Lifestyle

Sheep have been on the menu for over 10 000 years. It follows that there’s one hell of a lot of ways to cook one, either whole or in part. While roasting lamb is a technique as well-known as any, it remains a challenge for the new cook determined to put their stamp on a classic.

In passing through the Muden Valley in KZN, I called in at my acquaintances who own a lodge there. We got chatting and Bryan expressed the idea of developing a half dozen or more private chalets.

A scone is one of the best things that can happen to flour, eggs and butter. This coffee-time staple is filled with mystery, especially in the hands of home bakers reluctant to share their secrets. So here’s a classic recipe, made by millions of successful home bakers whose number you are about to join.

Build your own affordable, sustainable straw bale home with these handy tips.

The stirfry is one of the quickest routes from raw to cooked. Ideally, you need a wok and a blast of cooking gas. And if a good wok is hard to find, the hardy skottelbraai is a perfect substitute. Most of the effort this delicious meal requires lies in its preparation, but this is no big deal and well within the reach of the beginner cook.

For some diners the electric tingle of chilli is as essential as salt and pepper. And for this cook, one of the best ways to get your daily chilli fix and have a damn good meal at the same time is to get stuck into a lamb and potato curry. If lamb is in short supply, goat makes a substantial substitute with a texture and flavour that some prefer to mutton.

Jonno gives FWSA readers a special gift for Christmas - a basic home design.

Mutton bunny There are lots of stories about how bunny chows got their name. All that matters to you and me is that the meal has nothing to do with rabbits. More to the point, it is a simple KZN classic that deserves its place as an easy-to-make lunchtime replacement for sandwiches, burgers or even a pie and slap tjips.

Roasting, writes Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, requires a set of principles rather than a collection of recipes. Roasting principles that ring bells for this meal are two: sizzling and resting, of which, more later.

Jonno converts an old milking shed into a beautiful cottage.

For the beginner cook, pasta is a great base upon which to construct a massive variety of meals. But puttanesca is powerful, almost overwhelming and it creates a nuclear explosion of flavour and aroma.

Daleen & Hennie from Lydenburg wrote in response to a house design in Farmer’s Weekly on 21 September 2012.