Versatile coconut is a generous fruit (we know botanists call it a drupe, but that term is really rather technical for our purposes) that offers cooks a wealth of options: the coconut water you’ll find when you crack open a fresh … Read More
You’ll find tasty tomatoes in just about every regional cuisine around the globe, so it may surprise you to find out that until as recently as 500 years ago, Europeans considered them poisonous and grew them as purely ornamental … Read More
Butternut is a real South African favourite. Theoretically considered a fruit (because it contains seeds), it is a delicious, versatile veggie that can play a starring role in the main course of a dinner or lunch menu, or an … Read More
Toast must be the ultimate comfort food! Picture the scene: outside, the wind is howling and icy raindrops lash against the windows – the cat makes a sodden dash for the cat flap and the warmth and security that … Read More
Did you know that mushrooms are not plants? Although most people see them as vegetables, as fungi they form a kingdom of their own, with their own totally distinct growth and reproduction habits. Perhaps the most fascinating fact of all … Read More
Cherries are one of life’s tiny treasures: each glossy red fruit bursts with sweet-tart flavour, meaning that once you pop just one of these treats in your mouth, you usually go on to devour the whole bowl as if … Read More
Apricots are little juicy golden globes of edible sunshine that are a harbinger of summer. Their flavour has all the delectable sweetness of peaches, with a pleasing tartness that adds depth and interest. A stone fruit related to peaches, … Read More
Asparagus is one delicacy that has everyone wanting to eat their greens. It has a delicate yet earthy, savoury flavour with the fresh undertones of petit pois and just the slightest, delicious hint of bitterness. Asparagus is the succulent, … Read More
Archaeological evidence shows that fig trees – together with the grape vine and olive tree – were one of the first plants to be cultivated. Wild fig pips dated to 7800 to 6600 BCE have been found at neolithic … Read More
For many, the love affair with hazelnuts starts in early childhood with lashings of Nutella spread on hot toast. And who can’t remember their first slab of Cadbury’s hazelnut chocolate? While hazelnuts and chocolate are soulmates, as our tastes … Read More
