“No brandy butter this year,” my mother announced, the week before Christmas. Having discovered the remains of last year’s still lurking at the back of my grandmother’s dinosaur of a fridge, she declared it lacking in mass appeal and not worth the effort.

I was probably the only one sad about this announcement. I really love brandy butter. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe the sugar. Or the butter. Or the brandy. I had to concede though: after stuffing myself with turkey, ham (served with some of Luke Dale-Roberts’s jelly this year) and liberal helpings of sautéed potatoes, even I had to admit defeat. Our climate is just not cut out for suet pudding or brandy butter.

Surprisingly, it was my kitchen-fearing father who saved the day. Inspired by an afternoon of daytime television (I don’t know why we go to Durban this time of year; it always rains) he concocted Jamie Oliver’s winter bombe for our Christmas dessert. An impressive domed ice cream cake, lined with boozy panettone, crystallised fruit and drizzled with melted chocolate, it made almost more of an impact than the flaming Christmas pud – and turned out to be far more suited to a South African Christmas, particularly with the sun shining on Christmas day in Durban for the first time in recorded history!

At the height of summer, of course, the requirements for a perfect meal out are a bit different. Our editor Abigail assured me before she headed off on leave that she’d be spending as much time as humanly possible on the beach. When one’s feet are covered in sand, crisp and vinegary fish ‘n chips can be the perfect meal.

I found that a simple burger in the garden of the Pickle Pot (my favourite roadside stop on the road from sticky Durban to the Drakensberg) hit the spot. Served with a selection of the establishment’s fine chutneys, pickles and preserves, it was the ideal snack while watching the thunder clouds rise over the green landscape.

In Franschhoek, Eat Out account manager Claire found nirvana on the veranda of new Franschhoek spot, The Kitchen at Maison, overlooking their shady lawns.

In Gauteng, the holiday season is a good opportunity to head out to Roots. It’s a step up from fish ‘n chips fare, but the sundeck overlooking the dam is blissful – provided there are no thunderstorms on the cards, of course!

The holiday might be over for me, but back home in Cape Town, Kloof Street’s Café Paradiso with its shady, leafy garden is calling. And it’s not too long ‘til lunch…

Happy eating!
Katharine