Thinking of you Lannice

I didn't know what I was going to discover when I opened Nathan Garnett's email entitled "sad news" yesterday. I certainly wasn't expecting the miserable message briefly reporting Lannice Snyman's untimely death following a private battle with stomach cancer. I knew she'd been in hospital and was unable to attend the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants awards last month but being unaware of the seriousness of her condition I naively expected her to bounce back. She seemed too full of life to have slipped away. She will be greatly missed inside and outside of her native land.

Of course I wish now that I made that journey down to South African and through its kitchens and dining rooms with her as my guide. I will still go but not until I have devoured every word of Tortoises & Tumbleweeds, the award winning book in which she takes the reader on a journey to the gastronomic heart of her homeland.

Lannice - I'll hear your voice as I cook, as I nurture and nourish, as I enjoy your taste of Africa. Thank you.

www.lannicesnyman.com

A tribute to Lannice: http://www.food24.com/News-and-Guides/Features/A-tribute-to-Lannice-Snyman-20100510