Veg-ing out

17 August 2014 ~ Fiona ~ Leave a comment

I have flirted with vegetarianism on and off for about thirty years, particularly when I lived alone – which I have done, not unhappily, on and off, until I finally settled down with Tom. One of the first, if not the first, recipe book I bought, was the A – Z of Vegetarian Cooking in South Africa. And two of our favourite quiche fillings (leek & onion, and spinach & feta) are based on recipes from this book. I do confess that I work very hard at not thinking about the journey that meat must take to reach my kitchen.

Consequently, entertaining friends who are vegetarian is fun! Well, I think so, anyway. For some, it’s a challenge, so I thought I’d share with you what I did when our neighbours joined us for a long overdue dinner, a few weeks ago.

It was a Friday evening and Fridays are my day in the kitchen, preparing for the market. This particular Friday, I was really in the mode, so it was in for a penny, in for a pound. The broccoli was ready to pick and we had ripe gooseberries, so there were two ready ingredients.

That said, it was cold and miserable and had the makings of becoming even more so, and what is more warming than cottage pie, I thought. So, instead of the beef mince, I used beautiful green lentils, soaked and cooked, that were added to sautéd onions and mushrooms. This was seasoned with chopped garlic, some tomato paste, a twig of fresh rosemary and a good glug of red wine. A lesson I learned, and which I had forgotten, was that it’s really easy to let this mixture dry out – watch it and add water and/or vegetable stock so that it stays nice and moist as the flavours develop. Transferred to an oven proof dish, this was topped with a potato and butternut mash, dotted with knobs of butter and baked in the oven for about 20 minutes to half an hour. The butter is what gives you the crispy, caremelised crust on the cottage pie which was served with a garden salad.

So, we started our dinner with broccoli soup, made with the first picking, and discovered to my delight, that not only does Ant enjoy soup, but particularly loves creamy ones.

For dessert, we had a gooseberry tart with jam I had made earlier in the day.

No meal is complete without wine. We don’t really do the wine-pairing thing. Although we do take the menu into consideration, we choose what we like, and what we think our guests will like. As usual, we chose beautiful wines from our valley: Tanagra‘s Heavenly Chaos (isn’t that a wonderful name for a wine?), a lovely red blend, which is beautifully different every year, and Springfield’s Life from Stone, one of my favourite Sauvignon Blanc wines.

Pat and Ant, it was fun – we’ll do it again!

Long, leisurely, Lord’s

12 August 2014 ~ Fiona ~ Leave a comment

We are very lucky to live in a beautiful valley that produces wonderful wine and creates fabulous opportunities for celebrating not just wine, but its talented cellar masters and wine makers. The Robertson Slow Festival is unique. It is a genteel, intimate and relaxed festival that spreads itself through the valley. People come together in a multitude of places, including working cellars – like the one up the road from where we live. The Lord’s Cellar is, literally, on the Road to Nowhere. One must choose to go there – like one chooses to come to McGregor. You cannot decide to drop in on your way past. That’s part of the reason we like McGregor, and Lord’s. The other reasons are the people – and the wine! Lord’s wines make any occasion special… Late on Saturday afternoon, we headed up the Road to Nowhere. The day had started off cool and misty, but had cleared into a beautiful, balmy spring afternoon. We were greeted, as always, by the ever gracious host, Jacie Oosthuizen. Lord’s (named for the cricket ground and his passion for the game) is his brainchild, and is a boutique winery nestled in the mountains and surrounded by fynbos. Winter is when fynbos is at its most beautiful, so this evening showcased some of the Western Cape’s most beautiful flora. It was a slow, relaxed afternoon and evening of friends (new and not-so-new) and families associated with Lord’s, Jacie and his wife, the wine maker, Ilse Schutte, her husband and family who were responsible for the traditional Suid Afrikaanse poitjie kos (South African “little pot” food), home made bread and brownies… The time flew – wonderful conversation about life and wine, live music provided by our neighbour, Konrad, that had some of us dancing…not quite on the tables, but dancing, nevertheless…

Shadow of Time

6 August 20148 September 2021 ~ Fiona ~ Leave a comment

Over past few years I have had the joy of reconnecting with people who left my life as I journeyed through it. The joy has been unexpected. I am reveling in our shared histories and memories; enjoying rekindling friendships and acquaintances. Some of these are already part of Fiona’s Favourites as I celebrate milestones and share memories associated with things I cook.

This weekend, we went to the opening of Shadow of Time, an exhibition of three talented artists, all of whom have ties with Grahamstown, Estelle Marais, Diane McLean and Sharlé Matthews. The title speaks of the long and deep friendship between the three artists, which spans four or so decades.

There were four of us at the exhibition who had been at primary school together: Diane and Sharlé, along with Wendy, who welcomed us to her home for the weekend. Three of us, as well as Sharlé’s husband, Mike, were also subsequently at Rhodes.

A couple of years ago, Tom and I had popped in to see Diane in De Rust, where she lives, and a year or so before that, I had caught up with Wendy for the first time since 1975 – it was was just like we had seen each other the day before! I can’t remember when I last saw Sharlé….other than on Facebook….

Funny the associations we have: when Wendy mentioned to Sharlé that we would be at the exhibition opening, Sharlé had one instruction for Wendy: “Tell Fiona not to forget her mother’s fudge recipe!” I had forgotten that I had taken fudge to school cake sales (my mother was not a cake-baker), which reminded me that I had also sold it as part of bob-a-job when I had been a Brownie (I never became a Girl Guide…)

The fudge recipe is in my mother’s recipe book , which she acquired in 1961 – before any of us were even thought of. And as you see, it was often in use – it still is.

What made that fudge so good, was the walnuts that Mum added, and which are not in the list of ingredients!

My memory of both Sharlé and Diane is that they were both good at art. I don’t remember Diane without a pencil in her hand, drawing something – mostly ballet dancers…. So, through the shadow of time, the four of us, all of whom had been at Victoria Girls’ Primary School in Grahamstown, came together, in Wellington, in the Swartland, some forty-odd years later.

Eating to Live

19 July 2014 ~ Fiona ~ Leave a comment

Friday, 18 July 2014, in McGregor dawned: a cold, blustery morning. It was also the first Mandela Day since his death in December 2013; he would have been 95. Later that day I was heading down to our local community service centre (aka the police station) to join a sandwich drive.

This, juxtaposed with my my rant, the previous evening, about dieting fads and food foibles, got me thinking about how privileged I am, to be able not just to have the pleasure of cooking, but of food, in all its glory, when there are people, literally down the road, who do eat to live – when they can.

For the last two years, a young McGregorite has organised this initiative. This must have taken Mira much more than just the 67 minutes she asked of us to give, to organise.

So, a bunch of us, of all colours and creeds, from all walks of life, gathered at around 11h00, to make sandwiches.

By about 11h45, this happy band of volunteers had made this huge mound of sandwiches to go with the soup that came from Lord’s Guest Lodge.

I didn’t just join the sandwich drive, I also joined the convoy to deliver the sandwiches and soup. First, to the Breede Centre which runs a holiday programme of for local children, then on to the informal settlement and the poorest parts of our village.

The sandwiches and hot soup, along with the treats made a difference – at least for a short while.

For me, there was also a weird moment. There was a time that it would have been inconceivable that I would set foot in a police station to be part of a community initiative: the police represented the oppressors and meted out their orders. These orders were usually punitive and harsh; they certainly did not include feeding people in informal settlements.

Much remains to be done in our country and village of poor and plenty, but that I, and my fellow sandwich-makers were able to comfortably join this initiative, is a consequence of Nelson Mandela who gave 67 years of selfless service. Halala, Tata.

The beginning – revisited

5 July 2014 ~ Fiona ~ Leave a comment

When I started this blog, it was on a whim: the initial thought had been to share ideas about what I cook and/or how we entertain and how, we’re in the process of developing our home and garden in McGregor.

Over the last six or so months, I have realised that Fiona’s Favourites is allowing me to “marry” so much of what it love doing: cooking, gardening, sharing stories and, most of all, writing. I’m enjoying this much more than I ever imagined. I think and write for a living. And I enjoy my work – with all its inevitable frustrations. However, I had never thought, or allowed myself to think of myself as creative, even though, as a school girl, I wanted to write. It was a notion that I had long relegated to some far recess of my mind. What would I, an ordinary woman, in her fabulous fifties write about? I do not live an extraordinary life.

So, still growing up and learning, from my kitchen, the garden, our furry and feathered friends, as well as from people, and most especially, those of you who have joined me on this journey, I realise that I can write about my life. I write about my life that is filled with extraordinary people who teach me that life is not ordinary, and should not be taken for granted. No matter how small or mundane, so many experiences add to the rich, colourful, faboulous fabric of life – probably a mishmash tartan of Cameron, Lamont and African.

Since I started this part of my journey, people have been telling me that they enjoy my stories. Telling stories was not the original intention. Most of my favourite and fun things are because of people, so it just seems right that they are central to what I write. Some of you are both the encouragement and inspiration behind what I write and you may recognise yourselves, even if you’re not mentioned by name.

So, Fiona’s Favourites, as I said in my first ever post, is evolving and it seems to be becoming a way of figuratively breaking bread with you, and sharing stories about the extraordinary people who move into, and out of, the circles of my life.

Sensational sandwiches

29 June 2014 ~ Fiona ~ 6 Comments

A sandwich is a sandwich, is a sandwich – or is it?

Since mid-January, I have forsworn bread and potatoes. I thought that it would be difficult, but it hasn’t been. I think that the main reason for this is that I made a decision that this was a choice rather than a rule. It was also my choice and no-one else’s. Why do I make this point? Well, I figured that if I allowed it to govern every meal I cooked, particularly over the weekend, I’d make everyone miserable. The upshot is that it’s the 5:2 approach – as far as possible….

We have a wonderful pop-up market in McGregor. You don’t always know what or who will be at the market. That means that you can’t be guaranteed bread, but when there is bread, it’s beautiful, often really healthy. There are a few bread makers in the village. One is Hester, who sadly doesn’t bake bread as often as she used to. Her potato Ciabatta are fantastic, wood-fired chunks of tasty bread. In addition to being great when fresh, they also make the most fantastic crostini that you can top with almost anything to make a really easy, sexy sarmie. To make crostini, heat the oven to about 200 Celsius and lightly brush each slice on both sides, place on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes.

A spread of pesto, with tomato, cheeses, gherkins, pickled bell peppers and fresh herbs, in different combinations make a feast!

Corlie is another baker in the village. She makes a few lovely breads, and one we are particularly fond of, is a part rye bread. She makes it with molasses which gives it a lovely soft, spongy texture with a delicious malty flavour. I made this sarmie – unplanned – with what I had in the fridge:

On a slice of thin-ish bread, layer slivers of Camembert or brie, a warm, quick-fried slice of brinjal (warm is important – it begins to melt the cheese, and brings out its flavour), and top with a slice of fresh tomato and salt and pepper. Now spread a generous dollop of pesto over the second slice of bread and put the lid on your sandwich!These (even if I say so, myself) sensational sarmies are favourite Saturday or Sunday afternoon late lunches for us – in the garden – with a glass of wine from our lovely valley!

Fiona

The formal stuff

Credentials

In March 2020 I successfully completed a certificate in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) to complement my a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in English and Geography) and Higher Diploma in Education from Rhodes University. I have a Certificate in the Principles and Techniques of Fundraising, a joint initiative by the Fundraising School at Indiana University, in the USA, and Southern Africa Institute of Fundraising (SAIF). Because of my role in the development and implementation of the Certificate in Fundraising Management programme at the University of South Africa, I also hold this qualification. I was accepted as a Ph D candidate (education) a few years ago, but did not pursue it.

Follow the links for more about what I do now, and what I did then.

TL;DNR: I’m a word warrior and writer for hire.

Initiatives

Under the auspices of Fiona Cameron Consulting, a post school education and training consultancy, I co-founded the SkillZHub, a social enterprise that shared information and provided a discussion forum on skills development and occupational training. I was co-developer of The Quality Management Framework for small training providers. This ISO 9001-based framework can be successfully applied to other small businesses.

Before starting Fiona Cameron Consulting, in 1993, I lived in Johannesburg where I worked in both the private and non-profit sectors, in various capacities. This ranged from developing and writing educational materials while at SACHED, to administration and fundraising. I was an administrative officer in the Minerals Council South Africa (formerly the Chamber of Mines), and while in the parking industry, administered 29 car parks with revenues averaging R 1 million each, per month. During my time as a fundraiser, I exceeded income targets and conducted funding negotiations with senior people in both business and diplomatic sectors.

After leaving Johannesburg, I lived in Queenstown, Eastern Cape, where I was Regional Training Co-ordinator of the housing programme for the Independent Development Trust, and worked with a diverse number of community and development organisations.

Volunteer work

In my personal capacity, I was a member of the board of the Access Trust for nearly 10 years. I chaired the board of trustees for six years. We provided bursaries for disadvantaged young people to attend technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges. In that capacity, I twice contributed articles to the FET College Times.

For a period, I served as an elected member of the CHIETA‘s Western Cape Regional Consultative Committee, representing small business and skills development providers. I was a co-opted member and Chairman of Cape Town Child Welfare Society‘s Marketing and Funding Committee. As a member of the Southern Africa Institute of Fundraising (SAIF) from 1991 until 2000, I was both National Treasurer and Chairman of the Western Cape Branch. As a member and chair the National Council’s Education Committee, was instrumental in initiating the development of an education and training programme for the fundraising profession in South Africa.

As a volunteer in the street children movement, during the late 1980’s, I served on the Board of Management of (Girls and) Boys’ Towns South Africa; as Chairman of Project Street Children – Education and Social Support, I initiated the Johannesburg Street Children Coordinating Committee. In 1991, Fiona received the Hillbrow Rotary Club Achiever of the year award as “Top Individual”.

The fun stuff

I am a writer, Instagram addict, homemaker and cook, a kitchen gardener; neither a designer nor a chef.

I love cooking and feeding people, so you will find my fare at the local pop-up market every Saturday. On Sundays, until the pandemic struck, The Husband and I hosted Sunday Suppers @ The Sandbag House (our home) – a service to the village when there was no other meal offering available for visitors or locals.

A recipe book has been suggested…we shall see how things unfold….

Writing

The urge (I hesitate to say inspiration) to write is one that I’d suppressed for years. It has been allowed to emerge thanks to the friends and strangers who read this (and more latterly, look at, my happy snaps) – and who want more.

For some, the topics are trivial and fluffy, for others, less so. Regardless, I have elected, in this space, to stay away (mostly) from politics, religion and bad wine… So, Fiona’s Favourites is mostly a happy place, although, from time to time, sadnesses happen: all part of the fabulous fabric of life.

I live in an alternative technology house, in McGregor in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Now, alas, without The Husband, and now ~~three~~ two cats, ~~Tiger~~ Princess Pearli and Gandalf the Grey ~~and Rambo the semi-feral ginger who’s now moved in~~.

If you want to get in touch….

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