Sam Linsell’s fast, fresh cooking would be right at home here in Australia, as would her rustic-chic food styling and photography, which almost looks lifted from a Marie Claire cookbook. But alas, we can’t claim her as our own; the food stylist-cum-blogger hails from South Africa’s diamond city by the sea, Cape Town, where the warm weather, great produce and good times clearly inform her popular blog Drizzle & Dip’s light, bright culinary approach. We’re talking generous leafy salads, barbecued fish, fruit-forward desserts and herbaceous cocktails – delicious food that can be thrown together in 20 minutes or less with flavour galore and minimal fuss. While Linsell’s creations are not purely South African, it’s interesting to see the gustatory likeness our modern fare shares with our neighbours’ across the Indian Ocean. As the seasons turn to spring both here and there, the author of two cookbooks, Drizzle & Dip and Sweet, kicks off spring with a vibrant menu: a refreshing cucumber gin and grapefruit spritzer, followed by a big, green kale Caesar salad and lemony zucchini carbonara. And ’cause it’s party season, she caps her feast off with boozy pina colada popsicles. The spread is light, easy and gorgeous, which is what Drizzle and Dip (who you can follow on social at @DrizzleandDip) is all about.
The arrival of new fresh produce signals spring and summer eating, and a time to dive into every kind of fresh crunchy salad and zesty dressing. It’s all about luscious, juicy food, fresh flavours and lighter eating. It’s the time we start firing up our barbecue to grill meat and fish, and embrace entertaining outdoors again. We want meals that are easy to put together and designed for sharing.
I started my blog… As a way to share my love of cooking.
The must-cook recipe on my website is… It’s impossible to pick one, but for something sweet and different, my spicy caramel popcorn. It also appears in my latest cookbook, Sweet, published by Penguin Random House.
My current food obsession is… Ceviche and various South American flavours.
Nugget of cooking wisdom… Make use of kitchen timers if you are doing more than one thing at a time and try to get all your prep done before you start cooking. That way, the process is much more enjoyable as you won’t need to frantically chop things when you should be putting them in the pan.
I learnt to cook from… My mum and then later on at Hotel School, where I received my formal culinary training. In the past seven years, and through the development of my blog, my development as a cook has been mainly through masses of practice and stepping outside of my comfort zone.
South African food is… An eclectic mix of many cultures as our culinary heritage is very diverse.
The one thing I can’t cook is… Offal.
If I ever met… Heston Blumenthal, I would ask him as many questions as the time would allow.
I always have… Anchovies, capers, Dijon mustard, preserved lemons and really good-quality red and white wine vinegars in my pantry; miso paste, lemons, fish sauce, butter and ginger in my fridge; and butter puff pastry, homemade stock and breadcrumbs in my freezer.
My favourite biscuit to dunk in a cup of tea is… A buttermilk rusk.
My most sauce-splattered cookbook is… Over the past few years I have been focussed on developing my own recipes, but I have a huge collection of cookbooks that I regularly refer to for inspiration. I love all the Ottolenghi books and recently have been cooking a lot out of Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts). I also have two older South African baking books that are a constant source of inspiration to me.
The most difficult food to shoot/style and make look tasty is… A stew. –
Source: Sam Linsell
Source: Sam Linsell
Source: Sam Linsell
Source: Sam Linsell
Blog Appétit is our curated list of go-to food blogs we love, with a focus on high-quality photography, trusted recipes, strong editorial themes and a unique voice and personality. View previous Blog Appétit entries.
