Food

Food tastes better when you eat it with friends and family!

Top Ice Cream Shops in Cape Town

Summer in Cape Town is a glorious thing: stunning beach weather, beautiful sunsets, dinning outside and the most important summer essential – Ice Cream! Ice Cream is one of those things that you can enjoy come rain or shine but it tastes particularly good on a hot summers day!

We all need a bit of indulgence in our lives! So I thought I would share my Top Ice Cream Shops in Cape Town, including a few recommendations from my readers.

The Creamery

I had the pleasure of sampling their delicious ice cream, for the first time, at the Constantia Food & Wine Festival last year and all I can say is yum! My all-time favourite was the Lime Curd flavour! Their ice cream is handmade; most of the ingredients are sourced locally and organic. I actually got to meet Kate the lady behind the Ice Cream and was treated to my own private tasting.

Although The Creamery is in essence not a retail shop, you can pop into their kitchen to pick up a pint (cash only) from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday, or even better you can order on the webshop if you have a specific flavour you would like them to keep aside for you. You can collect your order from; either their kitchen in Mowbray, or any one of the markets and pop up shops they stock.

Unit 22A | corner of Weymouth and Wyecroft Road | Mowbray | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 447 7690

Häagen-Dazs

Häagen-Dazs is a family favourite! Whenever we visit the V&A Waterfront we pop in to their shop, the girls love the Raspberry Sorbet and I am quite particular to their Vanilla Caramel Brownie. Their ice cream has an incredibly rich flavour, smooth texture and creamy taste, because it contains less air, Häagen-Dazs is denser and richer than other luxury ice creams, creating its signature slow-melting creaminess.

Shop no. 129 | Lower Level | Victoria Wharf | +27 (0)21 421 0744

Sinnful Ice Cream Emporium

We usually frequent the shop in Muizenberg but they also have an outlet in Camps Bay. Sinnful is a Cape Town favourite and very popular with my readers. They give new meaning to the term gourmet ice cream with their interesting blend of flavours like Heavenly Hash, a blend of marshmallow, chocolate chips, fudge and vanilla ice cream or Koeksusters and Amarula!

Shop 5 | The Promenade Centre | Victoria Road | Camps Bay | +27 (0)21 438 3541

Gelato Mania

Gelato Mania, situated in Green Point Cape Town, is a unique gelateria, which specializes in Artisan gelato (traditional home-made Italian style ice cream).Using an age-old traditional recipe, Gelato Mania offers taste sensations, which are refreshing bursts of exceptional flavours, leaving you craving more!

Every scoop of Gelato Mania is a unique blend of quality, flavour and an unforgettable experience, bringing to life their promise of “memories you can taste.”

65 Main Road | Green Point | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 439 2074

Ice Café

This was another reader recommendation and her favourite flavour is Blueberry and Fudge, two separate flavours that are combined and it must be in a served in a sugar cone!!

Situated in Kalk Bay, you can buy your ice cream and enjoy it while taking leisurely stroll, taking in the sights. Other delicious flavours you can try include blueberry and cream, rum and raisin or ginger and cinnamon.

Main Road | Kalk Bay | +27 (0)21 788 4816

The Venezia Ice Cream Parlour

A quaint little Italian spot where you can indulge in gloriously creamy gelato. With an array of gorgeous flavours this ice cream parlour never fails to impress.
92 Main Road | Sea Point | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 930 2952

Lecca il Gelato

Lecca il Gelato, situated in the picaresque town of Stellenbosch, was the first real Italian ice cream parlour in South Africa and opened its doors in February 2006. It is owned and managed by an enthusiastic team of Italians, who are committed to creating an authentic top quality ice cream. They only use fresh, individually selected ingredients from across the globe and do not add any preservatives, additives, vegetable fats or artificial colouring to our ice cream.

Their flavours include exotic taste experiences such as Champagne ice cream, Portofino (chocolate and whiskey) and they even have Soya gelato for those that are dairy intolerant.

15 Church Street | Stellenbosch | Cape Town | +27 (0)21 886 4694/5

Marcel’s

Marcel’s is the home of delectable frozen yogurt, which is great, if like me you like to watch your calorie intake! It was established in 1989 and now has 12 outlets. A family favourite in our house is the English Toffee or you can try exciting new flavours like Lemony Cheesecake and Rich Espresso.

Lower level| Victoria and Alfred Waterfront| Cape Town | +27 (0)21425 2633

Wakaberry

Wakaberry is the new kid on the block and is very quickly becoming uber popular! Wakaberry is the first South African frozen yoghurt brand to offer a unique self-serve concept that allows each customer to be the boss of their own creation.

The froyo flavours vary from store to store, but customers can expect a wide variety including classics like Strawberry, Vanilla, Mixed Berry and English Toffee and quirkier taste sensations like Green tea, Pomegranate, Kiwi and Watermelon. Toppings wise, for the fit and healthy we offer fresh fruit, nuts, and cereals, and for the downright wicked there are deliciously decadent desserts such as sweets, chocolates and sauces.

To find a store near you click over to their Store Locater or call the Head Office +27 (0)31 572 4971

Please a comment below if you think I have left any out or tell me what your favourite flavour combos are!

Design & Decor, Food, Kitchen Inspiration, Lifestyle, Trends

Kitchen Inspiration

A few weeks back I asked readers, via Facebook and Twitter, which room in their home they would like to renovate first. The consensus was that the top priority to receive a little makeover magic would be their kitchens! I could not agree with this more. Finding Kitchen inspiration has been at the top of my to-do-list for a while now. [Read more…]

Be Inspired, Blogging, Cape Town Lifestyle, Food, Lifestyle, Recipes

a beautiful life

Hi everyone I thought I would give you a bit of a heads up on a website that I am in the process of developing! At the beginning of 2013 I realised that I had come to a bit of a cross roads, in my life and blogging career. Although fulfilling to a point, I found that some of the blogging I was doing was not meeting my need to be creative and express myself. This called for a bit of introspection and re-assessing my long-term goals going forward.

After some very hard thinking and soul-searching I realised that I needed to go in a more creative direction. Those who know me well, know that I have a passionate love of food and this is generally how I express myself, creatively, on a day-to-day basis. Another passion, vague obsession actually, that I have developed is photography – so what better way to express myself than through food-photography.

At the beginning of last year I had a vision of starting an on-line style magazine. At this early point of development, I was uncertain what direction this website would follow but I started it anyway. Well a year later I have found out exactly what it was destined to be, I think the concept was there all along, I simply needed time to realise it!

Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to “a beautiful life”! Yes, you guessed it, at the heart of this website is my love of Food and Photography with a bit of travel thrown in for good measure. If you already follow my recipes this will be their new home, I will not remove anything from Super Mom Lifestyle(SML) but I will be publishing all of my new recipes, food-related reviews etc on “a beautiful life”.

I will in no way be closing down SML, “a beautiful life” will simply be a new addition to the family!

I would love you to pop over and have a look at a “beautiful life”, check it out and see what you think. I would love your feedback, it is still very much a work in progress and I am learning new things each day, which is the most wonderful part of this journey.

You will not find any poncey over the top recipes on the site, I am aiming to share my love of food with you – fresh ingredients, simple easy to follow recipes, delicious food – cooked from the heart – MY JOURNEY WITH FOOD!

I would also like to develop a readers area on the website, where readers can share any recipes that they love but I will let you know when that is launched. To keep up to date with new recipes, news and foodie events please pop over and follow “a beautiful life” on Facebook and Twitter 🙂

FAR Photography, Food, Healthy Eating, Recipes

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Knowing how to make Homemade Tomato Sauce, is a great basic recipe to have in your cooking repertoire! You can use it as a base for so many delicious recipes. It is also something you can make in advance and either store in the fridge or freezer until you need it. You can blend the Tomato Sauce after cooking and use it as an alternative to store-bought tomato sauce.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

This recipe for my Fresh Homemade Tomato Sauce will make quite a large quantity, which is perfect to store for later use. You can use it on homemade pizza or when preparing a quick easy weekday pasta dish. I have used chilli’s in this recipe but if you would like to make it suitable for small children, simply leave them out.

Ingredients for the Fresh Tomato Sauce

1 tin large plumb tomatoes in their juice (or 2 smaller tins)
15ml tomato paste
2 -3 garlic cloves(crushed or finely chopped)
1 Tbsp. fresh or dried oregano (If fresh then chop finely)
1 Tbsp. fresh or dried basil (If fresh then chop finely)
2 tsp. chilli paste or 2 small chilli’s (chopped finely)
1 tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
A splash of balsamic vinegar

In a large saucepan heat a tablespoon of olive oil and then add your garlic, chilli and herbs; sauté over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Then add the tin of whole tomatoes to the pan and cook on a gentle heat for 10 minutes. You can begin to break up the tomatoes now, then add the sugar, tomato paste, salt & pepper, balsamic vinegar and stir to combine. Continue simmering for a further 20-30 minutes to soften the tomatoes and reduce the liquid. Once you are happy with the consistency remove from the heat and set aside.

Once the tomato sauce has cooled you can pour it into either glasses bottles or jars for storing in the fridge or into freezer proof containers and place in the freezer. This sauce will store for up to 2 weeks in the fridge and 2-3 months in the freezer.

For more food inspiration and delicious ideas visit our Recipes Page and follow Inspired Living on Instagram.

Food, Healthy Eating, Kids Food, Recipes

Vanilla and Berry Smoothie

I recently published an article on Superfoods, featuring some of the amazingly wholesome foods that should feature in your daily or weekly food intake. With this in mind I thought I would share a few nutritious recipes that are perfect to add to your everyday recipe file.

Todays recipe is for a delicious Vanilla and Berry Smoothie. Smoothies are great for grown ups and kids too, especially if you have fussy eaters. You can cram a huge amount of nutrition into something which is fun to make and yummy to drink, you can even sneak a bit of vitamin C powder in, to help boost your families immune system!

This smoothie recipe, which I am sharing with you, is a firm favourite in our home and was recently featured on Pasella, as part of a healthy lunch box recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Sliced Strawberries

1 Cup of Blue Berries

1 Cup of Raspberries

1 Banana

1 Cup of Pineapple (optional)

1 Cup Low Fat Vanilla Yoghurt (you can add more depending on how thick you want it to be)

Fruit Juice (Apple or grape)

1 Cup of Ice

*Vitamin C powder

Crush the ice in the blender, add the berries, pineapple and banana and blend. Once the mixture is smooth add the yoghurt and a splash of fruit juice if necessary. *You can add Vitamin C powder to the smoothie for an extra immune system boost. Once you have blended everything together either pour into a glass and enjoy immediately or if you are packing it in as part of your lunch, pour into a mini flask to keep it cool. Shake gently before drinking.

Vanilla and Berry Smoothie

Recipe Type: Drinks

Cuisine: African

Author: Fiona Rossiter

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 3-4

Smoothies are great for grown ups and kids too, especially if you have fussy eaters. You can cram a huge amount of nutrition into something which is fun to make and yummy to drink, you can even sneak a bit of vitamin C powder in to boast your families immune system!

Ingredients

2 Cups of Sliced Strawberries
1 Cup of Blue Berries
1 Cup of Raspberries
1 Banana
1 Cup of Pineapple (optional)
1 Cup Low Fat Vanilla Yoghurt (you can add more depending on how thick you want it to be)
Fruit Juice (Apple or grape)
1 Cup of Ice
*Vitamin C powder

Instructions

Crush the ice in the blender, add the berries, pineapple and banana and blend. Once the mixture is smooth add the yoghurt and a splash of fruit juice if necessary. *You can add Vitamin C powder to the smoothie for an extra immune system boost. Once you have blended everything together either pour into a glass and enjoy immediately or if you are packing it in as part of your lunch, pour into a mini flask to keep it cool. Shake gently before drinking.