Flowers have a long association with food and drinks. We asked two experts in their fields to weigh in on edible blossoms, food and wine.

COOK WITH THEM

Abigail Donnelly, editor of Eat Out and food editor of Woolworths Taste magazine, gives four tips for using flowers in dishes.

1. Sprinkle lavender flowers over burnt lemon butter and stir into pasta. To make burnt lemon butter, heat butter in a saucepan until melted and browned, then add lemon juice.

2. Use marigold petals as a garnish for risotto.

3. Garnish a green salad with pretty impatiens flowers.

4. Melt dark chocolate, spread it onto parchment paper lining a baking sheet, and sprinkle violets, orange zest and chopped pistachios on top. Place in the fridge to set. Break chocolate into shards and serve with strong coffee.

PAIR THEM WITH WINE

Carolyn Martin, co-owner of Creation Wines in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, shares some tips for pairing flowers with Creation wines.

1. Rose petals and rose water with Creation Pinot Noir. The wine has a rose scent, and is as delicate and velvety as a rose petal.

2. Elderflower with Creation Sauvignon Blanc. A fragrant pairing with matching notes of granadilla and grapefruit.

5. Nasturtium blossoms with Creation Sauvignon Blanc Sémillon. It’s a perfect pairing thanks to the acidity and freshness.

6. Snapdragons with Creation Viognier. The nectar has a hint of sweetness that works well with the fruity notes, as well as a hint of nuttiness that matches the flavours in the wine.

7. English daisy petals with Creation Pinot Noir. The daisy brings out the aromas and flavours of rose and raspberry.

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This week the team is drawing inspiration from a visual feast of gorgeous photography, cool modular candleholders, clever street art and even some good old quirky furniture design. Here are the top VISI picks of the week series – week 57.

1. erneststudio.com.au
2. gq.co.za
3. tastemag.co.za
4. toiletpapermagazine.org
5. oprisco.com 
6. streetartutopia.com
7. snapplify.com, pressreader.com, mysubs.co.za

Browse more like VISI picks fo the week series – week 57 on picks of the week 247.

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The winner of this year’s Boschendal Style Award at the illustrious annual Eat Out Awards is the Pot Luck Club. It’s no secret that VISI loves good food and beautiful interiors, so to find them together in one place is pure bliss!

Relocated and redesigned earlier this year, the contemporary Asian fusion and tapas restaurant by award-winning chef Luke Dale-Roberts sits atop the silo of the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock. With its wraparound windows and glass elevator, the bird’s-eye view of Cape Town is a sight in itself. The distant mountain, moody skies and gritty harbor are complimented perfectly by the industrial chic approach of architect Greg Scot and designer Nina Sierra.

For the decor, Luke’s wife Sandalene crafted a space where food is shared. Wood and stone flooring are an elegant extension of the glass and steel girders of the structure, while a variety of seating options turn the hard edges into comfort. Booth-style couches are lit with old-fashioned lampshades; bar seating put patrons on the same level as the open-plan kitchen; a mix of wood and metal tables allow for intimate dinner parties of all sizes.

Sculpture Egon Tanya and painter Peter Eastman were commissioned to creates bespoke work that add colour and texture. A manhole cover based on the restaurant’s pig logo was manufactured by Bronze Age and installed in the reception area to welcome patrons.

Luke’s contemporary fine dining venture at the base of the silos, The Test Kitchen, was also lauded at the Eat Out Awards – it was crowned Best Restaurant of the year (see all the winners on the Eat Out website here). Congrats Luke and Sandalene, we can’t wait for you to seat us again!

www.thepotluckclub.co.za

The winner of last year’s Boschendal Style Award was Babylonstoren. Read more here.

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“This year we have definitely seen a bit of a shake up,” says Eat Out editor and chief judge Abigail Donnelly. “There are some new additions to the list, as well as the consistently great restaurants that continue to push the boundaries through innovation.” 

Some 20 nominees include establishments such as Bread & Wine, Five Hundred, The Tasting Room and the Test Kitchen (view the full list here). Some of the awards will be Restaurant of the Year, the Eat Out San Pellegrino Chef of the Year, Service Excellence and the indispensable Top 10 Restaurants list.

VISI will be watching the Boschendal Style Award particularly closely – last year won by the Babylonstoren Green House, which is again nominated this year. Other finalists we’ve got our money on are Stretta Café and Hemelhuijs (view the full list here).

Apart from fabulous gourmet food and rubbing shoulders with the culinary who’s-who, the anonymous judges who worked alongside Abigail will also be revealed at the event. “We are confident in our new approach to the judging process and the subsequent audit of the results,” explains Aileen Lamb, general manager of Eat Out. “In the interest of transparency, which has been our focus from the outset, we will make the scores available to all the nominees.”

Tickets to attend the awards are priced at R1450 per person and seats are limited, so best to reserve soonest to avoid disappointment. Contact Julie Potgieter at Julie@newmediaevents.co.za or 021 417 1257.

Visit www.eatout.co.za for more info.

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Click here to download the 3.6MB pdf.

Fill your belly with our winter warmers and your mind with the new VISI 67. Look out for the print version at selected retail outlet or buy the digital version right now.

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The hottest read the chill has blown your way, expect 6 celebrated authors going wild, 80 pages of divine out-of-town hideaways, 30 reasons to chill out and nest, and over 30 prizes to be won, including a R9 000 weekend at Babylonstoren.

Get into the mood with wild personal reflections from notorious social observer Lin Sampson, Zen hermit poet Robert Berold, jazz loving novelist Nthikeng Mohlele, sesame-oil-obsessed memoirist Ufriedo Ho, grow-it-yourself restaurateur Mariana Esterhuizen and techie rockabilly journo Kevin O’Grady.

Then let your eyes do the walking from the Mpumalanga bushveld, all the way down to the Cape winelands, not missing the Free State farmlands along the way. Cottages, barns, mansions and homesteads, from traditional and rustic to modern and minimalist, there’s something for everyone to lust after and easy ways for each of us to bring a country-touch home. Especially with the 30 reasons showing exactly how to shop the look.

Go fifty shades of trendy with Li Edelkoort’s newest book Fetishism In Fashion – not yet available in SA, we’ve got 5 copies to give away! There are also 21 watches, 5 boxed Imaginary Fact catalogues, 3 copies of Paul Duncan’s Hidden Cape Town, a Master Class fondue set, a pair of Normann Copenhagen wobbles and more to be won. Oh and, not to forget, a 20% discount voucher for any Entrepo store in every single magazine.

Complete the readers survey in the magazine and you could win one of 21 stylish watches, including a R21k Raymond Weil must-have and 20 Obaku ones (10 for ladies + 10 for men). Entry is only possible with the magazine in hand.

It’s a deal at R49.95, but why buy one copy when you can subscribe to a year’s worth for R210? By subscribing before 11 September, be entered into a lucky draw to win a two-night stay for two (including breakfast and three guided farm tours) at the oh-so-heavenly Babylonstoren!

So, get it now. The 67th edition of South Africa’s longest-running celebration of homegrown design, decor and architecture. With its distinctive uncoated paper stock and the seductive musty smell of a book, VISI is the mag of choice for Mzansi’s printophiles.

Get VISI 67 in retail outlets from 15 July 2013 or get the digital edition online now.

As if that’s not enough, there’s also a free downloadable winter recipe book to accompany the edition with contributors including Jacques Erasmus from Hemelhuijs, Abigail Donnelly from Taste magazine and the Living Life Station Café.

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On Friday evening, from 5pm to 9pm is a special night market dedicated to the finalists in the Eat Out DStv Food Network Produce Awards. The winners of the awards will also be announced at 6pm. Picnic baskets curated by the likes of food personalities Abigail Donnelly and Jenny Morris will also be available for purchase, sponsored by Knorr Whatsfordinner. The picnic items will all be from the market and market-goers will be able to buy a picnic hamper and shopping list, guiding them to buy ingredients for the picnic recipes. Whatsfordinner’s chefs will be preparing tasters from three of these picnics at the Whatsfordinner pop-up kitchen.

On Saturday from 9am to 2pm, the winners from the previous night’s Eat Out DStv Food Network Produce Awards winners will be the main focus of the Neighbourgoods Market. Later that evening, five top South African chefs will serve a interactive market-to-table dinner, sponsored by Woolworths. The dishes will be based on ingredients from the awards’ finalists and guests will take part in the preparation under the guidance of the chefs.  Limited tickets are available for the dinner, which cost R400 per person for three courses and wine; or R700 for a double ticket. Tickets can be booked at hv@hannerievisser.com.

Yummy yummy, we’ll be dieting all week in preparation!

RSVP on Facebook or for more information, visit the website: www.eatout.co.za/Producer-Awards 

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