgeAB. co.za and quote ‘West Coast Twist with West Coast Way’ and qualify to book 2 nights and get the 3rd free. Piekenierskloof Mountain Resort
R1,350 per night for 2 people sharing excluding Breakfast. Upgrade applies to 2 adults travelling with children.
R1,400 per night for 2 people sharing including 082 372 8637 or email info@thalithali.co.za Breakfast in the Delux Rooms and quote ‘West Coast Twist with West Coast Add 2 children between 1 and 11 years at R180 Way’ and qualify to book 2 nights and get the per child per night B&B 3rd free. www.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
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Full payment required same day to confirm the Way’and qualify to book 2 nights and get the 3rd booking. free. 022 921 3574 or email pkloof@dreamresorts. Disa Lodge via R27 to Darling co.za and quote ‘West Coast Twist with West Coast Way’ and qualify to book 2 nights and get the 3rd free. Blue Bay Lodge via the R27 – Saldanha Bay
R1,000 per night for 2 people sharing including Breakfast Upgrades apply to 2 adults travelling with children (up to 3 years). R1,570 per night for 2 people sharing in lodge 022 4923561 or email bobek@telkomsa.net and quote ‘West Coast Twist with West Coast Way’ room including Breakfast. and qualify to book 2 nights and get the 3rd free. 022 714 1177 or email reservations@ bluebaylodge.co.za and quote ‘West Coast Twist Darling Lodge via R27 to Darling with West Coast Way’ and qualify to book 2 nights and get the 3rd free. !Khwa ttu via the R27 – Darling/Yzerfontein
R980 per night for 2 people sharing in standard Lodge Room including Breakfast Upgrades apply to 2 adults travelling with children (up to 3 years).
R999 per night for 2 people sharing including Breakfast 022 492 3062 or email info@darlinglodge.co.za and quote ‘West Coast Twist with West Coast 022 492 2998 or email bookings@khwattu.org Way’ and qualify to book 2 nights and get the 3rd and quote ‘West Coast Twist with West Coast free. www.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
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Daisy Darling via R27 to Darling
Tori Oso at Mamre via R27
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R950 per night for 2 people sharing in a room with a King Size bed including Breakfast. Buy 2 hamburgers and get a kids meal for free. 022 492 2092 or email info@daisydarling.co.za and OTHER WEST COAST WAY SPECIALS: quote ‘West Coast Twist with West Coast Way’and Club Mykonos via R27 to Langebaan qualify to book 2 nights and get the 3rd free. Crayfish Trails via Wild Route
Find them on the West Coast Way #TractorRoute R4350 per person. Book for a 2 nights, get one and #FoodieRoute. Save 30% on your winter free. Must be group bookings of 6 or more. accommodation. Offer valid until 7 August 2018. 083 553 9107 | info@crayfishtrail.co.za and 022 707 7000 | info@clubmykonos.co.za and quote ‘West Coast Twist with West Coast Way’ quote ‘West Coast Twist with West Coast Way’ and qualify to book 2 nights and get the 3rd free. Yzerfontein Accommodation R27 Roosterkoek via R27 to Yzerfontein
Plan the ultimate beach getaway with one of their special deals. info@yzerfonteinaccommodation.co.za| Buy 2 Roosterkoek and get the 3rd one of the 022 451 2181 and quote ‘West Coast Twist with same value for free! Sit down only, no take aways. West Coast Way’ www.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
South Africa’s Road Trip With The Most Twists
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This winter, why not enjoy a free extra day on one of South Africa’s most favourite road trips with the most twists? After all, the Cape West Coast does have more sunny days per year than any other coastline in the country.
Pay for 2. Stay ‘n Play for 3 here: www.westcoastway.co.za Blaauwberg
Rietvlei Nature Reserve
Battle 1806
Lookout Hill Khayelitsha Rondevlei
Nature Reserve
Gordon’s Bay
Clarence Drive
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Pringle Bay, Hangklip, Betty’s Bay and Kleinmond
The Lodge odge at Atlantic tlantic Beach
V & A Waterfront aterfront Robben Island Museum Long Street
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Benquela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate
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14
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Melkbosstrand Blue Flag
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3 District Six Museum 4 Kogelberg Nature Reserve 17 Table Mountain Aerial Cableway 5 Rooi Els, Elgin
Groenlandberg Hiking Trail
Witzand Aquifer Koeberg Nature Silwerstroom strand Nature Reserve Blue Flag Reserve
SANCCOB
Nature Reserve
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
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2
6 7
8
Hermanus
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26 25
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24 23 Nuy Valley
Ceres
Route 27
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Langebaan
Yzerfontein 33 Accommodation
!Khwa ttu
San Heritage Cent Centre Fair Trade
Book Online
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41 4 42 2 Club Mykonos 34 4 te odie Rou Fo 35
40 Darling
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Olives
“A enn C”
38 Darling Tourism
Butter Museum
Darling Brew Experience Velddrif River Studio
Thali Thali Game Lodge G
37 3 7
Game Drives, Archery
51 50 0
43
Route
Riebeek Bartholomeus Valley Klip Riebeek Kasteel W t Riebeek West in Hermon
Malmesbury
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44 Plaasmol 45 Hopefield 46 Koringberg Moorreesburg
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63
Port Owen
Redelinghu Redelinghuys
59 5 9 Berg Route 72
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Ziplining, MTB, Trails
Goedverwacht & Wittewater
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64 73
Piekenierskloof Mountain Resort
Heronsrest
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Rocherpan
Aurora
“Centre of the Universe”
Carmién Tea Rooibos
Porterville
Eendekuil
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65 66
101
The Baths Hot Springs
Kardoesie N7 Farmstop
Clanwilliam
98
Wupperthal
97
83
The Dunes
ute
Citrusdal
100
81
Isabellas 82 Restaurant Eagles Nest
Wild Ro
NEW Crayfish yfish Trail
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Sustainable Seafood Track
Vensterklip
Elands Bay envlei & Verlorenvlei
Piketberg 70 67 Piket-Bo-Berg
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Leipoldtville to 77 Graafwater 76 Wit Mossel Pot
Dwarskersbos
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in Bokkomlaan
r Tracto
Philadelphia
Saldanha
56 Paternoster Paterno Leeto Restaurant 57 St Helena B Bay y
Apartheid Museum
Tori Oso
Steenbokfontein &Plaaskombuis
55 Culture & Oyster Walk
Evita se Perron
Mamre Werf
Muisbosskerm
Jacobsbaai
Carbon Neutral
39 Groote Post
Lamberts Bird Island Bay
Protea Hotel by Marriott Saldanha Bay
West Coast st National Park Na ark
Stellenbosch
Mamre Heritage Walk
Blue Bay Lodge
HUB E-bike Trips
Durbanville
Tygerberg
Cape Point
Worcester
Atlantis Dunes Sandboarding
27 Nature Reserve
Boulders Groot Beach Constantia
Gansbaai
MTB Trails
31
te e Rou Cultur
9
WhaleWatching
20
28
1 W NE ay W Cape
30
People Rocking Nature Track 96
84 85
Bosduifklip
Sir Lambert Wine Estate
86
Kook Kookfontein Wine
87
Doringbaai
88
Fry Fryer’s Cove Winery
89
Strandfontein Strand
90
91 Lutzville 92 Vredendal 93 94 95 Garies Papendorp
Nieuwoudtville Rocklands Vanrhynsdorp
TM
TM
@WestCoastWaySA #wcw3for2Deals westcoastway.co.za 0861 321 777 www.flatwhiteconcepts.com | Issue 50
Tulips & Phoenixes
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We chat to Gaynor, the woman behind one of my favourite SA Travel and Lifestyle blogs!
Support Local!
Love your blog. Tell us more.
Cool name. What’s the reason behind it?
It initially started as a personal style blog back in May 2014, showcasing my retro/modern dress sense as well as my ramblings about life in general. Two things prompted the change to travel blogging: a failed Contiki tour and the death of a close friend in July 2016. I decided to invest more of my time and money into experiences rather than material things i.e. clothing and jewellery. South Africa is rich in natural beauty and as cliché as it may sound; I truly believe that we’re incredibly blessed to live in this stunning country. Hence, the switch to a South African travel blog. I want to encourage locals to explore more of their own beautiful country before embarking on international travel because local travel is lekker!
I love the simplicity and elegance of a Tulip flower. I’m also somewhat obsessed with the story of the mythical Phoenix bird. So my blog name is basically a combination of the two things I’ve been fond of from a young age. Ironically, it’s got absolutely nothing to do with my genre but it’s quirky and people have come to know me by it!
Tell us a bit more about yourself. My ‘9-5’ is for the City of Cape Town’s Emergency Services where I’m part of a team who does incident management on a daily basis. We also ensure that all operational requirements are met so that things run smoothly on emergency scenes. It’s a 12-hour day demanding job and no two days are the same. It’s also requires you to be on top of your game and
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think on your feet 24-7. However, I don’t think Your top three travel items. it gets more rewarding than saving property and lives for a living! My Canon DSLR, iPhone and MiFi router.
Which part of South Africa do you stay in?
What place (overseas) is on your bucket list?
I live in the beautiful Mother City – born and bred. What I love the most about Cape Town is that it’s so diverse and has something to suit all travel tastes. From the vibrant nightlife in the city centre, to the beautiful Cape Winelands and the scenic Route 62 – there’s literally something for everyone! But if I was forced to choose, I’d say the breathtaking nature reserves and national parks of the Western Cape steal my heart every single time. I’m at my happiest when I’m one with Mother Nature!
I’m all about local travel so the furthest I’ll venture outside the borders of South Africa is to an African island. I think the toughest decision will be taking my pick from Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar or Mozambique!
Your favourite SA holiday destination?
Your top three travel tips. • Travel with an open mind. Leave your preconceived notions at home. Allow the trip to teach and possibly even change you for the better. • If you’re taking a lengthy road trip (7hrs or more) do your research and plan your stops and visits so that you don’t miss out on any attractions and hidden gems. I’m sure you won’t be making such a lengthy trip anytime soon again so better safe than sorry! • To save money; compare rates on accommodation sites, travel during off-peak season, take your own road trip snacks and try to pack lightly because a heavy vehicle uses more fuel!
I don’t have a favourite holiday destination, there’s just too much to love about South Africa. However, the Tsitsikamma region is close to my heart because at only 4 months old, it was our little boy’s very first road trip. He was such a trooper, enduring the 7 hour long trip; it gave us the confidence to take him on many more road trips afterwards! More memorable family trips include our recent visits to Robertson where we visited a cactus garden and quirky farmstall and How can people stay in touch? Ceres for the early morning hike and visiting the Blog: www.tulipsandphoenixes.co.za only wine farm in the town! Twitter: tulipandphoenix Instagram: tulipsandphoenixes Facebook: tulipsandphoenixes
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discover AfrikaBurn 2018 This was my second time atending AfrikaBurn. The first time I went for the last few days, this time I went for the first few days. Neither was satisfactory to me. I need to go back, and next time I’m going for the full week. Seven days away from planet Earth. That’s what it feels like. AfrikaBurn is nothing like you’ve ever experienced, and it takes a while to fully intergrate yourself into it. It’s a shift in mindset, and the understanding of a vastly different way of thinking, feeling and living. There’s not much point in explaining it. You have to go there yourself to understand. It’s not for the faint-hearted though. Be prepare for dust storms, rain, heat, wind. Everything. Each year is different, so plan for it all. See you next year in the dust... www.afrikaburn.com Photos by Warren Bernard. www.flatwhiteimages.com
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Win
Win a paperback of either Mute, Will or Unravel How to enter: Email your full delivery details to christine@christinebernard.com for a chance to win. Subject line: Books Competition closes: 20 August 2018 Visit www.christinebernard.com and let me know which book you’d like to read. Please note - this competition is only available to people in South Africa. If you’re not in SA you can still win, however your prize will be the ebook version. www.christinebernard.com
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Win a mixed case (4 packs) from Boston Breweries. How to enter: Simply visit www.bostonbreweries.co.za and let me know which beer you want included in your case! Email your choice to christine@christinebernard.com and go straight into the draw! Subject line: Boston Breweries Please note: This competition is ONLY available to Cape Town residents. Competition closes: 20 August 2018 In September 2000, Boston Breweries was registered officially. The Lager was so popular that by the end of the first year, the production capacity was doubled. “The Key to our continued growth and success lies in a superbly enjoyable, hand-made product, loyal customers and our highly serviced oriented approach� says Chris. Still today each batch is personally checked and tasted by its founder and equipment maintenance at restaurants and pubs is carried out rigorously to schedule. All Boston Breweries products are naturally brewed using malted barley, water, yeast and hops. www.bostonbreweries.co.za
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Win a $40 Amazon gift card How to enter: Let me know what you would spend your $40 Amazon gift card on. Email details to christine@christinebernard.com for a chance to win. Subject line: Amazon Competition closes: 20 August 2018
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LOKAL is a curated collective guide to all your favourite local brands & small businesses! #LoveLOKAL Twitter: @LOKALza Facbebook: lokalZA Website: lokalza.wordpress.com
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Do you want to advertise with us? Email Christine on christine@christinebernard.com
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