Lowveld - Dec 2020 / Jan 2021

puts something special on the tree,
something that is significant to them,
and fairy lights are a must, inside
and outside. “Oh yes, and we love
popping crackers! We don’t always
sit down to a full-on home-cooked
Christmas lunch or dinner, we like to
serve all kinds of snacks (warm and
cold) with a variety of wine (white and
red) and champagne. Non-alcoholic
champagne for the children is always
something they look forward to
and enjoy!”
Snacks are always a winner. They love
to make new things for the Christmas
table, normally everyone brings
something that they’ve made and
love to eat and share. “Then, we end
the festivities off with different kinds
of nice, snacky deserts. After a hectic
December 24 at Rooikat, it is always
nice to relax on Christmas Day and
enjoy it with loved ones. I love to see
the kids’ faces during this time, their
eyes light up with joy when they see
the table filled with festive goodies;
how excited they are to celebrate. It
is a tradition that the story of Jesus
Christ’s birth is told. We all gather
together around the tree while one of
the family members reads the story,
and afterwards we sing Christmas
songs. The gifts of time and love are
the basic ingredients of a truly merry
Christmas!”
The festive season and especially
Christmas Day, are significant for three
reasons when it comes to André and
his family. “From a spiritual point of
view, of course, it is of great import,”
he says. Christmas Day and the days
leading up to it are spent together,
remembering the significance of the
holidays. “In such a fast-paced and
commercial world, we need to show
the respect and honour that is due,”
André says. “Then there is the fact that
being in a family business means that
Christmas Day falls under the two
busiest weeks of the year for us, but
this time also gives Dad a chance to
take a breather - even if it is just for
one day,” he laughs.
The third reason is the opportunity
to spend the day with the rest of the
family. “Christmas Eve was always such
a treat for the children as they got to
see Santa Claus (usually the brother
STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRI
Ingredients
• One cup of frozen strawberries
• 4 blocks of ice
• ½ cup of sugar
• ½ cup of lemon juice
• ¼ cup Lemon Twist
• ¾ cup Bacardi rum.
Instructions
Pour into a blender and blend
until smooth. Here is the secret:
serve it in a classy cocktail glass
with a straw and a few fresh
strawberries. Delicious!
MA SAARTJIE’S GINGER
BEER
Ingredients
• 5L warm water (not hot)
• 4 cups of sugar
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1,5 tsp cream of tartar
• 1,5 tsp tartaric acid
• 1,5 to 2x 10g sourdough
• A handful of raisins.
Instructions
Pour the sugar into the
water and once it has
dissolved, add the rest
of the ingredients. Leave
it to stand overnight.
Drain the mixture using
a cheesecloth. Bottle and
enjoy chilled.
whose figure most resembles that of the old man himself ), who, dressed in
the traditional red North Pole clothing, had the task of telling the youngsters
how well behaved they were and handing out gifts. I made sure I ate healthily
throughout the year so as not to be assigned the task. Now that the kids have
grown up, there is much less pressure!”
The family’s Christmas feast is distinctive to the Afrikaner culture, complete with
beer bread, home-made ginger beer and cold beef tongue served with Ouma’s
famous mustard sauce. And in true festive fashion, this is accompanied by lots of
laughter, stories and masses of cheer.
Dec 2020 / Jan 2021 Get It Lowveld 15