Did I hear someone say that the year is almost over?

I guess it must be true as this is sadly, the final issue for 2013, but fortunately it’s jam-packed with great reads to keep you inspired through the festive season, and well into 2014.

Now is the time to attempt those impossible fondants, that flourless cake that would never rise or sample that bottle of red from one of the Swartland Independants which nearly cost enough to make you an independent (from your wife!). This is the time to tick off what you have achieved during the year, and to sit back and enjoy the finer things like food, wine and family.

This issue goes from the finely crafted tables of Pierre Cronje to picking soutslaai on the rocks of Paternoster with inspirational chef, Kobus van der Merwe. There are Christmas roasting ideas from the Mari-louise Guy, and Christmas tarts from Tina Bester, along with the coolest slushies from Zoku and Luisa – perfect for an African summer.

Crush travels from the heat of Dubai, to Africa’s southern-most winery Strandveld Vineyards and back, to the boutique-chic of Starke Condé in Stellenbosch. We struggled, but succeeded, in finding Callie Maritz behind the wall of his beloved beers to give us a piece on his year in beer for 2013.

The advent calendar continues in this issue with some amazing giveaways that are yet to be revealed. In the spirit of the season, Crush would like to give a big thank you to all of our loyal food and drink-crazy readers. A big up, and thank you too, to the brands who choose Crush – without your support we would not be able to deliver the tastiest magazine to our reader’s inboxes every month. Last but not least, there is the amazing Crush team, and the contributors who produce an incredible level of work, issue after issue ¬¬– baie dankie, mense!

Cheers to 2014!
As always, we hope that you enjoy this issue and are inspired to keep eating and drinking until the next issue!