Bookstorm – förlag

For 250 years the author's family spread across the globe, helping to expand the British Empire and paint the map red. This is a personal reckoning with that dubious legacy, echoing down to the present in South Africa. It begins with the 'discovery' of Tahiti in 1767 by an ancestor, from whose log book Rostron reveals that his sailors were exchanging the ship's nails for sex with Tahitian maidens so that HMS Dolphin began, literally, to fall apart.

After the Anglo-Boer war, having emigrated to South Africa, one grandfather became editor of the Sunday Times, voicing racist opinions, and later of the Rand Daily Mail, at that time a voice of the Randlords. Ironically, his other grandfather worked for the Communist Party and printed revolutionary pamphlets for the violent 1922 Rand Revolt. In a bizarre twist, Rostron's father managed the 1936 South African boxing team at the Berlin Olympics, where from under his nose their star boxer was recruited by the Nazis. Uncovering family secrets and mistaken myths, Rostron offers a unique insight into modern-day South Africa's colonial past.

'It doesn't matter what you choose to call it, ultimately. Every South African understands what the significance of the braai (barbecue) is. This is where we come together to gossip, laugh, argue, debate and enjoy each other's company. Long may it continue.' – Sipho Hlongwane

South Africa loves to barbeque. In Shisanyama (which means 'barbeque' in Zulu), Jan Braai asked South Africans to send him their best braai recipes, mixed them with some of his own favourites, made sure they were easy and really worked, and then put them in this book! So if you want to know what South Africans love to braai, and how they do it, this is the book for you. Easy recipes, using readily available ingredients, Shisanyama is another Jan Braai classic following on from Fireworks, Red Hot and The Democratic Republic of Braai.

Red Hot follows on from Fireworks and moves beyond instructions for cooking steak on the fire. Jan challenges us to try more meals cooked on the fire – pancakes, chicken mayo toasted sandwiches or brandy tiramisu! The recipes are new but the book has the same fantastic photos, clear and easy-to-follow recipes and Jan's characteristic touches of braai humour.

Jan Braai's friends have been badgering him to write a vegetarian braai book for years, and he has finally done it! Once he sat down to tackle the task, he realised that his books have loads of great vegetarian recipes, but it isn't fair to make the vegetarians buy all the books to find them. So Jan collected all his best vegetarian recipes together, and then added a whole lot more.

If you're looking for a meat-free Monday option, have to cater for your son's new vegetarian girlfriend or the grandchildren, or have even decided to take the vegetarian plunge yourself, there's no reason to neglect your barbecue – Jan has you covered. Find delicious burgers, braaibroodjies, potjies, curries, breads and side dishes to keep you in vegetarian options for months. Even the meat eaters might be surprised to find how delicious a mushroom burger is!

It was predicted that when Jan Braai's first book, Fireworks, was released in 2012 that the book would become a staple classic in the South African cooking canon. Who could have guessed that Jan and his books would become world-renowned for barbecue brilliance. With the rising popularity of that quintessential South African barbecue accompaniment, the humble braaibroodjie (barbecue sandwich), Jan decided that it was time to focus on what is more than a cheese and tomato toastie and highlight the extraordinary meals you can barbecue with bread. It's helped that the world is no longer so terrified of eating bread! Find delicious chicken, beef, vegetarian and vegan braaibroodjie and burger recipes that will keep your family coming back for more!