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The South African
14-05-2025
- The South African
Six things to do in Franschhoek
Tucked into the heart of the Cape Winelands, Franschhoek earns its nickname – 'the France of South Africa' – with good reason. Settled by French Huguenots in the late 1600s, this small valley town fuses European flair with South African soul. Think vineyard-covered hills, fine food, and quiet streets lined with galleries, cafés, and Cape Dutch architecture. Here's what to do in Franschhoek if you want to experience it right… Franschhoek is wine country at its finest. Dozens of estates produce award-winning wines – especially Cap Classique, South Africa's sparkling answer to Champagne. The best way to sample them? Hop aboard the Franschhoek Wine Tram. It loops through the valley with stops at top wineries like La Motte, Haute Cabrière, and Boschendal. No need to drive, no need to rush – just ride, taste, and repeat. This town punches far above its weight when it comes to food. Franschhoek is a culinary powerhouse, home to some of South Africa's top restaurants. For fine dining, book a table at Le Coin Français, Epice, or Protégé. For something more relaxed, grab a shaded spot at the Village Market or sip rosé with a farm-to-table lunch at Babylonstoren. Either way, the food is fresh, the wine is flowing, and the views are stunning. 3. Dive into the Huguenot history The French roots of Franschhoek aren't just a vibe – they're real! Visit the Huguenot Memorial and Museum to get the backstory on how these Protestant refugees helped shape the area. The gardens surrounding the monument are peaceful and worth a stroll. Franschhoek isn't just for wining and dining. The Mont Rochelle Nature Reserve offers hiking trails with sweeping views of the valley below. If you're feeling more active, rent a bike and pedal your way from one vineyard to the next. The landscape is generous, green, and never flat for long. On the edge of town, tucked inside the L'Ormarins estate, you'll find a gearhead's dream: the Franschhoek Motor Museum. It's packed with over 200 classic cars, from vintage Rolls Royces to iconic Ferraris. Even if you're not into cars, the collection is impressive enough to convert you. Franschhoek's creative streak runs deep. Small galleries are scattered across the village, showcasing everything from fine art to handmade ceramics. The annual Art Franschhoek festival is a great time to visit, but even on a quiet weekday, you'll find inspiration around every corner. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Sydney Morning Herald
09-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
I hate dung and donkeys. Then I discovered the world's best farm visit
The revived farm hovers around the late 19th century, just before electricity and motor vehicles changed everything. My first stop is the Cape Dutch farmhouse, which is surprisingly fine: piano in the parlour, four-poster bed and William Morris wallpaper in the main bedroom. The detail is superb, from the antique Lee Enfield rifles on the office wall to the embroidered heritage textiles in the bedrooms. The functioning kitchen has gadgets newfangled in their day, such as cast-iron fruit peelers and a coffee grinder. So far this is my kind of farm, where I can talk history with costumed staff members and imagine myself teleported to another era without its nasty bits. Yet everything is fully functional at Soetmelksvlei. Bread is baked in the farmhouse kitchen and offered to visitors slathered in farm-churned butter. The wheat used to make the bread comes from a recreation of a period water mill. The kraal-like courtyard outside the farmhouse is surrounded by functioning stables and workshops. Kids will enjoy the regular activities such as milking cows, churning milk to separate the cream, and clambering up haystacks. These are farm activities that make even me smile. I'm particularly fascinated by the blacksmith's workshop, where blacksmiths use traditional methods to make farm implements and wagons. I spend a good half hour talking to chatty blacksmith Dan Devonshire about how wagon wheels are made, as he produces old-fashioned drill nails on the fire. Adjacent farm buildings have been turned into a wonderful cabinet of curiosities, where I inspect an apothecary's chest, model ships, stuffed animal heads and old maps. The highlight is a Voortrekker-covered ox wagon complete with all its worldly goods: mattresses, pillows, baskets, buckets, lamps, stools, fishing rods, wooden chests and a wine barrel. It looks as if it's ready to lurch out across the grasslands. Later I head for lunch in the Old Stables, among the oldest surviving buildings on the farm. The walls are hung with old farming equipment, and water bottles cool in a drinking trough. Meat is being roasted and cauldrons of stew bubble in the fireplace. This is my kind of farm. I haven't been bitten, muddied or pestered by flies. But I've learnt plenty, and enjoyed a mighty fine morning. THE DETAILS
The Age
09-05-2025
- The Age
I hate dung and donkeys. Then I discovered the world's best farm visit
The revived farm hovers around the late 19th century, just before electricity and motor vehicles changed everything. My first stop is the Cape Dutch farmhouse, which is surprisingly fine: piano in the parlour, four-poster bed and William Morris wallpaper in the main bedroom. The detail is superb, from the antique Lee Enfield rifles on the office wall to the embroidered heritage textiles in the bedrooms. The functioning kitchen has gadgets newfangled in their day, such as cast-iron fruit peelers and a coffee grinder. So far this is my kind of farm, where I can talk history with costumed staff members and imagine myself teleported to another era without its nasty bits. Yet everything is fully functional at Soetmelksvlei. Bread is baked in the farmhouse kitchen and offered to visitors slathered in farm-churned butter. The wheat used to make the bread comes from a recreation of a period water mill. The kraal-like courtyard outside the farmhouse is surrounded by functioning stables and workshops. Kids will enjoy the regular activities such as milking cows, churning milk to separate the cream, and clambering up haystacks. These are farm activities that make even me smile. I'm particularly fascinated by the blacksmith's workshop, where blacksmiths use traditional methods to make farm implements and wagons. I spend a good half hour talking to chatty blacksmith Dan Devonshire about how wagon wheels are made, as he produces old-fashioned drill nails on the fire. Adjacent farm buildings have been turned into a wonderful cabinet of curiosities, where I inspect an apothecary's chest, model ships, stuffed animal heads and old maps. The highlight is a Voortrekker-covered ox wagon complete with all its worldly goods: mattresses, pillows, baskets, buckets, lamps, stools, fishing rods, wooden chests and a wine barrel. It looks as if it's ready to lurch out across the grasslands. Later I head for lunch in the Old Stables, among the oldest surviving buildings on the farm. The walls are hung with old farming equipment, and water bottles cool in a drinking trough. Meat is being roasted and cauldrons of stew bubble in the fireplace. This is my kind of farm. I haven't been bitten, muddied or pestered by flies. But I've learnt plenty, and enjoyed a mighty fine morning. THE DETAILS
Daily Maverick
02-05-2025
- General
- Daily Maverick
AirFryday: Ouma innie air fryer!
Hang on to your rolling pin, tannie. The beloved comfort supper known as 'ouma onder die kombers' (granny under the blanket) is adapted for an air fryer in today's AirFryday recipe. Skande! Cabbage and meatballs are found in cuisines from Sweden to Serbia, north Africa to Asia, but in South Africa we regard this soul-warming comfort dish as all our own. For the uninitiated, ouma 'innie' air fryer is a colloquial alternative to ouma 'in die' or 'in the' air fryer. But 'innie' just works better. Meatballs wrapped in cabbage leaves are a popular family supper in both the old Cape Dutch and Cape Malay traditions, though in slightly different ways. The Cape Malay version differs in that the blanketed meatballs are cooked on top of a partially cooked bredie, or mutton stew. To get right back to basics, let's start with the standard South African dish as described in SJA de Villiers's classic Cook & Enjoy. Her recipe is straightforward, no frills, and the meat is either beef or mutton mince with a smaller amount of pork mince. Like most recipes it includes milk-soaked bread (which must be squeezed out so that your meatballs don't become soggy), onion, parsley, a little nutmeg and the binding of an egg. Instructions vary from recipe to recipe in this regard; some call for two or even more eggs, others for two to four slices of bread. Cook & Enjoy requires only one slice of bread and one egg. My recipe differs slightly. In my browsings I found a recipe that includes ginger, another with cumin, and some of the old traditional recipes call for the dish to be served with mustard on the side. In my version, I have taken some of these elements but ignored others. I wanted to keep it simple while ensuring a delicious flavour, and it's important to salt the meat fairly generously or they will turn out too bland. So I did use garlic, and I included a heaped teaspoon of hot English mustard in the mince before forming meatballs, while also serving some mustard on the side. I also added the grated zest of an orange, because it's orange season now and I felt the mixture needed a bit of zing. I chose to make big, really plump meatballs and to use the outer leaves of a large cabbage, which is more in line with traditional old Cape recipes. Polite versions of how to deal with the cabbage leaves would have you cutting away the hard stems of the leaves, but look at how the spines of the cabbage leaves relate so beautifully to the meat inside. The traditional Afrikaans way is to arrange them in a greased baking dish and add any remaining juices from the pan in which you fried the meatballs, then bake them for 20 minutes to half an hour. This is the part that I did in an air fryer instead. The result was good, but a little different. As you can see in the photo, the cabbage and meatball somehow melded together, with the cabbage turning opaque, so that you can see the meatball through the leaf. I find this visually appealing. Parsley is commonly used in the meatballs for the traditional recipe, but since I could not find any in my local shops, I compensated with other ingredients, chiefly orange, nutmeg and a generous hand with the mustard. By all means add some finely chopped parsley if you like. Tony's ouma innie air fryer (meatballs in cabbage leaves) Ingredients 700 g lean beef mince 1 large onion, very finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 slices day-old white bread soaked in milk, then squeezed out Grated zest of 1 orange, but not the juice 1 heaped tsp Hot English mustard 3 gratings of nutmeg Salt and black pepper to taste 1 XL egg, beaten 3 Tbsp cooking oil (canola or sunflower) Cooking oil spray A little flour Method In a bowl, combine the mince, orange zest, onion, garlic and nutmeg, and season well with salt and black pepper. Using clean hands, thoroughly mix the ingredients. Soak 2 slices of day-old household bread in milk to cover and, a minute later, squeeze out all the milk and crumble the sodden bread into the mixture. Mix again with your hands. Add the beaten egg and continue to mix, still using your hands. Scatter some flour on a board. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions. Roll each portion into a meatball. Roll them around in the flour on a board. Set aside. Pour a little oil into a pan on a medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides. Season with salt and pepper on both sides during the cooking. Wash the cabbage leaves and plunge them into boiling water for about 5 minutes, then drain thoroughly. They don't need to be refreshed in cold water. Pat the meatballs dry and wrap each in a (patted-dry) cabbage leaf. Preheat the air fryer to 170°C. Spray the bottom with cooking oil spray. Arrange the meatballs in the basket (do them in batches if necessary) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are cooked to the centre. Serve with mashed potato and wholegrain mustard on the side. DM
Daily Mail
25-04-2025
- Daily Mail
Take a look inside this South African game reserve with 28 bedroom suites which could be yours for £9.7m
A private game reserve in Karoo, South Africa is up for sale for £9,774,882, or around $13,000,000, via Sotheby's International Realty. Magic Hills is a privately owned game reserve stretching around 40,000 acres, with the furthest ends of the property reaching into both the western and northern Cape. The expansive reserve has a number of on-site accommodation options for guests, including 28 bedroom suites across five luxurious lodges. Across the different accommodation hubs, the site has 28 bathrooms, 17 reception rooms and two kitchens. The buyer of the reserve will be living in close quarters to the Big Five - lions, leopards, black rhino, elephants and buffalo. Merino sheep, Angora goats and dairy cattle are also raised on site and the property offers visitors panoramic vistas and plains. As well as offering guests envy-inducing luxury, conservation remains a priority on the reserve. Some of the animals in the reserve have been repatriated from zoos. One of the most breath-taking options for accommodation on the reserve is Sky Lodge, which sits 980 metres above sea-level. Sky Lodge has seven bedroom suites, a large living room with hardwood floors, a bar and a pool and terrace to soak up the views and wildlife from. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors provide panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. Internally, Sky Lodge had been decorated in tones of brown and beige, in keeping with the outdoor setting. Kim Cooper, a real estate professional at Sotheby's International Realty, said: 'Sky lodge is surely one of the most stunning lodges on the continent.' Magic Hills is also home to ILanga Manor House, a traditional lodge with Cape Dutch architecture, 10 bedroom suites, a pool, library and lush green lawns. Elsa's Farmhouse, a restored off-grid four-bedroom solar-panelled lodge, also comes with the site. Laid-back Elsa's Farmhouse has its own private pool and boma area. Wow factor: Sky Lodge has a luxurious but laid-back vibe with neutral interiors Views: The buyer of Magic Hills will enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding area Before coming under new ownership, the site was previously used for hunting and farmland. The reserve is now owned by Erik and Alexandra Kovacs, who have spent more than a decade bringing the overgrazed and degraded former farmland back to life, at a cost of over £8million. The Karoo, which is around a 90-minute helicopter ride from Cape Town, is a rural, semi-arid mountainous area reportedly boasting some of the most unique flora and fauna on the continent. Marketing firm JamesEdition said it had seen the highest interest for Magic Hills from prospective buyers in the US and South Africa, but added that interest from potential buyers in Britain had also been strong. How to find a new mortgage Borrowers who need a mortgage because their current fixed rate deal is ending, or they are buying a home, should explore their options as soon as possible. Quick mortgage finder links with This is Money's partner L&C > Mortgage rates calculator > Find the right mortgage for you What if I need to remortgage? Borrowers should compare rates, speak to a mortgage broker and be prepared to act. Homeowners can lock in to a new deal six to nine months in advance, often with no obligation to take it. Most mortgage deals allow fees to be added to the loan and only be charged when it is taken out. This means borrowers can secure a rate without paying expensive arrangement fees. Keep in mind that by doing this and not clearing the fee on completion, interest will be paid on the fee amount over the entire term of the loan, so this may not be the best option for everyone. What if I am buying a home? Those with home purchases agreed should also aim to secure rates as soon as possible, so they know exactly what their monthly payments will be. Buyers should avoid overstretching and be aware that house prices may fall, as higher mortgage rates limit people's borrowing ability and buying power. How to compare mortgage costs The best way to compare mortgage costs and find the right deal for you is to speak to a broker. This is Money has a long-standing partnership with fee-free broker L&C, to provide you with fee-free expert mortgage advice. Interested in seeing today's best mortgage rates? Use This is Money and L&Cs best mortgage rates calculator to show deals matching your home value, mortgage size, term and fixed rate needs. If you're ready to find your next mortgage, why not use L&C's online Mortgage Finder. It will search 1,000's of deals from more than 90 different lenders to discover the best deal for you. Be aware that rates can change quickly, however, and so if you need a mortgage or want to compare rates, speak to L&C as soon as possible, so they can help you find the right mortgage for you.
