Books by Hester Van Der Walt

Two women, one from the Netherlands and the other one from the Free State Goldfields, meet in a hospital hall in Bloemfontein. Fifty years later Hester tells the story of how life formed them as nurses, community workers, bakers, artists and life partners.In this memoir, she tells of the key moments in her life that led her to leave the strictures of her upbringing in order to find out who she was. Her decisions take her from the Free State to District Six and Venda, to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, to Heideveld and Hanover Park and, eventually, to McGregor. Her humble story tells of the spiritual isolation of all "refugees" who leave the irreversible values of their "home" (whether physical or ideological) and find new ways to create a life. It also describes the wonder of finding love and a partner along the way.

Hester's Book of Bread is an honest and delicious, down to earth book that tells of Hester van der Walt's passion for baking bread. Set in McGregor in the Klein Karoo where she bakes bread in a wood-fired oven, this book reflects Hester's intuitive feeling for the connections between the soul and food, particularly food that is prepared with care, according to traditional principles and methods. Hester's Book of Bread is infused with a fine sense of humour, helpful hints and mouth-watering recipes. It's a book as irresistible as the smell of bread fresh from the oven.