There are few things that can compare to the congeniality of sitting around a fire on a balmy evening with music in the background and a glass of good wine on the side.  A very important component of a good braai is the right company – even if that then means only the 2 of you.

Having no idea how to light a fire I will never be able to braai on my own. My husband, Galvin, is the braai master. He can marinade a fillet following Nigella’s instructions and then braai it to perfection under the stars. Add a mixed green salad and a generous glass of good red – preferably a Rhone blend of Syrah, Mourvèdre and Viognier or Grenach – and the recipe for a perfect evening is complete. Why the emphasis on “good” wine? So often the ingredients for a memorable time are all there BUT then the wine fails to impress.  In Hermanus we have no excuse for serving bad wines with wineries from Elgin, Bot River, Stanford through to Elim to choose from.

Braaiing has its own communication. We braai to welcome people to our neigbourhood, we braai to say farewell, to celebrate and to mourn.  Pick a message and say it with a braai.

Nigella’s recipe for fillet marinade: olive oil, dash or 2 of sesame seed oil, soy sauce, black pepper, spring onion. Mix and cover fillet. Cut garlic cloves into slices and press into fatty parts of fillet. Turn fillet every now and again.
My rhone blend recommendations: Newton Johnson‘s Full Stop Rock, Creation’s Syrah, Mourvedre Grenache, La Vierge‘s Nymphomane and Hermanuspietersfontein’s Martha.