Lifestyle

There’s nothing like an egg to start the day. But why stop there? Add smoked salmon, tangy lemon, melted butter, and a slice of toast for a regal treat.

I received an email from Farmer’s Weekly readers, Mel and Greig, requesting me to travel to Mooi River, 30km from where I stay, to discuss their new home. After exchanging many ideas, we decided that the styling would be typically American.

A beef short rib is a praise song to fat. Yesterday, fat was bad for you. Today, it’s sort of OK. Tomorrow, who knows? If you worry about fat, it’s best to practise moderation in all things, succulent slices of beef short ribs included.

I have never understood the Kiev reference, since so much of this meal is Italian in style. While a bit fussy, this ingredient combination is really two recipes in one: stuffed chicken fillets and a splendid mushroom risotto.

The streams of the Amathole Mountains – including the Wolf River – were immortalised by Sydney Hey in his African fly-fishing text, The Rapture of the River. Mike Burgess travelled up the Keiskamma River in search of the rainbow trout of the Wolf.

For some, biryani exists only to give meaning and purpose to lentils. For others, a crabstick biryani is the ultimate in perfect taste.

I recently had a call from Farmer’s Weekly readers, Jack and Jill, the owners of a wildlife estate in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

South African palates are fine-tuned to enjoy Chinese- influenced cooking. Given the popularity of skottel cooking, this pseudo-wok is all you need for a high drama, high heat dining event in your own backyard.

In South Africa, we all know about braai competitions. Back in the USA, chilli con carne competitions are the big thing, particularly in the southern states along the Mexican border. Prizes are awarded for exciting new variants on this all-American classic. Try this one for size – and don’t forget that cold yoghurt chills chilli burn best.

Organic farm owner, John and Sue from Mossel Bay want to build a small timber frame home for themselves and are looking for professional architectural advice on the design of the house.

All the excitement about national symbols has failed to provide South Africa with a national fish. Let me fill the gap by nominating hake. It is a wonderfully versatile fish with firm texture and mild, yet excellent flavour. Here’s a salute: a recipe of charm, heat and high colour.

Luci and David want to build a a new rondavel with cement blocks under thatch. Find out what Jonno comes up with.

There are so many favourites out there… chilli con carne, good ol’ steak, egg ’n chips, Durban mutton curry, braaiied boerewors and, one of the greateast of them all, spaghetti bolognaise. Here’s a take on this pasta classic that owes almost as much to the USA as it does to Italy.

Yolande fell in love with a 'Peter Pan' styled house she had seen in an issue of Farmer's Weekly. She asks Jonno if he can design a house similar to the one she had seen.

There is little doubt that a good dessert gives a meal the neat conclusion it requires. Sadly, most desserts seem to be designed for the palates of children, with a massive overdose of cloying sweetness. Then along came crème caramel: not only a grown-up taste, but also a truly masterful addition to your culinary skills.

Jonno designs a two-storey house with solar panels on the roof for Sipho whom stays in a township outside East London.

There’s more than one way to combine cream, mushrooms and rump steak. Give this major steak enhancement recipe your best shot. Your friends will love it.

I received a call from Mark, who owns a game farm outside Mokopane in the North West. Six years ago, I designed his hunter’s lodge and tourist complexes.

‘Oh, give me a cup of that marvellous stuff’, goes the song. Without it nothing – not even this story – would get written on time …

Dear Jonno We have just returned from our annual family holiday in Zimbabwe and because the family has grown, we need to have a homestead...