Ideas

The ink had hardly dried on the Italian government’s decision to open their borders to South African tourists when my ticket was booked. I’d been searching online for over a year for a little place there and now, at last, I could go and see for myself. I arrived at my hotel late in the afternoon on the Thursday and Friday morning the agent was at the door. Ten houses later I returned to my room, exhausted. The North’s hilltop towns are not for sissies. That weekend, with the property market as closed as the shops are between 12.30 and 3 on any given day, I came across a wonderful food market. So many different types of tomatoes! Just the way it should be… Not only big and small ones that miraculously…

FOOD FRIENDLY WINES Complement your winter meals with wines from Stellenbosch Hills. The 2021 Chenin Blanc (R63) and 2018 Merlot (R94) have strong flavour profiles, ideal to match with food. The Chenin Blanc’s fruity character and crisp acidity will cut through the richness of a hearty soup or casserole. The award-winning full-bodied Merlot has flavours of berries, ripe plums and dark chocolate, with hints of oak spice and cloves. Try it with mushroom soup or red meat dishes. The wines are available online from stellenbosch-hills.co.za or at leading wine retailers countrywide. POETIC COLLABORATION The Sera Holland and Poetry product range was created as an extension of the fynbos-inspired flower bowl range that Sera produced last year. The original range consisted of bowls which were handmade on the wheel and then hand-painted with various…

COCOFEATURES.COM As a little girl Ingrid Nuys liked to draw farmhouses with shutters, thatched roofs and animals in a meadow. ‘As a child, I dreamed of living “outside”. Rural, preferably in a farmhouse, with cosy spaces, shutters that you can close in very cold or bad weather and chickens and sheep in the yard.’ Seven years ago, that dream came true here, behind the dike in the South Holland village of Lekkerkerk. The house had been for sale for a year when Ingrid and her husband Jeroen went to look. ‘Inside, everything was green – from the ceilings to the bathtub. We thought it was lovely! The atmosphere was authentic, with original elements, and the shutters, high windows, wood stove and thatched roof made the dream complete,’ Ingrid says. ‘It was old-fashioned…

MODERN IN BLACK This combination of muted black and grey shades, clean lines and light wood is very appealing in a work space. People who like things neat and orderly will especially enjoy working here. Bring in interesting texture by giving the wall a rough plaster finish and paint it in a charcoal colour so it becomes the focus wall in the room and the departure point for the rest of your décor. The modern black metal furniture, shelves and lights complement this look. Bring in warmth with elements of light wood – here the seat and backrest of the chair, the filing unit, crates and frames. Plants add a touch of life to the room. ARTY AND BOHEMIAN This is a wonderfully busy space, packed with creative ideas. You can personalise the…

FIRST ADD LEGS DIFFICULTY: challenging TIME: two hours YOU WILL NEED ♥ 2 battens cut to the length of your bookshelf♥ 2 battens cut to the width of your bookshelf♥ 4 legs (we bought ours from Gelmar)♥ 8 screws (these need to be double the width of your base or even a bit longer)♥ staple gun with staples♥ drill 1 Most hardware places will pre-cut your battens for you. Ask them to mitre the ends and add guide holes for your screws to go through. (NOTE: A mitre is a joint made by cutting the two ends at a 45-degree angle to form a neat corner.) 2 Place the battens in a rectangle on a flat surface, making sure the mitred corners line up. Use your staple gun to keep the corners together. 3 Secure the rectangle…

BLACK-EYED BEAN SOUP WITH SMOKY HAM A hearty bowl of this thick and nourishing soup will satisfy your family’s hungry tummies. Serves: 4-6 Preparation time: 40 minutes, plus overnight soaking Cooking time: about 2 ½ hours ♥ 250g dried black-eyed beans♥ 1ml bicarbonate of soda♥ 15ml olive oil♥ 1 large onion, chopped♥ 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced♥ 2 sticks celery, finely sliced♥ 1 clove garlic, crushed♥ 500g smoked ham hock♥ 2 litres prepared chicken or vegetable stock♥ 1 bay leaf♥ 15ml sweet paprika♥ 1ml smoked paprika♥ grated zest of one lemon, to serve♥ 30g flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to serve 1 Put the beans into a large bowl and cover them with cold water. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda. Set aside to soak overnight. 2 Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Sauté the onion…