BOER MAAK 'N PLAN

Where there's a will, there's always a way. Where there's no will, you'll only ever find excuses. 

So I guess somewhere in me there was a will for this variety pack after all, because I managed to find a way.

It was due in part to perfectionism, but also, at least a little bit, due to pure vanity.

There are such diverse flavours in my range right now, that I'm eager to share the end results - but not at the cost of turning them all into a 'mengelmoes' fruit salad of sorts.

While lamenting my dilemma with a chef friend from Cape Town, she had a good laugh herself about how this reminded her of those bakers packs of variety cookie. 

She commented on how the mint biscuits are always individually wrapped, yet somehow they miss the lemon cream, and in the end all the rest of the cookies taste and smell like lemon creams too.

The sheer horror of that thought!?!

Fortunately, straight after that, while chatting to my best friend in KwaZulu-Natal, he suggested wrapping them in confectioners foil. At first the idea seemed absurd to me, but the more I considered it, the more viable it became.

Next up, I needed to source some locally. 

Unfortunately all my suppliers were already sold out, but I found one obscure shop who still had some on hand, not too far from me. Got there and found them overly priced with only three colour options left to choose from, so I took one of each.

It was less than ideal, but I'd have to make do - so I only needed to decide which would, and which would not get foil coverings.

Firstly, the Springbok with it's strong mint flavour was the obvious choice for the green foil. 

Naturally the Chester with it's orange flavour was a logical choice for the orange foil. Besides, their vermilion coverings are forever coming off, so it would be a double score there. 

I reasoned that the Cape Malay, Indulgent, and Rooibos Chai all have desiccated coconut coverings and their flavours are not as likely to transfer, one to another, so none of them demand a covering right now. 

On the other hand, even though the Dresden could also powder the rest, it is at least white, while the cocoa on the Jamaican Honeymoon would definitely soil them. 

Yes the Dresden has a stronger flavour, but it's primarily almond, and since literally all the balls have almonds in them as a key ingredient, this could only enhance them, not detract from them.

So it was decided, the last foil would go to the Jamaican Honeymoon.

Never say never.

So I guess, IF I'm ever to do variety packs again in future, I'll source my foil elsewhere next time and probably get more variety in terms of colours, and at least cover the Dresden as well.

Yet for now, this will do, and do quite nicely, even if I have to say so myself.

WORDS: rhodenel©12DEC2024 

PHOTOGRAPHY: rhoderuth©12DEC2024