Whilst I wait 1600km away from Londolozi in the quaint town of Plettenberg Bay on South Africa’s Western Cape, I continue to keep my passion for cuisine alive as I share with friends and family some of Londolozi’s favourite dishes. After receiving some requests from Londolozi guests all around the world it occurred to me that whilst some of you cannot be at Londolozi, you still can make some of these delicious family-style dishes at home. And so “Londolozi’s Lockdown Larder by Chef Anna” is born, a space to share with you my favourite, simply sophisticated dishes with tips, secrets and recommendations. I’d love to know how you all get on with these recipes and to know whether you have any questions, as well as what dishes you miss most from Londolozi, so please do so in the comments section below.
larder, /ˈlɑːdə/, noun: an old fashioned term which means room or large cupboard for storing food. This was often in the very early days of Londolozi (early 70’s), the only way to keep food fresh was in an aerated cupboard under a marula tree with nothing but a wet kakoi.
Deliciously Green Soup
This soup I initially created for Boyd Varty for when he returned home from extensive travel sharing the Londolozi Story or when he had finished a Londolozi Retreat and needed some ‘soul food’ meaning good greens right out of the soil, sunlight and gardens of Londolozi. “Light on the salt and the coconut” was his instruction! So evolved one of Londolozi’s plant-based originals.
Light, healthy and packed with goodness, it’s an easy soup to make and also a great way to use all your half open packets of green veggies in the fridge!
Deliciously Light Green Soup
This is a soup that we now refer to as “Boyd’s Soup” in the Londolozi Kitchen – we vary the ingredients depending on what we have in the Londolozi Gardens.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- ¼ Hand Fresh ginger, grated
- 800g Spinach, watercress, broccoli, leeks, potatoes, zucchini, pakchoi
- 2 White Onions, roughly chopped
- 1 Litre Woolworths vegetable stock, or homemade if you have
- 340ml Coconut milk
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
Method
- In a large saucepan – heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, ginger & garlic.
- Throw in all your veggies roughly chopped
- Add the stock and make sure the vegetables are covered with the liquid – you can always add some hot water here.
- Simmer away for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
- Add the coconut milk and salt
- Blend until smooth. Taste again. Season with cracked black pepper
Garnish – I used some deliciously strong gorgonzola I had in the fridge and some thyme leaves. Served with toasted ciabatta
Place all your greens in to a large pot, season with salt and pepper
Blend until semi smoothish – it’s lovely to have some texture with this soup.
Anna’s Tip – this soup is great to keep in the fridge for 2 days and served cold is also delicious!
Happy Cooking! There is so much more to come, I’m very excited to share the rest of my Londolozi Lockdown Larder with you…
Thank you for the recipe Anna. I am definitely going to try it.
Thanks Marinda – it’s a lovely quick and easy one to make!
Yum indeed for our African winter and perfect comforting soul food! I maybe added too much potato first attempt but it was still delicious – surprised how coconut milk enhanced the texture.
@Jennifer Ridgewell, thank you! x
Anna, loved the pea soup recipe
Thanks Joan!
One of our many favorites!
(Any luck with securing some vino?)
Thanks Vin! Yes, we have a few days a week now we can purchase alcoholic beverages!
Looking forward to trying this at home. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Elsie!
One of the great surprises was to see the difference between Woolworths in South Africa and what was the Woolworths in the UK , I think the phrase high quality vegetable stock would be easier to understand.
But I love recipes so thanks
Thanks Ian – that’s great feedback and i will amend the recipe to reflect.
I will certainly make this soup Anna, looks delicious ! Keep the recipes coming. Weather has turned very cold in the UK suddenly so soup perfect.
Thanks Karen – yes, i see your weather has changed pretty quickly! The Lockdown Larder will be out each week, so keep watching the blog! I will post a few winter warmers as it’s chilly here in Plettenberg Bay as well!
Thank you Anna for this fresh and simple recipe. Since the SIP order, I’ve been trying to be more creative in preparing lunch and dinner , using what the fridge donates, when the weekly grocery shopping is days away. Soup is a favorite so I will definitely try this, translating the metric amounts to the US system. I’ve taken the inedible ends of asparagus and added them to sautéed onion, garlic, potato cubes, and then added a quart of my homemade chicken stock- cook until all is tender and then use the stick blender until it’s smooth. If too thick, I add a bit more stock, water or a bit of vermouth. It’s fun to create although I’m longing to visit my favorite restaurants! Keep well and hopefully you’ll be back with your other family soon. See you!!
Thanks Denise – i will make sure the future recipes reflect both metric and imperial to make it easier for you! That sounds delicious though.
wonderful receipt, writing it down so I can make it!! Glad you are safe in Pletenburg, I went there once years ago. Beautiful!! stay safe and thanks for the soup!! Victoria
Thanks Victoria!
yummy!! thanx for sharing!
Thanks Martie! More coming, so keep watching the blog!
I’m very excited to see and try these recipes! Mahalo from Hawai’i.
Thanks Judy – hope you are keeping safe in Hawai’i
I love this Chef Anna, and the Boyd story is precious! I’ve made many soups like this in my career, but not with the addition of coconut milk. A lovely idea! You’ve inspired me to make your version this week for a meal at home, but served chilled (it’s going to be hot here!) as a “sauce” under some beautiful pan roasted local king salmon. I’ll let you know how it turns out! Thanks and best to you and yours!
Thank you Paul – please let me know how it works with the salmon – sounds delcious and such a good idea! I’d perhaps add some fresh dill to the soup to go with the salmon – yum!
Great idea! I was thinking mint since it’s abundant in my garden, but I like the fresh dill as well!
This looks delish!
That looks so delicious, can’t wait to make it. I am missing my favourite tagliatelle with truffle cream made for me last time….absolutely unbelievable!! Also green goddess dressing (tried to make it but just wasn’t the same, lol)
Thanks Kara – stay posted and you will see some pasta recipes coming your way!
The soup looks and sounds delicious Anna. Am sure you are longing to be back at Londolozi along with the guests. I hope that they get this virus under control over there – the entire world is suffering right now. Be well and stay safe and thanks for sharing.
Thanks Leonie. Yes, missing my team of cheffies a lot but they are well and keeping safe.
Cannot wait for your other recipes
Anna this looks amazing and I can’t wait to give it a try 🙂 thank you so much
Very generous of you to share this soup recipe, but then that’s just one of the Londolozi attitudes….open sharing on many levels. My thanks!
Anna, What a great idea to share some recipes that we can try at home (or at our restaurant!) We look forward to seeing more of them and getting a bowl of this delicious soup on our next visit! 🙂
I made this soup and it is delicious!😋