Would you care to share my bredie? - Blog Post visit from Lillian Francis & Competition

Working with elephants in their natural habitat has always been Eric Phillips dream. Getting what he’s always desired introduces him to Tyaan Bouwer, the bush pilot that flies in his supplies, and Eric discovers the allure of South Africa goes beyond the wildlife and the scenery.

But in an area where bushveld prejudices and hatred bleed across the borders, realising their love will be a hard fought battle. Keeping hold of it might just kill them.


Would you care to share my bredie?

According to the research I did on South African cooking Bredie is a slow cooked stew, generally using mutton, flavoured with tomatoes and fragrant spices. It is thought to originate from the Dutch settlers.

Despite Eric being fresh off the plane from London, there is no pining for beans on toast, or fish, chips and mushy peas. He is eager to embrace all of the experiences the bushveld has to offer including the local dishes that his housekeeper prepares for him.

Eric and Tyaan share food on more than one occasion in the story and I had an enjoyable time browsing recipe books and South African blogs for traditional food that they could partake in. Vetkoek, frikkadel, sosatie. The food I discovered was rich and spicy, and heavy on the meat. Not just lamb either. Beef, goat, ostrich, antelope, crocodile.

Eric will happily try them all. Just don’t tell him what animal he’s eating!

In the name of research I recently tried Bunny Chow which is a South African curry served in a hollowed out loaf of bread. Such a hardship! Is there any countries style of cooking that you are itching to try? Or have you been brave enough to try something that could be classed as exotic? As a Brit I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve not eaten either black pudding or haggis.

Excerpt

Someone had wedged a piece of paper under his glasses. Tyaan frowned and fingered the edge of the note. It hadn’t been there when he’d gone out last night, meaning it could only have one possible source; although Tyaan had no idea when the twink had managed to write a message.

Slipping it out from under the gunmetal-grey stem, Tyaan barely glanced at the scrap of paper. Call me and a number. Predictable and unwanted communication. Twink’s name had been Iain, apparently. Tyaan crushed the paper in his palm and tossed the sparse missive into the waste bin by his feet.

Taking the tea bag from his cup, he squeezed out the excess liquid and dropped the wrung-out bag into the bin, where a brown stain oozed over the twink’s number, spreading the ink in a spidery mess.

“You ready?” The voice came before the knock on his door. Tyaan crossed the room in three strides and unlocked the door, and then he returned to the kettle and flicked the switch again. Emptying a sachet of instant coffee into the second cup, he tossed the rubbish and prodded the waste bin into the recess under the desk-cum-side table with his bare foot.

“You’re not ready,” Jessie said with a sigh. “We’re meeting Johan for brunch in less than an hour.”

“I’ll be ready. Coffee?” He pushed the freshly made cup of coffee toward her and waved his hand at the accoutrements that went with it. “Knock yourself out.”

He winced as she added two pots of creamer and three sachets of sugar to her drink, and ripped open a packet of biscuits. “For a doctor, you don’t give a damn what you put in your body.”

“And you don’t give a damn what you put your body in.” Jessie smiled sweetly, crumbs sticking to her lips. “I take it your guest has already gone.”

Iain left last night. And I take it you didn’t get laid.”

“I came on this weekend to keep you company and catch up with some friends from the hospital. I’m impressed you remembered this one’s name.” The false sweetness of her smile faded into something more sincere and slightly melancholy. “Does that mean you’ll see him again when we come back?”

“I’ll grab that shower now.” Tyaan picked up his tea and headed to the bathroom, aware of his best friend’s gaze following him across the room.

Lillian Francis

An avid reader, Lillian Francis was always determined she wanted to write, but a 'proper' job and raising a family distracted her for over a decade. Over the years and thanks to the charms of the Internet, Lillian realized she’d been writing at least one of her characters in the wrong gender. Ever since, she’s been happily letting her ‘boys’ run her writing life.

Lillian now divides her time between family, a job and the numerous men in her head all clamouring for 'their' story to be told.

Lillian lives in an imposing castle on a wind-swept desolate moor or in an elaborate ‘shack’ on the edge of a beach somewhere depending on her mood, with the heroes of her stories either chained up in the dungeon or wandering the shack serving drinks in nothing but skimpy barista aprons.

In reality, she would love to own a camper van and to live by the sea.

You can read more about Lillian here:


6 comments

  1. As a Brit I'm just the same I haven't tried black pudding or haggis. Also I don't like Curries or spicy foods but I have a good excuse I have Crohnes disease.

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  2. I have a very low tolerance for heat spices, even medium hot is too strong lol

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  3. I tend to be wary of trying new foods, but I do give it a try just in case. You never know when you're going to find something that you love!

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  4. I have always wanted to try any kind of Indian cuisine and my family is boring and won't try new things! I always heard they use a lot of curry in their dishes, sounds yummy! I have always tried some off the beaten path food when I had the chance, like, octopus, ostrich, and alligator :) Congrats on the live release today! Thanks for the chance!

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  5. I'm actually quite a picky eater and I won't try anything that comes looking raw or is actually raw...like sushi or if you've ever seen Korean fare.. Sannakji (raw octopus). Mussels and oysters are also a no if they aren't cooked. I just can't do it. I can't even eat steak that's been cooked medium well. I'm willing to give any cooked foods a try though.\

    H.B.

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  6. Shame on you LOL. Even I managed to try Black pudding and I've had Haggis as well /o\ Not that I would repeat either experience but at least I can say I tried both :D

    I will admit to not liking lamb tho, and yes, I've tried it several times, I just cannot get past what it is. Same with veal. We do eat a lot of sushi, the kid LOVES it, just recently tried yellowtail and really liked it.

    We tried Ethiopian food while we were in Germany - we rather liked it quite a bit. Have not found a good African/Ethiopian restaurant here but are hoping for after we move.

    I'm so thrilled for you and this book!!!

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