We have Breakfast-time, Lunchtime and Supper-time, but let’s face it.... without Tea-time, we’ll never make it through the day!

Meal times are pretty much governed by the kind of food that one has planned. Tea times are a whole different kettle of fish. That welcome break, be it midmorning, afternoon or evening, can be as varied as the people who partake of this age old ritual.

Thinking back, I stayed with my uncle and aunt for a few days while attending a course for work. They were, perhaps I shouldn’t use the phrase old fashioned, let’s just say they were, traditional. Tea-time had to be exactly at 11:00am and 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Even if it was just the two of them, the best china cups were used. The porcelain tea pot was always dressed for the occasion with a self-crocheted tea cosy. You couldn’t just pour and drink, the tea had to draw for 2 to 3 minutes to increase the flavour. I didn’t mind the wait as it gave me time to savour my aunt’s delicious biscuits she bought at the local bakery.

Some tea-times are a rushed affair. You grab a handful of raisins, throw them into your mouth and down a mouthful of tea. Yuk!! It’s cold. You remember you made it ages ago. No time to make more, you have to rush off and fetch the kids from sport.

Don’t you just hate it when you are having a late night cuppa with a friend, who has a stunning brother/sister. You badly want to impress. Your friend brings out the rusks. Great you’re feeling peckish. You dunk the rusk, while secretly admiring the gorgeous human being across the table. Halfway to your mouth, the rusk disintegrates, flopping back into your tea. It splashes tea all over the table and yourself. You turn blood red from embarrassment and rush to the kitchen to clean up. Chances of charming someone special….. Nil.

Some of the best tea times at work are when one of your colleagues celebrates his or her birthday. When you see them arrive with cake boxes or cooler bags, you know you’re in for a treat.

One of the most depressing tea-times I’ve experienced was when visiting my mom in the old age home. The bell would ring and like clockwork all the doors would open and the residents would come out their rooms and shuffle down the passage leading to the huge enclosed stoep, where the nurses were waiting with the big teapot and cups. It was like something from a zombie movie. The elderly would receive their tea and a biscuit. Some would drink quite normally, others would just stare into space, the cup tilting till the tea began running out. Others would shake so much, the tea splashed into the saucer. Others would complain they hadn’t received their tea yet. The empty cup in their hands and the biscuit crumbs sticking to their mouths. As I said…. very depressing!

Whatever your experiences with tea-times, I hope you will find a recipe that excites you or gives you an idea of something to make. Enjoy!

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ClemenGold rusks

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ClemenGolds
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 200 g butter, melted
• 20 g instant dry yeast (2 sachets)
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 100 g brown sugar
• 1 t salt
• 1 t bicarbonate of soda
• 1½ kg cake flour
• 100 g White chocolate drops

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Boil the ClemenGolds in the water until softened, about 10 minutes, then purée until smooth but with a bit of texture.

2. Combine the buttermilk, ClemenGold purée, butter and yeast in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) and stir. Allow to stand until the yeast starts to dissolve and bubble slightly. Add the sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda and mix well.

3. Add two-thirds of the flour and stir until combined. If you’re using an electric mixer, use the dough hook.

4. Add more flour while mixing and kneading until the mixture comes together to form a workable dough. If the dough feels right, don’t add more flour. Add the white chocolate drops and combine well.

5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, loosely place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the dough and cover it with a damp cloth. Allow to prove for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

6. Once the dough has risen, shape it into even portions. Roll into balls and pack tightly in a single layer in a greased baking tray or loaf tin, almost like tiny rolls or mosbollletjies. Cover with a damp cloth and prove once again until doubled in size. This will take about 45 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Allow to cool just enough to work with. Once cooled, gently separate the rusks and place on a baking tray. Reduce the oven’s temperature to 90ºC. Slowly dry your rusks out in the oven overnight or for 7 hours. They will be crisp and ready for dunking the very next day! Serve with hot tea.

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Chuckles rusks

INGREDIENTS

• 750 ml buttermilk
• 215 g butter, melted
• 20 g dry yeast (2 sachets)
• 95 g sugar (1/2 cup)
• 1 t salt
• 1 t bicarbonate of soda
• 1.4 kg organic stone ground cake flour (or a mix of 700 g cake flour and 700 g white bread flour)
• 2 x 250g bags Chuckles

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the buttermilk, melted butter and yeast in a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a mixer) and stir until the yeast starts to dissolve and bubble slightly.

2. Add the sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda and mix well.

3. Add two thirds of the flour to the liquid mixture and stir until combined. If you’re using an electric mixer, use the dough hook.

4. Add more flour while mixing and kneading until the mixture comes together to form a workable dough. If the dough feels right, don’t add more flour.

5. Fold 250g Chuckles into the dough. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, loosely place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the dough and cover it with a damp cloth. Leave, in a warm area, to rise to double the original volume. It will take about 1 hour.

6. When it’s done rising, shape the dough into even golfball-sized portions. Roll them neatly and pack them tightly together in a single layer in a greased baking tray or bread loaf tin.

7. Stud the buns with the remaining Chuckles, pushing them in gently.

8. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise until doubled in size. This will take about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 180ºC.

9. When the final proofing is done, bake the dough for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Leave to cool down just enough to work with. You can eat them at this point as fluffy buns, but if you want to turn them into rusks, break the cooked dough into pieces along the lines of the original balls, lay out flat on baking sheets and leave in an oven heated to 100ºC overnight or until completely dry, at least 8 hours.

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Rusk queen of puddings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 litre milk
• 500 g Buttermilk rusks, broken into pieces
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 ClemenGold, zested
• 1 T butter
• 6 free-range egg yolks, separated
• 300 g Bonne Maman raspberry jam
• 180 g caster sugar

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Bring the milk to the boil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the rusks, lemon and ClemenGold zest and butter. Cool for 20 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg yolks and add them to the cooled rusk mixture. Pour the mixture into a 22 cm pie dish. Bake for 15 minutes, or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Spread the raspberry jam all over the pudding.

Beat the egg whites using an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Slowly add the caster sugar, a little at a time, and beat until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Spoon the meringue over the pudding and return to the oven to cook for 10 minutes, or until the meringue is golden.

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Coconut-and-jam shortbread

INGREDIENTS

• 200 g desiccated coconut
• 2 free-range egg whites, beaten
• 300 g strawberry or apricot jam
• For the shortbread base:
• 225 g butter
• 100 g sugar
• 240 g flour

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix the coconut and egg white and set aside.

2. To make the base, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the flour.

3. Press the base into a greased 20 x 20 cm pan. Prick all over with a fork and bake for 25 minutes.

4. Spoon over the jam and coconut mixture, then bake for a further 15 minutes. Cool and slice into squares.

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Plum, oat and yoghurt muffins

INGREDIENTS

• For the crumble mix:
• 50 g oats
• ½ t ground cinnamon
• ¼ t fine salt
• 15 g butter, at room temperature and cubed
• For the muffins
• 200 g cake flour
• 200 g oats
• 35 g Muscovado sugar
• 35 g caster sugar
• 3 t baking powder
• 1 t ground cinnamon
• a pinch fine salt
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 3 T sunflower oil
• 2 free-range eggs, separated
• 1 cup full-cream milk
• 3 plums, roughly chopped

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the crumble, combine all the ingredients and rub in the butter until it forms a medium crumble texture. Set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to180°C. and grease a muffin tin. In a large bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the yoghurt, sunflower oil and egg yolks.

3. In a clean bowl using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and combine. Gently fold the egg whites into the mixture.

4. Gently mix the chopped plums into the muffin mixture. Spoon the batter into the tin and sprinkle with the crumble. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden.

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Chocolate éclairs with cream

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup water
• 125 g butter
• 116 g flour
• 1 t salt
• 4 free-range eggs
• For the filling:
• 2 cups whipping cream, whipped
• 150 g Dairy Milk chocolate, melted

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Heat the water and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat for about 5–8 minutes, until the butter has melted.

2. Reduce the heat to low, then add the flour and salt and stir using a spatula. Once it’s combined, stir vigorously. Keep stirring over a medium-low heat until the batter pulls away from the sides and base of the pan, about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the batter into the bowl of a stand mixer with a creaming attachment and mix for 3–5 minutes at a medium speed so the heat releases from the batter. Once the batter has cooled, add 1 egg. Mix for a few seconds, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

4. Place the batter into a piping bag and pipe onto the baking paper to create a small blob. Pipe more onto the éclair in one motion so it builds up in height. Dip your finger in water and dab to remove any peaks.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 175°C, without opening the oven and bake for a further 20 minutes. Switch off the oven and openthe door halfway to allow the éclairs to dry for 10 minutes.

6. When the éclairs have cooled, cut them in half, fill with cream and dip the tops in chocolate.

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Scones with whipped vanilla butter

INGREDIENTS

• For the scones:
• 480 g flour
• 1½ T baking powder
• ¼ t salt
• 32 g icing sugar
• 2 cups cream
• 2⁄3 cup milk
• For the whipped vanilla butter:
• 100 g butter, room temperature
• 2 t vanilla paste
• raspberry jam, for serving
• crème fraîche, for serving

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Sift all the dry ingredients together into a large bowl, then make a well in the centre.

Mix the wet ingredients, then gently fold into the dry ingredients, taking care not to overwork the mixture.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, press down gently, then roll out to a thickness of 2 cm. Take care to work lightly.

Using a cookie cutter with a sharp edge, cut out the scones, then place on a greased baking tray, packing them close together. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.

To make the whipped butter, place the butter and vanilla paste in a bowl and beat using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.

Serve the scones warm with the whipped butter, jam and crème fraîche.

Cook’s note: Golden on the outside with plenty of height a simple, flawless scone is an art – there’s no icing or ganache to hide behind. So how can you guarantee light, airy scones (not dense, flat pancakes) out of your oven?

1. Don’t soften the butter – cold butter helps scones rise.
2. Cut the butter into cubes so that you don’t overwork the dough to incorporate it all.
3. Chill the scones for 30 minutes before baking to make them rise even better – the cold butter expands in the heat of the oven.
4. Place unbaked scones close together on the baking tray so they steam, for a softer, fluffier result.

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Tahini chocolate chip cookie bars

INGREDIENTS

• 100 g unsalted butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
• 280 g plain (all-purpose) flour
• ¾ t bicarbonate of soda
• 1 t flaked sea salt
• 75 g tahini
• 125 g caster sugar
• 125 g light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 250 g dark chocolate, roughly Chopped

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Lightly grease the base of the baking tin, then line with a piece of parchment paper that overhangs the two long sides. Secure the paper in place with two metal clips.

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat until it browns, stirring frequently. The butter will melt, then sizzle and splatter and then start to foam. As it foams, you’ll see little golden brown flecks start to appear. Before these flecks burn, remove from the heat and decant into a bowl.

3. Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt to a separate bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Add the tahini and both sugars to the bowl of melted butter, then use an electric mixer to whisk everything together for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is combined and lightened.

4. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and mix briefly to combine. Add the flour mixture and gently mix until most of the flour has been absorbed, then stir in the chocolate until evenly distributed. Scrape the cookie dough into the prepared baking tin and gently press into an even layer.

5. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden. Leave to cool completely in the tin. Use the parchment paper to lift the cookie mixture from the tin and then cut into squares using a large, sharp knife.

6. Store in a sealed container for 3–4 days.

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Classic birthday cake

INGREDIENTS

• For the sheet cake:
• 170 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing
• 320 g flour
• 3 t baking powder
• 1/2 t fine sea salt
• 350 g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 t vanilla extract
• 175 ml sour cream
• For the chocolate fudge frosting:
• 340 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 120 g icing sugar
• 2 T golden syrup or clear honey
• 60 g cocoa powder
• 80 ml hot water
• 80 ml sour cream
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 200 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted and cooled
• To decorate:
• Sprinkles of your choice

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 23cm x 33cm x 5cm baking tin and line the base with a piece of parchment paper.

2. For the cake, place the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl and whisk briefly to combine. Add the butter and sugar to a separate large bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat together on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding another. Add the vanilla and mix briefly to combine.

4. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream, starting and finishing with the flour. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin and level out.

5. Bake for 35–40 minutes or until the cake springs back to a light touch. Leave to cool in the tin.

6.  For the fudge frosting, place the butter in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat on high speed for a couple of minutes or until creamy and smooth.

7. Add the sugar, golden syrup (or honey) and cocoa powder and beat on high speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the hot water, sour cream and vanilla to a small jug and whisk together.

8. Add the sour cream mixture to the bowl and mix on medium speed until combined. It will look separated for a while but will come back together as a smooth frosting.

9 . Add the melted chocolate and beat briefly until smooth and silky. Spread the frosting over the cake, finishing with a generous amount of sprinkles, which as far as I am concerned are mandatory.

10. Cut into squares to serve. Store in a sealed container for up to 3 days.