Hitting the Fruit Route in South Africa’s Western Cape

Sourcing food locally is fast becoming a mantra for those who care about where what’s on their plate comes from. Yet venture into any supermarket and it’s piled high with produce from all over the world. Fruit, in particular, has often journeyed thousands of miles before it gets to the checkout, much of it grown in South Africa’s Western Cape. Scandalous, you may think, but an environmental audit throws up some surprising results. Rupert Parker sets off to investigate

Claude Bosi, Isabelle Legeron and biodynamics at Hibiscus

My lunch with Isabelle Legeron, at Claude Bosi’s two Michelin starred restaurant, Hibiscus, was a great experience, both interesting and enlightening. I had been invited to sample the pairing of some of the Biodynamic wines Isabelle has selected for the Hibiscus list, with the excellent organic dishes on the menu. So, what is biodynamic production?…

Sounds like the 70s at the Mall Tavern

Lord but the 70s were ugly. Truly the decade that fashion forgot. You only have to look at old TV footage of riots and other fun events to see horrors that would curdle your milk, and I don’t mean the coppers whacking hippies with truncheons either. The flared trousers the police were wearing should have been a sackable offence all on their own. The Mall Tavern loves the food style and serves it with flare(s)

Ryvita revitalised

That funny nobbly stuff that promised 70’s slimmers ‘in the inch war, Ryvita helps you win’ hasn’t gone away. In fact it may be even due for a resurgence as Joanna Biddolph discovers in the company of Valentine Warner.

Imli cookery classes add spice in the kitchen

At Imli, an Indian tapas-style restaurant in Soho, executive chef Samir Sadekar has launched a cookery class to help the uncertain get to grips with cooking Indian food, including using Indian spices. So I Joanna Biddolph whizzed up Wardour Street with a spring in her step on what was an unusually lovely morning, keen to test her taste buds.