Capetonians are known for their hospitality and have been since Jan van Riebeeck’s time, as travellers enthused about in journals and letters.
Guests were always welcome, with the coffee or bossie tea (honey or rooibos) bubbling constantly on the warmer.
At La Motte Wine Estate in the Franschhoek Valley with its extensive wine tourism offering and Pierneef à La Motte Restaurant, hospitality is of the essence. And although the estate’s wines are usually at the heart of all thing celebratory, the popularity of its Winelands Tea and beautiful selection of porcelain and accessories from the Farm Shop, honour the tradition of welcoming guests with coffee and tea and something on the side.
In the days of the Old Cape, coffee and local bossie tea were very popular, with imported tea only becoming so later, as it was heavily taxed and initially expensive. Regardless of what was served though, the lady of the house enjoyed using her best porcelain.
Protea coffee jugs (R69), mahogany chopping board with leather handle and protea design (R435), crocheted cake or rusk baskets (R149). All available at La Motte’s Farm Shop.
During the 18th century, fine porcelain became very popular at the Cape and the VOC commissioned porcelain featuring the VOC monogram. Shiploads of porcelain were regularly transported from China to Europe along the Cape sea-route and these porcelain pieces were eagerly intercepted by the Cape burghers. Families who could afford the luxury, ordered their own personal dinner-services embossed with family arms and monograms. Chinese blue-and-white Imperial porcelain as well as the famille-rose design, were extremely popular. In memory of this tradition, modern day fine artist and ceramicist, Ella-Lou O’Meara was commissioned by La Motte to produce a special tea service for the La Motte Winelands tea in the style of the original famille-rose design.
VOC-inspired, hand painted tea cups and saucers by Ella-Lou O’Meara (R690), Mia glass dome (R95), French pewter tea tray (R1570), Blushing bride tea towel (R195). All available at La Motte’s Farm Shop.
Tea and coffee were always served with the necessary accompaniments; preserved jam or confiture, consisting of whole fruit or big pieces that was often served with little silver forks, otherwise raisins or apricots preserved in brandy, called Boerejongens and Boeremeisies.
Enjoying something with a bit of a kick with tea or coffee does not seem to have been frowned upon either. It was also an Old Cape custom to offer guests some sweet wine, called a soetsopie. These soetsopies usually consisted of strong liquor sweetened with sugar and flavoured with cherries, ginger, cinnamon, rose water, cloves, lemon peel, aniseed or even fig leafs. At La Motte the soetsopie of choice with the Winelands Tea is the estate’s aromatic Straw Wine made from Viognier grapes.
Cape cooks took pride in the outstanding quality and variety of their tarts, biscuits, cakes and puddings, offered generously to visitors and friends with tea and coffee. It is impressive how many baked products of excellent quality were prepared in the early days of the Cape when many cooks did not have ovens. Pots and pans with tight-fitting lids were used and coals were placed on top and underneath to provide the heat. This was not the only problem when it came to baking – there was no commercial raising agents available either. Before commercial flavourings became available cooks used lemon and naartjie peel, spices such as ginger, cloves, aniseed, allspice and cinnamon, as well as orange blossom- and rose-water for flavouring.
