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A few weeks ago, I celebrated my birthday by hosting a dinner for some friends. Despite the ongoing construction at our home, I managed to create a magical ambience with a beautifully set table outside adorned with colourful daisies, sunflowers, and numerous candles.

To make the cooking less stressful, I asked my guests to bring a dish. Noa brought her delicate and delicious spinach pie, made with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth crust and a creamy, cheesy filling dotted with spinach. I provided her with a bag of kale, Swiss chard, and spinach, which she steamed and used in her perfected pie recipe.

Anna and Leon contributed a quinoa dish presented in a beautiful wooden bowl. They also brought along a plum crumble and a tapioca pudding decorated with mango slivers in a mandala design. Additionally, I prepared a fresh green garden salad, a simple dal, red lentil hummus, and a wonderfully refreshing ginger beer to quench our thirst and ignite our appetites.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take photos as the flash on my camera wasn’t working. Nonetheless, the evening was a delightful celebration of good food and great company.

GINGER BEER

The original recipe came from Jamie Oliver’s cookbook, “Happy Days with the Naked Chef”.

serves 4 – 6

ingredients 

140g fresh ginger

4 Tbsp light brown sugar

5 lemons

1-litre soda water or sparkling mineral water

sprigs fresh mint

slices lemon

preparation 

  1. Grate the ginger on a coarse cheese grater—you can leave the skin on if you like. Place the ginger with its pulpy juice in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar.
  2. Remove the rind from 2 of your lemons with a vegetable peeler or sharp knife. Then chop the peeled lemons in quarters and add them to the bowl. Slightly bash and squash with something heavy like a rolling pin or pestle. Do this for 10 seconds to mix up all the flavours.
  3. Squeeze the juice from all three lemons and add it to the bowl.
  4. Pour in the fizzy water or soda water and allow to sit for 15 – 30 minutes.  I put it in the freezer so it stays nice and cold.
  5. Taste. If you feel the lemons are slightly too sour, add more sugar; if they are slightly too sweet, add more lemon juice. These amounts are always a bit variable, so just follow your own taste buds.
  6. Pass the ginger beer through a coarse sieve into a large jug, and add lots of ice and fresh mint.

Goodness shared from Stacey