When asked what sound most describes South Africa, a number of answers are possible. Some say it’s the chilling roar of the lion in the early evening in the bush. Others say it’s the haunting call of the fish eagle that hovers above our many rivers and dams. Still others feel it’s the soft cooing of the laughing dove or the cackling of the guinea fowl coming in to roost at night. And yet, the sound that unifies South Africans all around the world is the sound of a crackling fire. It is the call to come together and enjoy hospitality that is so unique to our people. It is an invitation to eat together, laugh together ... an invitation to share. South Africa, flavours and traditions invites you on a journey through our richly diverse country with its colourful people and fascinating food. Please stay a while and enjoy the tales of adventure, determination and courage at our table as we serve up this, our South Africa.

Growing up in small-town South Africa, Sophia Lindop mostly felt like an outsider but she always told people, with great pride, that she was Lebanese. As a child, her only link to the mysterious country called Lebanon, the country she was told they came from, was through its food. After school and on weekends, it was in the kitchens of the women in her family that she found her belonging, and it was in those flavours that she found her identity. A promise to her Dad in the dark hours of the night on which he left earth took her to the land of her forefathers.

She was going home. Going Home tells the stories behind the rich Lebanese food culture.

Come and be seated at Sophia’s Lebanese table and relish the meaning of life – togetherness, sharing, laughter, and above all, good food.

We’re often faced with the dilemma of what to do with that glut of marrows and asparagus in the spring, the hundreds of apricots and tomatoes in the summer, the butternut and mushrooms in the autumn. Inspired by her Lebanese and Afrikaans grandmothers, Sophia Lindop gives us a thoroughly modern twist on cooking with seasonal produce available in ample quantities at different times of the year.

Whether you grow your own veggies or just want to buy the cheap, seasonal produce from your local grocer no one wants to eat the same thing all week – Sophia gives you 4 different recipes for each of the seasonal veggies or fruit.

Economy doesn’t need to be boring!