As I’ve said many times before, one of the best things about food blogging is the people you meet – people with a shared passion and a shared frame of reference, who won’t point and stare as you photograph your plate of food rather than your dining companions.  I met Tandy, the driving force behind Lavender and Lime, at last year’s South African Food Blogger Conference.  In fact, her face is one of the ones that caught my eye while I was doing my presentations – always nodding and smiling and looking super-enthusiastic!  And you will find that this enthusiasm and positive attitude carries through to her lovely food blog.  Come and have a look!

1. Where are you – in South Africa or out in the wide world?

I live in Gordons Bay, a fishing village 55km’s outside of Cape Town.

2. How long have you been blogging?

I started blogging in September 2009

3. What do you enjoy the most about food or wine blogging?

The most enjoyable part of food blogging for me, is challenging myself every night to cook something new and interesting. I enjoy having an online food diary, and being able to share it with other people. To inspire them to cook new things, and to see what feedback I get from my recipes.

4. Any downsides or frustrations?

Not one. I love cooking and it is my artistic outlet. Cooking is only a positive in my life, and my blogging has become an extension of that.

5. What or who are your inspirations to cook, drink and write?

My earliest memories are of my Grandmother and food. For the Jewish holydays all the aunts would gather at my Grandmother, and they would cook and bake in preparation for dinner. I loved joining in with them. My inspiration now comes from within myself to achieve something from my passion. I am inspired by my husband, and some great cooks and chefs. As far as drinking goes, I have been at that since 6 months old when my Grandfather put a lot of whisky into my bottle. On a serious note, my other Grandfather had a wine cellar at home and we were allowed a sip of wine with supper while growing up, until we were old enough to have a glass to ourselves.

6. Where and when do you like to blog?

As blogging has to fit in with my regular work, I try to blog weekday mornings before work. I get to work around about 7am and blog until work starts at 8am. I do not blog over the weekends and might sometimes sneak a blog in during the afternoon, if time allows, which is very often. If I blog in the afternoons it is not about food, but about something on my mind.

7. What’s your signature dish or favourite wine?

My signature dish is my award winning Oxtail recipe, which I have recently blogged about. It also features in my first recipe book. My favourite wine of all time is Meerlust Rubicon – I have had the pleasure of sharing a bottle of wine with Hannes Myburgh the owner of Meerlust and his wine’s top my list.

8. What other food or wine blogs do you read?

I read most of the food24 food blogs, and I am starting to read as often as possible the food blogs of people I met at the South African Food Bloggers Conference.

9. Favourite restaurant?   I have several – one is 96 Winery Road as I grew up eating at their Johannesburg restaurant, Gatrilles. I love Taste in Somerset West, and Alex Garden Restaurant in Strand. In London it would have to be Fifteen.

10. For my last meal on this planet I would order…

this is so difficult. I would want a starter of oysters – wild and preferably from Sedgefield. For my main course I would want a duo of tartare, fillet of beef, and good tuna. Dessert would have to be crème brûlée.