Window on George

When I arrived in Hong Kong 5 years ago, I had been cooking in Taiwan without an oven, for 7 long years. One of the first new friends I made in Hong Kong, was Jennifer Routley, from Australia. She and her husband were moving to the UK. So, she gave me her oven! I did not have room for it in my brand new kitchen, so it stood on a very old dresser - the only piece of furniture I had brought with from Taiwan. My only requirement was that a leg of lamb should fit. It has served me well, through many dinner parties, and many little lambs! It's time has come.  It had lost most of its lustre and some buttons.   There is also some degree of sagging involved, as would be expected of an oven of a certain age... The newby had arrived, but the suspense was killing me:      WOULD IT FIT?????? YESSSSSSSS!   with a poepolhaardikte Bon appetit! Here's to many more little lambs!

Ouma Mavis will soon be 80 years old and to mark this auspicious occasion, I grabbed some Chinese New Year decorations, flew to George, and threw her her pool party! In fact, it was a triple celebration for Malcolm (age undisclosed) and Oupa Kenny, also 80! February 10th was also our late Ouma Ada's birthday. A family celebration indeed. I got this romantic cake stand and cup cake sleeves in Cape Town when I visited my son Willem in August last year.   The cup cakes are Mandy's Orange Cake recipe. She substituted the milk for orange juice which resulted in deliciously moist cup cakes. Mandy also made her speciality:  Milk Tart! It was smooth as silk.  The chocolate ganache on top of the chocolate cake has the same texture as a Lindor Truffle but these "truffles" are actua-hally, Manuel,  giant chocolate-coated jelly tots! All these goodies were washed down with tea, Masterton's coffee, A...

The tulips in my kitchen window are dancing to their own tune. Soon the music will be over.

George Herald | Trees of the Garden Route

By Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from River Cottage Enjoy Hugh's mum's version of this timeless British classic. Serves 4-6 INGREDIENTS * About 1kg leftover roast lamb, coarsely chopped 1 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, chopped Any juices or gravy saved from the joint, and/or concentrated lamb stock made from the bone 1 small glass of red wine 1-2 tbsp tomato ketchup 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce Up to 1kg creamy mashed potato (made with 1kg large, floury potatoes, 150ml whole millk and 50g butter) Salt and freshly ground black pepper METHOD How to make Hugh's mum's shepherd's pie 1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wide saucepan big enough to accommodate all of the ingredients. Brown the meat in the pan, then remove onto a plate. 2. Sweat the onions in the same pan until just beginning to turn lightly golden. Return the meat to the pan, along with any gravy, juices or stock, the wine and a tablespoon each of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, ...

At the dinner table we celebrated the ups and downs of 2012 best wishes for 2013 making healthy decisions in preparation for the beaches we plan to hit in the coming months and two firsts: My friend's first successful attempt at baking Macarons et Macaroons, My first dinner party since moving to my "New York-style" flat (aka very small ) Step 1 You need fresh thyme, garlic and onion Step 2 Pierce with a sharp knife and insert slivers of garlic, studding it all over. Step 3 Make a bed of sliced onion, halved garlic, thyme, rosemary in a roasting pan. Step 4 Put the little lamb to bed, lovingly, and cover it with a blanket of salt, pepper and olive oil. Step 5 Let it sleep for at least 5 hours at a low temperature until you can no longer resist the intoxicating aromas that fill your house.   Then wake it up rudely by yanking it out of bed, tearing a chunk off its shin and stuffing the warm, melti...

It's been weeks since my last post, as my computer is running out of disk space and I had to clean up. Life has been hectic, to say the least, but Christmas holidays have slowed down the pace considerably. Had a very unusual Christmas: in a casino, Las Vegas style. Started my Christmas Day with a Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks  instead of the usual Panettone and Prosecco, and that set the tone for the rest of the day! Ended the day with a quiet stroll through the quaint streets of Taipa Island in Macau and looked at the casino lights across the water. It was good to be back home in Hong Kong after a VERY bumpy ferry trip. Thank God we missed the buoy! Happy New Year!