It’s always a thrill escaping the city for a few days. I like leaving town early on a Friday morning ahead of rush hour, when the air is still cool before the midday heat sets in. It’s an amazing feeling to be heading in the opposite direction to everyone else, towards blue skies and cosmos fringed roads instead of skyscrapers and traffic lights.
Arriving at our place in Wakkerstroom 3 hours later, I feel instantly at peace. I’m not sure if it’s the dirt roads, the endless green hills, or the grazing cattle, but my inner farm girl kicks in and I can’t wait to sit at my wooden kitchen table and cook something comforting.
Today I tried Jamie’s recipe for homemade pork sausage rolls. I love this one so much because he adds lemon zest, fresh apple as well as sage and rosemary.
Cutting rosemary twigs from the bush in the garden is pleasing. The leaves feel softer and more fragrant somehow than in Johannesburg, begging to flavour a wholesome meal.
I also made a sweet chilli relish with red peppers and vicious little bird’s eye chillies. Delicious for dunking your porkie rolls! Roasting red peppers on an open gas flame until they are thoroughly blackened and then left to sweat in a plastic bag before peeling, really brings out the sweet flavour.
Fragrant red peppers, char-grilled on an open flame
And just a few chillies for zing.
Nothing tastier than home-made pork sausage rolls!
An afternoon snooze followed by a robust hike with dogs, makes up for the carb guilt.
Then it’s time to open a bottle of red and start preparing the next indulgent meal.
