The Larder Cafe, Diep River.

The Larder Cafe.

Having trained at Leith’s School of Food and Wine, Sonja Edridge spent 15 years in the UK working as a food stylist, writer and food and wine editor of the Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, M&S and Olive magazines.

She food styled books like Diana Henry’s ‘Food from Plenty’ and Tim Wilson and Fran Ward’s ‘The Ginger Pig Meat Book’. She can cook too, and has cheffed at Central Bar and Restaurant in London, Castello di Montepó in Tuscany, Italy and her own catering company.

So what’s a gal like that to do when she comes home to South Africa?

Hopefully start cooking again, I hear you say, and bring some of that wonderful experience with her.

Cinnamon buns, straight from the oven.

And that’s exactly what she’s done, having returned last September, and opened The Larder Cafe in Diep River in October. That’s right, a month from touch down to opening.

It’s located inside the Block and Chisel building on the corner of Kendal and Main. You find it after navigating past a cornucopia of Provencale styled furniture, design, knick knacks, decor and odds and ends.

There’s a lovely feel to the cafe, it’s light, open and airy.

Sonja is to be found there, in the open kitchen, producing simple delicious tasty dishes that are, as she says, “ingredient led, and all we have to do is to turn it into something special on a plate”.

A freshly made delicious salad.

The food at The Larder Cafe is free range and organic. Where possible it is straight from the farm, and any food with preservatives or e.numbers is avoided.

I have to say the food reads great off the menu, and looks great on the plate. The all important taste test follows and everything I tried passed with flying colours; salads, sandwiches, hummus and aubergine dips with sourdough all tasted delicious. The cinnamon muffins were straight out of the oven and were to die for.

If you are in the area drop in and chill out. Oh, and the coffee’s great too.