A criticism of South Africans (and pretty much all antipodeans in London) is that we arrive from sunnier Southern climes, find jobs, find accommodation and then proceed to live in little self-imposed ghettoes, socialising only with other South Africans, eating only out of South African shops, drinking in South African-themed bars, wearing Sprinkbok rugby jerseys everywhere, and generally spending time slagging off the English – our hosts! And I do have to say that there is some truth in this. It is very hard to stick out your finger in Wimbledon/Earlsfield/Southfields and not poke a South African, because a lot of us really do congregate there. And I have spent many a night talking to South Africans in London and thinking “good grief – you’re in LONDON! Stop carrying on about the weather – you didn’t come here for the weather!!”
But let’s not forget that there is always an exception that proves the rule. Since we arrived here, Nick and I have been Eastenders. We have never lived west of Canary Wharf and am not aware of any South Africans in our street. Sure, you do hear Afrikaans on the train occasionally, but we are more likely to bump into our Lithuanian, Irish, Indian, Finnish or West-Indian neighbours than other Saffers. Although I get terribly homesick, I also experience moments of such intense joy at being in London that I want to run laughing through the streets yelling “Hey, everybody, look! I actually live here in one of the most exciting cities in the world!!” On the other hand, you are what you are: there’s no denying your roots. And so, like clockwork, once a year Nick and I host a Big South African Braai. Not to surround ourselves with only South Africans, but to give all our friends a little taste of what home means to us.
We usually have between 10 and 17 people in our tiny garden and we have a rich mix of natinalities and backgrounds. This year we had 3 Brits, 5 Saffers (including me and Nick), 2 Aussies, 2 Kiwis. a German and a Mexican. So naturally we felt compelled to educate them on the finer points of South African cuisine 
In the past, we have treated them to chakalaka, seven-layer salad, sosaties, braai sarmies and snoek. And this year we treated them to not one but TWO South African delicacies: chicken sundowners (will be blogged in a later post, I promise) and Peppermint Crisp fridge tart.
I don’t know what it is about this desert that makes grown men go all misty-eyed and women look wistful, but it is one of those desserts that everyone seems to like. It is absolutely not fancy, pretty, clever or remotely sophisticated. But I can guarantee you that every South African reading this has tasted it because it is one of those things that every South African mom has at some stage made when catering for masses of people… say, at a braai. Some people whom I invited but could not make it were upset not about missing the braai, but about missing the pudding! In fact, it has become so ingrained in the South African culinary psyche that I was amused to see on my visit home in June that it has become a chocolate flavour! Cadbury’s Dairy Milk has brought out a range of “Local is lekker” chocolates in flavours like milk tart and… mint crisp fridge tart. Jawellnofine.
So what is this ambrosial pudding? OK, don’t wince when I tell you. Many moons ago, a South African company called Orley Foods developed a range of non-dairy cream substitute products. The flagship product was (and still is, apparently) Orley Whip which looks like single cream, whips up to three times its original volume and can be stored in the fridge for up to three months. My recipe for this pudding was copied down from a package insert in a pack of Orley Whip a long time ago, probably much like every other South African I know. The recipe combines Orley Whip with Caramel Treat (caramelised condensed milk) and Peppermint Crisp (a chocolate bar from Nestle that features a filling of tightly packed, long and very brittle tubes of BRIGHT green mint-flavoured candy – looks like Kryptonite and tastes madly minty), layered with Tennis biscuits (shortbread-ish coconut-flavoured cookies). It struck me that it is in some ways a South African take on tiramisu, minus the culinary history and the fashionability . The final product is not overly sweet, thanks to the peppermint and the fairly neutral biscuit layers, but is rich enough to go a long way. And I distinctly remember seeing plates licked clean.
So clearly, local is lekker, even if you have never set foot in South Africa!
PEPPERMINT CRISP FRIDGE TART (serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
250ml Orley Whip, whipped
2 packets of Tennis biscuits (although you will probably use less)
375g caramelised condensed milk
20ml caster sugar
3 Peppermint Crisp bars, crushed
3-4 drops of peppermint essence (more, if you like))
Method:
Whip the Orley Whip and then add the caramelised condensed milk castor sugar and peppermint essence. Beat until well mixed and then stir in 2/3 of the crushed Peppermint Crisp.
Place a layer of whole tennis biscuits in a buttered 29x19x5cm dish. Spoon 1/3 of the caramel mix over the buscuits and spread evenly. Continue in layers, finishing with a layer of filling on top.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Decorate by sprinkling the remainder of crushed peppermint crisp on top. Cut into squares and serve.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
You can substitute whipping cream for Orley Whip, but the outcome may be even richer than this pudding already is! I used Elmlea, a half-dairy cream available in the UK. Apparently the American Cool Whip is a near-identical product. For caramelised condensed milk, you can use dulce du leche or you can make your own by boiling a tin of normal sweetened condensed milk (warning: hazardous!!). The Tennis biscuits may prove problematic, although I have seen forums in Australia advising the use of a typr of Arnott’s coconut biscuits or Nice biscuits. Any other suggestions welcome. And as for the peppermint crisp… sadly, for that you will have to bite the bullet and buy it from a South African shop. Not sure if anything else like it exists. Maybe start campaiging for Nestle to produce it worldwide?
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August 24th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Great post. I had the same problem and the opposite problem when I was in London. I met with Saffas who hated London, but stayed. And I met with Saffas who hated SA but talked about it NON STOP. THen there is a third section, Saffas who hate London but also hate SA and while in London bad mouth their hosts and their heritage.
Utter confusion, very sad!
I think your Braai idea is fantastic and gives me faith in the SA community overseas. I think that the world is lucky to have the SA culture!
April 6th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Thank you so much for the recipe, am a South African in South Africa, have access to all the ingredients (green with envy?), but didn’t have the recipe!!!
Have just this very minute returned from woolies with one of their rather expensive tarts, but certainly will be out and about tomorrow in order to make my own tomorrow afternoon!!!
xxx
October 24th, 2008 at 5:12 am
I was just on my way to making the tart when I realised I dont know how much is in an orley whip packet and so stumbled across your recipe! And now I have to drive into town and buy some stuff I didn’t know I need like caramelised condensed milk and another packet of tennis biscuits! My partner’s mum (NZ) is hosting a ‘south-african’ lunch and all the saffa’s have to bring something. She is absolutely over the moon and can’t stop raving about tasting the peppermint fridge tart! not too mention a cheap but prize winning bottle of dessert wine (muscat) which will only now be opened after she’s had it for a year! The expectations!
Anyway, if you can’t find tennis biscuits you can replace them with Arnott’s Shortbread biscuit (NZ and Oz). Luckily for me the grocery stores over here actually sell quite a few traditional SA things, including pep crisp, pronutro, chutney, ricoffy etc. It’s great. I just wish they would import some savanah dry, hunters, brutal fruit, reds, red square, proper sweet rosé, muscadel, hanepoot (sniff)..the drinks here are horrible!
Ps. I lived in Hammersmith for 2 years and found it surprising how few saffas I ever came across
October 26th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Hi Cooksister
I love the way you write! My best friend (A Saffer living in London) is coming to visit me in Uitenhage tomorrow. Close to your dear PE. I asked her what treat can I prepare for her and she said one of the ‘local is lekker’-tarts eg. milktart or peppermint crisp etc. So that’s how I stumbled on this site and your article. I’ll definately tell her about this site so she can bring the ‘local is lekker ‘ into their London home.
May 8th, 2009 at 6:16 am
I am a South African living in Melboure (have been since 1983) and still seriously miss South Africa. Go back every year to South Africa, and am now starting to make peppermint crisp fridge tart back in Aus. I am one of the South Africans who whinges about Australia and wants to be back home…………
August 11th, 2009 at 9:52 am
I am a British ex-pat living in RSA for longer than I care to remember and was looking for this recipe that I seem to have lost. I now know to stock up with at least peppermint crisp when I visit UK. Off I am to the local Spar to get the ingredients for my book club session.
Thanks a lot.
September 29th, 2009 at 11:40 am
I love this article!! when I lived in London, I felt exactly the same… I was one of those who loved my family and friends in SA, but Loved London so much more, couldn’t complain about anything!!! Now am back in SA and missing my dearest London whole heartedly, but alas, my little green passport does not give much freedom to roam the world.. I will be making the peppermint crisp tart TONIGHT for my English friend coming to visit me in Cape Town!!
October 8th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
i lived in SA for a few years & as a born & breed londoner it all took a lot of getting used to, i too have met many a saffer in london & they have been both positive & negative….what they were correct on is how beautiful SA is & how nice the people are….man i miss SA now
but london is my home, bad weather or not, there’s just something about the place…..least i have one of my favourite SA deserts to make me less second home sick 
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I stumbled along this recipe yesterday, looking for something lekker to treat myself with. ( A bit of sunshine) in horrible Scottish weather.
I bought some Quality Street Mint Matchmakers, though they are not exactly the same as Peppermint Crisp they have the same taste, but without the Kryptonite. My tart turned out great, so maybe this might be a sort of alternative to Peppermint Crisp?
What do other readers think?
May 13th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Thanks so much for this recipe! I’m a saffa in Wimbledon (surprise, surprise, haha) and there’s a little post office shop near the New Wimbledon Theatre that stocks peppermint crsip bars, tennis biscuits AND the caramel stuff! Will be pricey but well worth it
Oh, also, in response to James C about the issues with his little green passport – here’s a wikipedia link to a whole bunch of countries that don’t require Visas for South Africans – the rule for a few may have changed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_South_African_citizens
September 4th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
thanks for your post dude
i love it
December 20th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
We decided to make peppermint crisp tart for Christmas Eve dinner – which is how I came upon this site. Thanks for the recipe, and happy Christmas to all you ex-pats who are missing out on the Highveld summer storms, the CT wind and sand and sultry Durban. Home is indeed where the heart is.
December 23rd, 2010 at 11:35 pm
Great recipe.As a South African now living near manchester I can tell you there is a lot of us here and loads working in the hotels of the Lake District
April 23rd, 2011 at 3:48 pm
I am from Durban, SA, living in Kent and still enjoy and continue with “normal” South African traditions. I have discovered a wonderful shop called Foods 4 u. The web address is http://www.foods4u.co.uk/
They are based in Erith, SE London. Great service and can get most SA foods and even some from Zim. I enjoy SA food too much to go without and thankfully their prices are reasonable! Thanks for the recipe! Going to make it now!
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