Today, I want to share an ajoblanco or white gazpacho soup, popular around Spain in summer and perfect for our fiery South African festive season. While ajo means garlic in Spanish, what makes this soup distintive are the almonds used.

Cucumber and Gin Sorbet with a hint of mint – summer lovin’.

Caramelised Onion & Beef Phyllo Pastry Tart with Green Olives – a holiday series colaboration with Mediterranean Delicacies – part one, a visit to Chefchaouen, Morocco.

An apricot cake with caramel and thyme, made from start to finish in one pan.

The McCormick Flavour Forecast 2013 is out! I chatted to the head of their kitchen Mark Garcia about what to expect…and I threw in a few tough questions too.

What to do with left over macaroons….

A brief summary of the Eat Out Conference and an interview with Margot Janse Chef of the Year 2012…P.s these lads aren’t Margot. Click to view a pic of her……….

It is based on the Cauliflower with Saffron found in Ottolenghi’s book Plenty. It’s very, very simple to make and adds flavour to these cruciferous veggies with the aroma of saffron, the sweetness of raisins and the saltiness of briny olives.

An ongoing list of restaurants from South Africa and abroad…updated!

I have, if you follow my instagram posts you will know, been on an ice cream making mission. It is summer. Have new machine, will experiment. Not every recipe has got my 100% approval. This one has – it is a Christmas ice cream for summer (lucky us in the southern hemisphere), smooth, rich and the addition of crumbled speculoos cookies with almonds adds a lovely dimension. You can crumble ginger cookies in.