After District 9 and Elisium Sharlto Copley is definitely on top celebrity radar, and it is exciting to find out that there are two new movies to be released very, very soon.

South Africans take their biltong seriously and will argue about anything from who makes the best biltong, to the best cut of meat and the best way to make biltong. Now vegetarians have added a new dimension to the argument, with two companies producing biltong made mushroom and brinjal.

As the cold is starting to enter our lives once again, people tend to go for a lovely rich red wine to warm up with. But the cold is not necessarily a reason to stay away from white wines…..

Film Africa 2013 launches on Friday 1 November with controversial film Of Good Report from South African director Jahmil XT Qubeka.

Join Starfish and legendary South African wine writer Dave Hughes for wine tasting and canapés.

I am a firm believer that no satisfaction is more personally gratifying than a perfectly cooked egg, accompanied with a little sweet and savoury combination. Breakfast to me is a phenomenon. It can be eaten at any time of day. It can be combined with a flat white or champagne.

Anant Singh’s film based on Nelson Mandela’s autobiography has been selected for the Royal Film Performance, a fundraiser attended by members of the British royal family on 6 December.

Screening in London this week, ‘Of Good Report’ is a South African homage to film ‘noir’ that tells the story of Little Red Riding Hood from the wolf’s perspective.

At the record-breaking 29th Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction in South Africa, the biggest foreign buyer was the United Kingdom.

Cape Grand Cafe and Restaurant in Beaconsfield will host two South African food evenings this autumn. The mouthwatering menu includes bobotie, smoked snoek samosas with homemade chutney, Cape Malay chicken curry, fish and rice potjie and lamb bredie.

South African X Factor contestant Jeanette Akua and her newly formed girl group Miss Dynamix have been chosen by ‘Groups Mentor’ Gary Barlow as one of 12 acts to advance to the next stage of the competition, after impressing him with their performance in the Judges Houses stage.

Due to an age-old tradition, South African méthode cap classique is truly a champagne…in all but name.

Dubbed the South African ‘Bonnie and Clyde’, ‘Durban Poison’ is a moody noir romance set among South Africa’s marginalised white underclass, which will be screened at the BFI London Film Festival this week.

Three is family: South African X Factor UK entrant Jeanette Akua was dropped in the X Factor Bootcamp stage but given another chance at stardom by judge Gary Barlow, who united her with two other rejected contestants to form a formidable girl group.

With contributions from figures such as Bill Clinton and Desmond Tutu, FIRE IN THE BLOOD is the story of the remarkable coalition that fought Western pharmaceutical companies’ and governments’ blocking of access to Aids drugs. It will be screened on Monday 7 October in London.

Like last year, there are three South African films at the 2013 BFI London Film Festival. These are moody noir romance ‘Durban Poison’, ‘Felix’, a drama about a Zulu boy who wants to become a jazz musician and ‘Of Good Report’ about a paedophile school teacher, which was banned at its opening in Durban.

A Cape Blend is a blended red wine from South Africa consisting of some Pinotage. The varieties that can be added to this blend vary greatly and this might be a hindrance in the promotion of this South African specific blend

We were lucky enough to be one of the first to taste South African wine estate Klein Constantia’s new 2008 Vin de Constance alongside the 2007 vintage ahead of its release in the UK today . Our verdict? ‘Simply wonderful’.

At an intimate tasting at the South African owned High Timber Restaurant in London, the components of Spice Route Winery’s iconic red blend Chakalaka were presented to provide a “deconstructed” perspective of the Swartland. We tasted samples of the five wines used in the Chakalaka 2012 blend (Syrah, Mourvèdre, Carignan, Grenache, Petit Shirah) as well as the 2011 vintage, followed by a glass of Spice Route’s estate-brewed beer.

Contrary to English custom, a few pale pork sausages do not a braai make. Here are some ideas for injecting some proudly SA flavour into Heritage Day. Recipes courtesy of: Wines of South Africa’s Cape Wine Braaimasters book (www.wosa.co.za)

South African-born X Factor UK contestant Jeanette Akua wowed the judges with more than just her singing voice, making it through to the bootcamp stage of the talent competition with her rendition of ‘Skinny Love’

As an avid fan of old SA wines I was exceptionally excited to get an invite to “a Landmark” vertical (various different vintages) tasting of the range of wines from Kanonkop held at the Travellers Club on Pall Mall

Across the UK, ‘Othello’ will hit cinemas for one night only on 26 September as part of the NTLive broadcast. Featuring Rory Kinnear and Adrian Lambert in the role of Othello and his nemesis ensign Iago, the play is as gripping, funny and fraught as any blockbuster you could watch instead.

Aletia Upstairs spent an evening in high society at the Decanter World Wine Awards, a lavish London ceremony where South Africa took joint second place of countries awarded international trophies, along with Spain and Chile.

Ryan joined the celebrated London Gay Men’s Chorus shortly after settling in London.