Cloudberry pannacotta (L;G)

White chocolate and raspberry cheesecake with a berry coulis and caramelised lime (L)

Individual apple and rhubarb crumble with a homemade vanilla ice cream (L)

Eton Mess of meringue, vanilla cream, fresh berries and a berry coulis (L;G)

Peach and almond galette with vanilla cream (L)

Date sticky toffee pudding with a toffee sauce (L)

Honey and ginger crème brulee (L;G)

Chocolate and chilli mousse (L;G)

Pancakes with chocolate, caramelised banana, toasted nuts and coconut. Drizzled with a maple syrup (L)

JJ’s special – let me surprise you with an exotic dish from around the world. Just let me know about any restrictions you may have

Kangaroo/ostrich/red deer loin with a blueberry and red wine jus. Served on seasonal vegetables and creamy polenta (L;G)

Fillet of salmon marinated in pomegranate molasses. Served on a minted couscous with peas, broccoli and red onion (L)

Lemon and chili lamb fillet on a broad bean, garlic, mint, fennel and anchovy pesto (L;G)

Black pepper, tarragon and paprika crusted fillet of beef with potato dauphinoise, seasonal vegetables and  a red wine-chili-chocolate jus (L;G)

Crispy pork belly in an orange glaze with pak choi and a celeriac-pear mash (L;G)

Shallot and goat’s cheese tarte tatin (L)

General Tso’s chicken served with spring onion, sesame seeds and steamed basmati rice (M;G)

Pan fried linefish with caramelised grapefruit and crispy capers (L;G)

Zucchini spaghetti topped with roast tomato, mozzarella, seasonal mushrooms and thyme (L;G)

JJ’s special – let me surprise you with an exotic dish from around the world. Just let me know about any restrictions you may have

Gravlax salmon set on poached broccoli with a wasabi and ginger crème brulee (L;G)

Chicken koftas with hummus, red onion, cucumber and tomato (L;(G))

Ruby grapefruit, tiger prawn, avocado and tamarind salad (M;G)

Beetroot and smoked chorizo risotto topped with a panfried scallop (L;G)

Ricotta, parmesan and mozzarella stuffed portobello mushroom. Wrapped with bacon or zucchini on a bed of rucola (G)

Panfried cod in a vichysoisse with crispy kale (L;G)

Roast cauliflower steak with roast red pepper and an olive-caper salsa (M;G)

Chicken sate skewers with a spicy peanut sauce (M;G)

Eggplant, haloumi and tomato vegetable tower flavoured with homemade harissa. Topped with a sundried tomato pesto (L;G)

JJ’s special – let me surprise you with an exotic dish from around the world. Just let me know about any restrictions you may have

Spicy carrot and lentil soup (L;G)

Creamy cauliflower soup topped with crumbled blue cheese and toasted pinenuts (L;G)

Celeriac soup with a hazelnut crumble (L;G)

Courgette, potato and cheddar cheese soup (L;G)

Curried butternut soup with crispy bac0n, croutons and toasted pumpkin seeds (L;G)

Spinach and crème fraiche soup (L;G)

Seasonal vegetable soup with a fresh basil pesto, cocktail tomatoes and mozzarella (L;G)

Asian vegetable broth filled with a julienne of vegetables and pulled chicken (M;G)

French onion soup with Gruyere croutons  

JJ’s special – let me surprise you with an exotic dish from around the world. Just let me know about any restrictions you may have

Potato, goat’s cheese and spring onion cakes topped with curried chickpeas and spinach (L)

Asparagus wrapped in crispy prosciutto with a pesto mayonnaise and caramelised nuts (M;G)

Curried beef or vegetable samosas served with a mango chutney (M)

Crispy fried BBQ zucchini fritters set on mixed lettuce with a garlic aioli (M)

Homemade tortilla chips served with guacamole, mango salsa and sour cream (L)

Bruschetta topped with creamy shrimp and a fennel-lemon salad (L)

Avocado mousse topped with crispy fried chorico and marinated peppers (L;G)

Dutch beef croquettes with a spicy mustard dip (L) Tuna and cucumber rice paper rolls with a spicy peanut dipping sauce (M;G)

JJ’s special – let me surprise you with an exotic dish from around the world. Just let me know about any restrictions you may have

We are certainly living in interesting times right now. Life for everybody is changing and the way we do things will also change for the future, especially if the current crisis continues for a few months. The new and different way of doing things will become normal and part of the routine. Let’s see what the future will look like.

For me as a caterer there have also been radical changes:

Three weeks ago I suddenly found myself in the situation where all the functions I had booked until the end of April were cancelled/postponed. A very quick decision had to be taken to ensure the business would be able to continue and I could continue earning a living. Within a day my business went from a caterer for dinners at home and corporate events to a delivery business for affordable lunches.

Luckily, being in the food business, hygiene is second nature. Clean utensils, clean hands etc are already part of what is done to ensure customers get a good product. This has now however also extended to the delivery service. As the picture shows, 1 day of doing deliveries means half a box of disposable gloves gets used up. It is also interesting to deliver food at an arms length or to put it down somewhere, ring the doorbell and step away.

These days I find myself not touching anything that I don’t need to. Doorbells are rung with my car keys, I don’t accept cash payments because you never know where the cash has been. My credit card machine is out of use so nobody needs to press buttons. I get a lot of excersize as well as, with the 60 or so deliveries I do per day, I only use the elevator once. When you live on the 6th floor I may be slightly out of breathe when I get there 🙂

We will see how long we will be under the present circumstances. I am enjoying the challenges faced with my new format of doing business but I also look forward to the day when I can offer delicious, served meals in your home again.

Keep safe everyone

During my 30 years of working in the catering business I have had the opportunity to meet a number of people who have found fame through the media. It has been an interesting experience to see if the way people are portrayed by the media is indeed the way they are in real life.

I can honestly say that a lot of what we may see on the tv/movie screens is not what really goes on in these people’s lives. This is especially true for the older generation of celebrities. It is very often the newcomers who feel the need to impress people around them while those that have been around much longer don’t really need to impress anyone and they do their utmost for their fans.

It was always far more fun to sit backstage drinking champagne with UB40 than it was to run around all over Johannesburg because yet another diva wants something very specific at the last minute.

Very often those we think are “important” are the most down to earth people around. I’ve been able to have relaxed chats with the King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands, Nelson Mandela and Richard Branson while others hide behind their image and do not care to mingle with the common folk.

Over the years I have definitely learnt that all is not as it seems when it comes to celebrities and it is good not to believe too much of what we see in the media.

PS: John Cena is as nice as he seems

In my line of work it is always interesting to see what new and interesting situations I am faced with when I arrive at the clients location. Over the years I think I have seen pretty much every type of set-up imaginable and still been asked to provide meals.

When I started out in catering it was easy as I was working for others and usually under supervision so I just went with whatever I was told to do. Later on I started working in the film industry in Cape Town and that’s where it started getting interesting.

My first few jobs were easy enough. The commercials were being shot in studios and it was just a question of me getting there and setting up the food. That soon changed when I got sent out to location shoots. Weather is of course always a factor, but when you get winds blowing like they sometimes do in Cape Town, it can be a challenge just keeping the food on the table, never mind having all of nature blowing over the buffet. When the location manager informs you the 60 crew members would like lunch on the beach, you really start to reconsider career moves. 120 steps down and an hour later back up again is never fun.

There are of course always some spectacular locations that have their own challenges but the surroundings you find yourself in more than make up for the hardship. The picture attached to this blog was one such event where we spent a month in the Namibian desert for a Hayward’s Grand Safaris product launch, sleeping and working in tents. Even during a sandstorm work would continue. But the views and experience were unbelievable and still count as some of the best catering days in 30 years.

Now that I am in Finland, the challenges are different but they are still out there. From cooking a 4-course dinner on a sailboat while there is a bit of a storm blowing to providing 10-course tasting menus in an art gallery with no kitchen.

This has now become part of the job that I really enjoy. Accepting challenges from my customers and making the impossible a great experience after all. So far I have met any challenge so let see what the future will throw at me