SUMMER READING

A book for your coffee table and one for your kitchen – and both make great gifts.

At historic Mauritzfontein, a renowned thoroughbred stud near Kimberley in South Africa, there’s an astonishing nine-hectare garden that emerged against all odds from the hot, red dust of the surrounding Nama Karoo veld about half a century ago. This book is the story of that garden’s evolution – much of it the work of horticulturist and landscape designer Arthur Mennigke, who inherited a garden pioneered by Joane Pim in the 1950s. The native tree species planted half a century ago are reminiscent of what might have been in the Kimberley veld before prospectors searching for diamonds stripped it of nearly everything growing there. Ranged across two koppies, there is a succulent garden teeming with indigenous horticultural specimens, and a woodland garden filled with native tree species. In the grass meadows, endemic plants not seen in the surrounding veld for generations are coming back to life, coaxed by Arthur and a team of gardeners in tune with nature, ecology and this spectacular

location. There are green lawns and scattered copses, eye-catchers and vistas, and a vegetable garden producing abundant supplies of fruit, vegetables and herbs for the kitchen. Mauritzfontein, The Story of a Karoo Garden will appeal to those with an interest in gardens and horticulture as much as it will appeal to those with an interest in the evolution of a green oasis close to where the history of industrialised South Africa began.

A collection of classic recipes from cuisines around the world, beautifully illustrated with over 80 pieces of original art and stunning photography. Each of the seven chapters in the book recreates a place that has had a lasting impact on Natasha Sideris, the founder and creative force behind the popular tashas boutique cafés in South Africa and the UAE: the New York deli, the Spanish tapas bar, the Parisian bistro, the Greek taverna, the Levant kitchen, the English country home and the classic international café. This book is more than just a collection of recipes from around the world. tashas inspired is designed to evoke emotion and memory, and to inspire you to create these sensory adventures and experiences in your own home. •