South Africans are known for their hospitality. In the days of the early Cape, travellers and writers wrote in letters and journals about the kindness with which they were received and catered for, and today still, although it might be on alternative platforms, South Africans are praised for their exceptional hospitality.

While in the old days, the men surely were just as welcoming and especially enjoyed serving a soetsopie (an Old Cape custom to offer guests some sweet wine with their tea or coffee), it was the lady of the house who constantly had some coffee or bossie tea (honey or rooibos) bubbling on the warmer. For Women’s Month, we would like to celebrate the early hospitality of the ladies of the Cape, caring for guests, visitors and those in need knocking on their door.

Although in those days, coffee and local bossie tea were heavily taxed and expensive, the lady of the house enjoyed using her best porcelain and special silver cutlery in the service of delicate accompaniments such as preserved jam or confiture.