Festive France
by Louis Jansen van Vuuren, Hardy Olivier, Anet Pienaar
(Jonathan Ball, R275)
This is the stuff that dreams are made of. At some point in our lives, we have probably all dreamed of throwing caution to the wind, buying a chateau and experiencing life deep in the French countryside.
The three authors of this book, a chef, an artist and a “stylish woman with boundless energy and vision” – all South Africans – do precisely that and invite us to share in their experiences through the pages of Festive France.
There are anecdotes which are at times wonderful, at times funny and at times absurd of their interactions with the locals in Boussac, a town where the provinces of Limousin and Auvergne meet in central France.
The authors take turns to write so that the reader is kept entertained by their personal stories.
All this is accompanied by recipes of traditional regional French dishes, most of which are within the capabilities of enthusiastic cooks.
The recipes range from starters, soups, main courses (meat, fish, poultry, rabbit, pork and vegetarian offerings) to desserts, cakes, tarts, biscuits and ice cream.
So, if uprooting yourself and moving to France is out of the question, do the next best thing – get your hands on a copy of Festive France, immerse yourself in its pages and spoil yourself with the recipes. – Olga Accolla