Ideas

It was three in the afternoon when I ordered a cappuccino during a recent trip to Italy. Loudly. Scandalous! The people nearby almost got whiplash as they turned to see what such an uninformed, uncultured straniera (foreigner) looked like. Coffee with milk is for breakfast, preferably with something sweet or a cornetto, their version of a croissant, but with less butter. Because Italians don’t believe that butter makes everything better. In fact, you’re not likely to even find it on the table. The town is small, but there are three shops stocked with wonderful, mostly local products and the pavement outside is stacked with fruit and vegetables. To buy fresh and cook yourself is simply a lifestyle there. And the fuss around suitable times for milk might make me laugh, but…

❁ NEW SHOPS, DÉCOR AND CRAFT dala@ideasfactory.co.za ❁ FOOD AND RESTAURANTS ideasmagazinefood@gmail.com CREATIVE FABRIC Melly Williams is a self-taught surface pattern designer from Cape Town who loves to work in watercolour, gouache and digital media. She recently collaborated with Caversham Textiles in KwaZulu-Natal to launch a range of home décor fabrics. There are six different designs to choose from. Shop for this fabric online at www.mellystudio.com. NEW SUMMER COCKTAIL We all know (and love) a G&T, but now you can try the new De Krans P&T, the first port-style wine and tonic cocktail of its kind in South Africa. Produced by De Krans Wines, best known for their port-style wines, this is a sparkling, naturally sweet, premixed product with an alcohol of 6%. The fresh fruity flavours are balanced by the familiar bitterness of the…

When antiques collector, décor-shop owner, interior decorator and lover of all things vintage Lynda Gardener first walked through the doors of an old mattress factory in North Fitzroy, a ‘gritty’ inner suburb of Melbourne, Australia, it was not a pretty sight that greeted her. Wires hung from the roof, buckets were needed to catch the dripping water where the roof had partly caved in, cracked old concrete floors were covered with oil stains from the site’s former incarnation as a vehicle repair yard, and the rear of the building was a toilet block. ‘I didn’t dare to look out the back,’ she confesses. But, living next door, Lynda had secretly coveted the building for years. ‘I used to spy on it from our top windows and dream of what I could…

Researchers call ‘blue zones’ the eighth wonder of the world. There are five of them – these amazing regions on earth where, according to statistics, people live the longest: the island of Sardinia in Italy, the Okinawa islands of Japan, the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica, the island of Ikaria in Greece, and Loma Linda, California, USA. These areas are all relatively warm throughout the year, quite small and remote, and close to the ocean. But regardless of their geography, the secret to the longevity there – the people live to at least 90 years of age and often older than 100 (with notably low rates of cancer, heart disease and dementia) – is found in a much more comprehensive, holistic recipe. It includes moderation in diet, peaceful coexistence and sustainable good…

WHEN FOLLOWING A MEDITERRANEAN DIET, REMEMBER THESE TIPS: ❁ Focus of using lots of fruit, vegetables and herbs that are in season.❁ Make the vegetables the main part of the meal and eat lean chicken and seafood (especially oily fish) rather than red meat.❁ Use olive or avocado oil instead of butter.❁ Include plenty of wholegrains and pulses and avoid refined ingredients.❁ Include seeds and nuts.❁ Avoid sugar and too much alcohol. CANNED VEGETABLES AND PULSES □ Beans□ Chickpeas□ Lentils□ Tomatoes□ Tomato paste□ Roasted peppers□ Artichoke hearts□ Grape vine leaves CANNED FISH □ Anchovies□ Sardines□ Tuna□ Salmon GRAINS, NUTS AND SEEDS □ Pasta noodles□ Rice□ Couscous□ Bulghur wheat□ Barley□ Quinoa□ Polenta□ Nuts□ Seeds DRIED HERBS AND SPICES □ Basil□ Oregano□ Mint□ Rosemary□ Thyme□ Sage□ Bay leaves□ Fennel seeds□ Dried crushed chillies□ Cumin□ Cinnamon□ Cloves□ Saffron□ Dukkah□ Harissa spice mix…