Last Saturday we had a handful of friends over for what the Dutch call a borrel – a late afternoon/early evening snack and drink. It’s the perfect way of entertaining in summer: food is lighter and less structured; people can sit or stand around to nibble, chat and watch the sunset; drinks abound; and no-one has a late night.

Bar fabulous cheese, the Dutch aren’t exactly known for interesting food, so we decided to give our borrel a Greek flavour. After all, who can resist slivers of slow-roasted lamb?

Said slow-roasted lamb went in the oven for most of Saturday, while I leisurely did the shopping for the rest of the feast.

First stop was good old faithful Giovanni’s for olives, dolmades (I’m way too lazy to make them myself!) and hummus (mine never tastes as good as theirs). Next up was the new branch of Knead on Kloof Street for their delectable sourdough baguette. I also stopped further up the road at Melissa’s for their sourdough rye with macadamia nuts (amazing if, like me, you’re supposed to be wheat-free…) and a pot of my favourite Pronto Mama slow-roasted cherry tomatoes.

My final stop was at Vino Pronto, a tiny wine shop just off Kloof Street with an excellent selection of local gems and an unmissable bargain bin. A borrel without a few bottles of bubbles is unthinkable!

A few hours later – which included minimal time in the kitchen, an afternoon nap and a quick swim – the guests arrived to find a table laden with meze: beautiful breads, slices of lamb, homemade tzatziki, grapes, dolmades, olives, chunks of feta and a caramelized brinjal, goat’s milk cheese and thyme tart (my variation of this chorizo tart). So delicious and so easy!

The evening was a hit and hugely enjoyable – despite the fact that our borrel playlist got a few awful reviews. But next time we’re borreling we might be more specific about timing. Sweeping up broken champagne glasses way after midnight was not quite part of the plan.

Happy shopping and cooking!
Anelde