February’s favourites are all about ease with impact: things that spark conversation, stretch ingredients, and make gathering feel generous without feeling stressful.
1. Sparkling Chenin Blanc
I had the pleasure of curating a box of wines for a December meeting of a wine club I’m part of. The selection was meant to feel festive and celebratory whilst also incorporating easeful and light drinking. So I stumbled upon the Jakkalsvlei Vonkel Chenin Blanc. Described as “A refreshing, effervescent choice ideal for celebrations or sunny afternoons”, it reads like it meets the brief perfectly no?
Sparkling Chenin Blanc is a light-bodied, crisp, and refreshing bubbly wine made from 100% Chenin Blanc grapes. It features vibrant, fruity notes of green apple, pear, and tropical fruits, often with a subtle, dry minerality.
If you’re looking for something that is light enough for daytime hosting but isn’t as a flat as wine, I’d defintiely give this Sparkling wine a try.
2. Miso & Coconut Butter Beans
This dish has quickly become one of my favourite starters to serve. It’s deeply comforting, full of umami, and deceptively simple. It’s the kind of food that tastes like you did a lot more than you actually did.
Butter beans soak up the savoury richness of miso and fish sauce, while coconut milk softens everything into something warm and inviting. It’s quick, cost-effective, and perfect with bread at the centre of the table.
Find the recipe here: Miso & Coconut Butter Beans
3. Overnight No-Knead Bread
As you can tell, the theme of this edition is ease and If you think making bread is too much effort, this might change your mind.
This overnight, no-knead loaf is as hands-off as it gets which is why I’ve been enjoying it so much lately. Ingredients go into one bowl, rests and slow proofs overnight in the fridge the night before your hosting, and bakes into a loaf with a crisp crust and a soft, airy centre. Fresh bread, without the fuss.
Ingredients
3 cups bread flour
1½ tsp salt
1 tsp instant yeast
1½ cups lukewarm water
Method
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until just combined. Cover and place in the fridge overnight (or up to 24 hours). When ready to bake, tip into a hot, lidded pot and bake until golden and crusty. That’s it.
Serve warm, tear into it, repeat.
Love,
V