Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Workshops & conferences / South African Food Blogger Conference / The CookSister speaks – in Cape Town!

The CookSister speaks – in Cape Town!

by Jeanne Horak on February 11, 2010 9 Comments in South African Food Blogger Conference

FoodBloggerIndaba2010

So what are you doing towards the end of March?  I know some people who would hyperventilate at the mere thought of planning that far ahead and committing themselves to be at a particular place in two six hours’ time, let alone six weeks!

But me – I’m a forward planner.  I think it comes with the territory of living in a foreign country – suddenly your planning horizon expands to the next trip home, and to get good deals this has to be booked almost a year in advance… and suddenly you find yourself routinely booking things months ahead.  Some people might say this takes all the spontaneity out of life, but planning trips so far in advance also means that you can make sure that all the cool stuff happens during your visit.

Shortly after I spoke at the Food Blogger Connect ’09 conference here in London last year, I started chatting to my fab friend Colleen of Kitchen Diary about the possibility of doing something similar in Cape Town.  It’s always easier to see the problems and the reasons why not to do something, but after much discussion, many e-mails and a marathon phonecall wen I was in South Africa in December, it seems that the dream is becoming a reality.  This March we are holding the first ever South African food blogger conference in Cape Town, and I have been billed as the principal speaker!

If you’ve ever needed an excuse to visit Cape Town (or, indeed, South Africa), could there be a better time or a better reason?  Here is the low-down:

DATE: Sunday 21st March 2010

VENUE: The Cooks Playground at The Cape Quarter on De Waterkant

COST:  Between R400 – R450 (£33-37 or $52-58) (final price to be confirmed)

Confirmed speakers at the moment are my talented friend Nina Timm of My Easy Cooking, who will be talking about photography and food styling, and… me , talking about the nuts and bolts of blogging, finding your voice, and the law & ethics of blogging.  We are also hoping to have talks about monetising your blog and social networking.  In short, everything you need to know to be a food blogger!

This is an independent food bloggers conference and is not tied to any specific blogging platform and is therefore open to all food bloggers and foodies across all blogging platforms and across the world.  If there are non-bloggers out there who love reading food blogs and are interested in starting up their own food blogs, you are also most welcome to attend.  And of course, sponsors of any kind are ALWAYS welcome!

RSVP: Please can you let Colleen know as soon as possible if you are planning to attend by contacting her on [email protected]  or [email protected] and leaving her your details so that she can get back to you.

Has there ever been a better reason to visit Cape Town?  Just think – this could be the perfect opportunity to work your way through my Cape Town culinary tips, or my South African omnivore’s 100!

And in other news, have another look at my post on my famous cupcakes – I have posted a few pictures of billboards featuring them that I have seen around London.  If you spot my cupcakes (so to speak…!), please snap and send me a picture, and I will add it to the post!

And in yet other news… there is still time to enter my pancake giveaway!  All you have to do to be entered into the draw to win the goodies below (courtesy of Morrisons) is to leave a comment on my Mexican chocolate & hazelnut crepe stack post by midnight on Saturday 13 February. (Please note that I can only ship to the UK.)

PancakePrize

 

More deliciousness for you!

  • Saturday Snapshots #247Saturday Snapshots #247
  • Saturday Snapshots #318Saturday Snapshots #318
  • Saturday Snapshots #289Saturday Snapshots #289
  • Saturday Snapshots #298Saturday Snapshots #298

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« Mexican chocolate & hazelnut crepe stack
Swede/rutabaga, chorizo and thyme savoury crepes »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Costa, Kara's Original Greek says

    February 12, 2010 at 5:42 am

    Heya! Greetings from a foodie blogger / manufacturer in Durbs S.A.
    You have a really lovelly site, and I find it truly inspirational, I certainly have lots to learn… : ) Keep at it! Greetings, Costa

    Reply
  2. Marisa says

    February 12, 2010 at 9:16 am

    YAY!!! Can’t wait to meet the people behind the blogs in March!

    Reply
  3. Colleen says

    February 12, 2010 at 1:27 pm

    I can’t wait…..thanx so much Jeanne :o)

    Reply
  4. Charlotte says

    February 12, 2010 at 2:10 pm

    What fun! If I was going to be in Cape Town then, I’d be there like a shot!

    Reply
  5. Kit says

    February 12, 2010 at 5:51 pm

    Oh wow! a blogging event in Cape Town! And you guys speaking – I’ll be there! I can cope with planning in advance for this.

    Reply
  6. stella says

    February 12, 2010 at 9:06 pm

    Wow! That is amazing. I’m new to blogging, and even getting a post on my site tires me out. This is mostly due to photography frustrations. You must have a lot of energy. I hope it is fun and productive!

    Reply
  7. Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

    February 12, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    I’m definitely a planner, being spontaneous is one step too close to chaos for my comfort zone. Besides you get to spend all that time looking forward to stuff. Those peeps are very lucky to get you on their bill as your talk at FBC was both inspiring and useful.
    Please do NOT enter me for the frying pans. You know why!!!

    Reply
  8. deeba says

    February 13, 2010 at 8:45 am

    You tempt me so Jeanne. I like forward planning too, and hope one day I shall be a free bird and fly across the globe!

    Reply
  9. Kitchen Butterfly says

    February 17, 2010 at 8:26 pm

    Jeanne…..I’ll be even farther away than the Netherlands then…..on an island. I’m talking blue seas…..heat and Carribean food! But….I wish I could hear you speak again…..about Cat blogs :-). I still hear your voice…in my head!

    Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Perfect broccoli and Stilton soup [keto, low carb, GF]
  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Oxtail and red wine potjie
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Gem squash 101: how to find them, how to grow them, how to eat them!
Jan Ellis pudding - a classic South African dessert
My big, fat South African potato bake

Featured on

Also available on

I am not an early morning person - but when the re I am not an early morning person - but when the reason for a stupid o’clock start is a private tour of the Chelsea Flower Show & a tasting of South African wine, how could I refuse? 🌸🥂🍷 (see more about our show tour in my previous reel!)

The wine in question was a selection of 8 wines by Franschoek estate @babylonstoren . The farm itself is over 150 years old and lies at the foot of the Simonsberg mountains. It is named after one of the peaks in the range - literally translated as the Tower of Babylon - and was for much of its existence a fruit farm before being purchased by owners Koos Bekker & Karen Roos. In 2007 they commissioned architect Patrice Caravella to lay out an extensive formal garden comprising 15 clusters spanning vegetable areas, stone and pome fruits, nuts, citrus, berries, bees, herbs, ducks and chickens, a prickly pear maze, and more. Every one of the more than 300 varieties of plants in the garden is edible or has medicinal value. They are also grown as organically as possible and in a biologically sustainable manner. The garden was the first RHS accredited garden in Africa. The couple also converted the fruit orchards to vineyards which now cover 150 hectares amd produced their first harvest in 2011.

The Babylonstoren Mourvèdre rosé was enjoying its third year of being the official wine of the RHS and we were fortunate enough to have winemaker @klaasstoffberg and cellar master Charl Coetzee on hand all the way from South Africa to talk us through the range. Here’s what we tried:

🥂SPRANKEL 2017 - 100% Chardonnay Cap Classique sparkling wine with a very fine mousse and notes of brioche, green apples and grapefruit
🥂 Chenin Blanc 2022 - ripe fruit palate of pears, quince & apples with a rounded mouthfeel & very long finish
🥂 2022 Viognier - baked apples and quince but with biscuits notes and  fresh acidity to balance the fruit - rounded mouthfeel and tarte tatin finish
🥂 2022 Chardonnay all matured in oak barrels but made in a restrained Burgundian style with buttery, toasty grapefruit and subtle spice flavours & beautifully integrated oak

[Continued in first comment]
[Ad/Press sample] Love beer? Love peaty Islay whis [Ad/Press sample] Love beer? Love peaty Islay whisky? Then you need to get your hands on this delightful collaboration between @innisandgunn (their original beer is billed as a beer for wine drinkers and is one of my all-time favourites) and @laphroaig (makers of one of my favourite super peaty whiskies). 

Innis & Gunn’s limited edition Islay whisky cask beer is a Scottish red beer which is double matured - first in used Laphroaig whisky casks and then in used port casks. The result is a deeply smoky beer with notes of coffee, dark chocolate, malt and rich toffee, all balanced by a clean and almost saline finish, much like Laphroaig whisky itself.  It comes in a limited edition gift box with beautiful artwork by @scottnaismithartist and is available from the Innis & Gunn website for £6,00 for a 330ml bottle while stocks last (it’s also vegan!). 

I paired it with crostini topped with cream cheese and smoked oysters - the salty, smoky, creamy oysters complemented the flavours of the beer very well. I can also imagine it working well with green olives or smoked almonds. A perfect gift for the beer or whisky lover in your life!

What do you think of combining the flavours of beer and peaty whisky? Let me know in the comments 🍺

#innisandgunn #laphroaig #islaywhisky #beerlove #beerloversofinstagram
This week I made a flying visit to the RHS Chelsea This week I made a flying visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in  London’s leafy Chelsea, courtesy of @babylonstoren and @thenewtinsomerset [INVITED] I was fortunate to have an early morning tour of the beautiful show gardens and by far the most inspiring was the Best in Show winner, Horatio’s Garden, designed by Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg. Horatio’s Garden is an initiative to provide spinal injury patients in NHS hospitals with an accessible garden and private respite rooms within the garden. There are 8 across the UK and the design we saw at the show will be rolled out in Sheffield once the remaining funds needed are raised. Have you visited the Chelsea Flower Show? Let me know in the comments 🌺🌷🪷🪻🌼🌸 #rhschelseaflowershow2023 #rhschelsea #horatiosgarden #horatiosgardenchelsea
Today is the official coronation of King Charles I Today is the official coronation of King Charles III and London is literally awash with red, white and blue flags, bunting and souvenirs. I don’t have bunting… but in celebration I can offer you this plate of red, white and blue deliciousness that is sticky toffee pudding with berries! I had this last weekend at the @bristolbarbrighton - the pudding alone makes the trip from London worthwhile 😍👑🇬🇧 Long live sticky toffee pudding!!
Happy Easter to everyone celebrating! My Easter ch Happy Easter to everyone celebrating! My Easter chocolates are from Ukrainian chocolate producer @roshen_ukraine - gorgeous hazelnut praline-filled dark chocolates, and how beautiful is the packaging? #easter2023 #easterchocolate #easterchocolates #roshen #ukrainiantraditions #roshenchocolate
Great exhibition on at the V&A Museum in London ri Great exhibition on at the V&A Museum in London right now for anybody interested in textiles, fashion or Africa. Such fascinating info about the cultural significance of various traditional African cloths (kente, kuba, bògòlanfini and many more) and a great display of modern African designers from around the continent. It’s on till 16 April so catch it if you can! #africafashion #thingstodoinlondon #londonexhibitions #londontourist #londonbylondoners #kentecloth #kubacloth #bogolanfini #chrisseydou #ladumangxokolo
The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a 7 metre diameter scale model of the moon suspended in the Painted Hall at the  @oldroyalnavalcollege in Greenwich this week, by @lukejerramartist. A surreal and fabulous sight!
Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2023 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2023 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT