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More of a throw-together than a recipe, this filled sweet potato is utterly delicious!

4 large or 6 medium size sweet potatoes

45ml Harissa paste

1 X can black beans

salt and pepper

olive oil

Preheat your oven to 180℃.

Wash the sweet potatoes and place them in a roasting dish. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 25minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the flesh.

Remove the sweet potato from the oven and leave to cool slightly.

Cut off a “lid” of skin to open up the sweet potato and scoop out about two thirds of the flesh. Take care not to leave the bottom and sides too thin.

Add the scooped flesh, harissa paste and black beans to a small mixing bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Mix through and scoop the mixture back into the sweet potato shells.

Serve warm.

This is one of my all-time favourite snacks: roasted carrot hummus on a slice of fresh sourdough! The flavours are intense, slightly smoky from the char on the carrot and tastes utterly delicious and more-ish!

about three average sized carrots

1 X 400g can of chickpeas

60ml tahini paste

3 cloves of garlic

juice of two lemons (about 60ml)

5ml salt

45ml olive oil

Peel the carrots and chop them into even sized chunks. Place on a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 190℃ for about 20 minutes, or until the edges of the carrot are slightly charred. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Add all the ingredients and the slightly cooled carrots to a blender (or use a stick blender) and blend together.

You will now have a hummus with a very dense consistency which may be thinned down with more olive oil or by adding small amounts of ice cold water. I prefer this hummus with its thick, dense consistency and the intensity of carrot flavours!

The hummus can be kept in the refrigerator for a week.

These fudge little cake slices is an all-time South African favourite and can be found in almost every school’s tuck shop. If it was up to me to name them it would have been called biscuit fudge. They are quick and easy to make with no baking involved!

125g butter

15ml cocoa powder

500ml icing sugar

2,5ml vanilla

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 X 200g packet Marie biscuits, crushed (or digestive biscuits)

Line a 18cm X 28cm baking tin or ceramic dish with baking paper.

Add the butter, cocoa powder and icing sugar to a saucepan and put it on VERY low heat.

Stir the ingredients around until the butter has melted – do not be impatient!

Take the melted mixture off the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Beat the egg with a fork and add to the mixture. Mix well.

Add the crushed biscuits and mix until all the biscuit bits are covered in the cocoa mixture.

Scoop the mixture into the prepared tin, press down onto the mixture and level the top.

Allow to cool completely in the refrigerator.

Cut into squares and store in a sealable container.

I make these potato balls when I have leftover mashed potato and serve them as a light lunch with a salad. They are however so good it is worth making some mash especially to make them! Add a dipping sauce and you have yourself a canapé as well!

750ml mashed potato (If you are making the mashed potato from scratch, remember to season!)

250ml grated cheddar cheese

250g diced bacon

125ml chives, finely chopped

2 eggs

250ml breadcrumbs

vegetable oil for frying

Cook the diced bacon until crispy and chop into smaller pieces.

Add the mashed potato, grated cheese, bacon and chives to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.

Scoop a spoonful of the mixture into your hands and press together into a ball, slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball. Keep going until there is no potato mixture left.

Break the eggs into a shallow bowl and beat lightly with a fork.

Measure the breadcrumbs and add to another shallow bowl.

Heat about 5cm deep vegetable oil in a heavy based saucepan.

Now dredge the balls in the egg and then cover them with crumbs.

Fry in batches until golden – about 2-3 minutes.

Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm.

These old fashioned treats have been around for ages!! Easy, quick and truly delicious! The recipe makes about 30 balls and should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

250g pitted dates

120g butter, cubed

180ml caster sugar

a pinch of salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 X 200g pack of Marie biscuits or digestives

250ml desiccated coconut

Chop the dates into small pieces with a knife.

Add the dates, butter, caster sugar and salt to a saucepan and put it over low heat until the sugar and butter has melted.

Cook the mixture on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Break the egg in a small bowl and lightly beat it with a fork. Put aside.

Add the biscuits to a plastic bag and smash it to rough crumbs with a rolling pin.

Remove the date mixture from the heat and allow to stand for a few minutes while stirring – bring down the intensity of the heat.

Now add the egg, stir it through and then the crushed biscuits and mix really well.

Scoop some of the date mixture into your hand and make a ball slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball. Keep going until all the mixture has been rolled into balls.

Spread the coconut in a tray and roll each date-ball in the coconut to cover completely.

Store in an airtight container, at room temperature.

Makes about 30 balls.

This is a delicious fresh salad dressing that will add zing to almost any salad. Try it on a salad of baby spinach and a handful of fresh grapes; add some ricotta or goats cheese as a creamy component. Store the leftover in a jar in the refrigerator.

125ml red wine vinegar

30ml sugar

2 star anise

2,5ml fennel seeds, ground

10ml salt

250ml seedless black grapes, halved

30ml olive oil

Add all the ingredients to a jar and screw on the lid. Shake the dressing until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is well blended.

Allow to stand and develop flavours for two hours.

Dress a salad and store the leftover dressing in the refrigerator.

This cold tart represents freshness in every way. Serve it with tea or as a dessert with a glass of port.

350g digestive biscuits

75g butter, melted

400g cream cheese, room temperature

240g lemon curd, room temperature

about 18 fresh figs

Add the biscuits to a food processor and process until fine.

Add the melted butter in a thin stream with the engine running. Scrape down the mixture.

Press the biscuit mixture into the sides and bottom of a loose-bottomed cake tin of about 25cm in diameter.

Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Mix the cream cheese and lemon curd and beat it by hand to soften and blend completely.

Spread the mixture into the tart base and even out.

Wash the figs and cut a cross section into each, but not cutting through.

Arrange the figs on the tart and refrigerate until you want to serve it.

This lemon curd is rich, buttery and has an intense tart lemon flavour. This is one of the most versatile dessert toppings and can be used as a topping for scones, cakes, cupcakes, bread, muffins, crumpets, waffles, tarts and biscuits. This recipe makes about 350ml and can be kept in the fridge for two weeks.

3 lemons, about 125ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained

220g caster sugar

110g butter

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Finely grate the zest of one lemon.

Add the zest, sugar and butter to a small heavy based saucepan over very low heat.

Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.

Add the strained lemon juice to the saucepan and stir it through to cool the mixture slightly before adding the eggs.

Stir continuously until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The heat should be very low and the mixture should not boil as it will split!

Take the lemon curd off the heat and pour it into a clean glass jar.

Allow to cool completely before storing it in the refrigerator.

Easy to cook and delicious to eat, crayfish rates as one our family favourites!

about 5 tails per person

100g butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 lemons

Fill a large saucepan with salted water and bring to a rapid boil. Add the crayfish tails and cook for 6 minutes from the time that the water comes up to the boil again.

Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice and scoop the tails directly into it (after six minutes cooking) to stop the cooking process.

Cool enough so that you can comfortably handle the crayfish.

Cut the shell open with poultry shears and remove the flesh.

Put a heavy based pan onto high heat, add a splash of vegetable oil and the butter and allow the butter to melt and heat up.

Add the garlic and tails and cook for 2 minutes, tossing every now and then.

Squeeze the lemon juice into the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.

Serve the crayfish tails with lemon wedges.

There is good reason for Panna Cotta being one of the most popular desserts in Italy. It is subtle, infused with vanilla and has an unforgettable texture that goes perfectly with fresh summer fruits. Add to this how easy it is to make and how little time it takes and you have an all round winner.

This recipe makes six portions but can easily be doubled.

45ml cold water

17,5ml powdered gelatine

750ml cream

100ml caster sugar

5ml vanilla

Add the cold water to a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on top.

Leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Add the cream and caster sugar to a small saucepan on medium to low heat.

Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved completely.

Remove the saucepan from the heat just before it reaches boiling point. Do not allow it to boil!

Melt the gelatine in the microwave at 5 second bursts until it is completely liquid.

Add the liquid gelatine to the cream mixture in a thin stream, while whisking continuously.

Add the vanilla and whisk again.

Pour the mixture into 6 bowls/glasses/moulds and cover with plastic wrap.

Place the panna cotta in the refrigerator for about 6 hours or until set.

Serve with fresh fruit.