The Second Nature story in the November issue wouldn't have been possible without the excellent suppliers who came up with the produce for our shoot. Some readers have requested a list of contacts for sourcing, so we've shared our WH address book below.

HARVEST OF HOPE

Harvest of Hope is an organic box scheme dispatching organic vegetables grown in the communities of Nyanga and Khayelitsha. The veggies for our shoot were left my contact's front porch for collection, like a little crate of inspiration, filled with delicate courgette flowers, glossy, slender aubergines and a rainbow bunch of bright lights chard topped with a posy of lilac flowers. These are the kinds of raw ingredients that get me straight into the kitchen to start cooking. harvestofhope.co.za

THE MAGIC HERB MAN

Nothing is too much trouble for Steve Botha the Magic Herb Man and when I call him we usually land up chatting for 45 minutes about his latest growing project! Steve grows beautiful organic fruit and vegetables on his farm and is the not-so-secret contact for many local chefs. He made sure we had the elegant miniature French beans, plump baby figs and herb leaf salad for our shoot, as well as some snake beans, garlic chive flowers and nasturtiums for good measure. Contact Steve Botha on +27 22 931 3209 or email him at magicherbs@telkomsa.net

THE DRIFT FARM

Jason Snell of The Drift farm saw to it that we had access to all the heirloom varieties of tomatoes pictured in the opening spread and the names are as enticing as the tomatoes themselves – Speckled Roman, Heirloom Ace, Tigerella and Black Zebra tomatoes. Jason was also responsible for the flambuoyant radishes. I saw him again at a market just the other day and bought from him a bunch of the freshest beetroots I have ever clapped eyes on. www.thedrift.co.za

GOGO'S DELI

Deirdre and Sam Elliot are the charming couple behind Gogo's Deli. Fortunately it's just down the road from where I live, so it's my one-stop for grass-fed rump steak and sirloin, Petit Poussin and good quality pork belly. Not to mention their biltong on rugby weekends… I don't often have the chance to do comparative tastings and the other evening I happened to have one rib-eye from Gogo's and one from a conventional butchery so I cooked them side by side for dinner – there was no question as to the superiority of the Gogo’s rib-eye in both flavour and texture. The Club steak on the opening pages came from Gogo's Gogo's: +27 21 671 0573.

WILD PEACOCK

I once drove into the Stellenbosch mountains, to Sue Peacock's home, to buy dried Porcini mushrooms. Sue only supplied wholesale at that stage but was kind enough to help at a time when dried Porcini was as rare as hen's teeth! Fortunately, she has now opened Wild Peacock Deli in Stellenbosch. Sue procured a side of fresh trout for our shoot. www.wildpeacock.co.za