Organise Your Cuppa

Iced Rooibos Tea

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (750 ml) fresh cold water
• 6 bags of Rooibos tea
• 3 cups ( 750 ml) soda water
• Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint or lemon slices, if desired.
• Add honey to taste before chilling

Method:

• Bring water to a boil
• Pour over tea bags and let it steep for 5 to 7 minutes
• Pour tea into heatproof pitcher
• Cool to room temperature, then chill
• Fill another pitcher with ice and add the Rooibos tea
• Top with soda water
• Stir gently and serve

Source: www.sarooibos.co.za

Summer Refresher

Ingredients:

• 1 litre strong, cold Rooibos tea
• 500 ml orange juice
• 1 litre home-made ginger ale **
• 1 litre soda water
• 1 lemon, sliced
• Fresh mint leaves, chopped
• Crushed ice

Method:

• Mix Rooibos and orange juice
• Chill mixture
• Add chilled ginger ale and soda water, just before serving
• Garnish with lemon slices and mint
• Serve with crushed ice

Source: www.sarooibos.co.za (adapted Megan Pentz-Kluytz, CANSA’s Consulting Dietician)

** Homemade Ginger Ale 

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 4 cups water
• 2 cups sliced fresh ginger root (not necessary to peel), just rinse well
•  2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• Sparkling mineral water or club soda

Method:

• In a medium pot, combine water and ginger over high heat. Once boiling, lower heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for one hour. Remove lid and continue to simmer 30 more minutes.
• Take off heat and strain mixture to remove ginger. Stir in lemon and honey. Cool completely. This is your ginger syrup.
• To make ginger ale, put a handful of ice into a glass. Add ¼ cup ginger syrup, and fill the rest of the glass with sparkling water.

Source: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14488/diy-all-natural-ginger-ale.html

Strawberry Punch

Ingredients:

• 1 litre strong, cold Rooibos
• 1 litre apple juice
• 500 ml granadilla / passion fruit juice
• 500 ml strawberry juice
• 3 bottles (750 ml each) of sparkling water
• 2 punnets of strawberries, sliced
• 1 orange, sliced
• 1/2 cup granadilla pulp
• Fresh mint leaves

Method:

• Mix Rooibos, apple, granadilla and strawberry juices and chill
• Add chilled sparkling water
• Garnish with strawberries, orange and mint

Source: www.sarooibos.co.za (adapted by Megan Pentz-Kluytz, CANSA’s Consulting Dietician)

Fruity Iced Tea

Ingredients:

• 5 Rooibos teabags
• 3 litres water
• 1 pineapple, peeled and sliced thickly
• 3 peaches, cut into wedges
• 2 oranges, sliced
• 1 lemon, sliced
• 2 tbsp honey
• 200 g castor sugar

Method:

• Place all the ingredients into a large pot and bring to the boil
• Turn the heat down and allow to simmer very gently for 15 minutes
• Remove from the heat, strain and discard the fruit
• Store the tea the fridge until well chilled. Check the sweetness and add more honey to taste if necessary
• Serve over ice

Source: www.lecreuset.co.za

Make giving fun – create a beautifully handcrafted or funky, decorated container for guests to deposit their donations, if they are not paying it online.

Raise Additional Funds at Your Cuppa:

Shared Hosting of Your Cuppa:

The best way of getting tables sold and to save on expenses is to get people who are willing to be table hosts.

Each table host takes responsibility for selling tickets for his or her table, decorating their table and providing eats as well.

Hold a competition for the most beautiful table and you will be astounded at the love and care table hosts put into their Cuppa tables. Some hosts even insist on bringing their own tableware – and this again saves costs.

Various themes can be used for each table. Prizes can be awarded for the most innovative use of the theme.

Organise a Raffle:

Try to arrange for a few sponsored gifts from your local community e.g. beauty products, books, vouchers, etc – get each guest to pay a particular amount to enter the raffle when they arrive at your Cuppa and draw the lucky winners before they leave. Let your guests know beforehand that they need to bring a raffle fee.

Organise an Auction:

Try to arrange for sponsored or donated items for your auction. You can also auction a guest (their time or skills)! Get your guests to come prepared with ‘silver change’ and notes for an ‘American Auction’. Organise a few runners, an auctioneer, timer and stopwatch – it is wise to organise a small float in case guests forget to bring ‘change’.

The timer stands with his or her back to the guests and starts the stopwatch. While the auctioneer opens ‘bidding’ get your runners to move through your guests with containers to collect ‘bids’. The idea is that when the timer calls proceedings to a halt (at his or her discretion), that the last person to place a ‘bid’ in a container, wins the item on auction. The auctioneer needs to keep his or her eyes open and the runners need to put their hand up to indicate the guest who had their hand in the container when the auction was called to a halt. Guests can win a lovely prize for just a few rand…

For the really daring and those with more cash at their disposal, you could of course organise a traditional auction!

Organise a Competition:

Arrange for sponsored or donated items as prizes and organise a competition at your Cuppa – guests may have to compose something, or create something – to enter the competition each guest would pay an entry fee. Guests could ‘compete’ as individuals or groups – have fun! Let your guests know to bring a little extra cash along…

Ideas for Corporate Cuppas:

• Should you be too busy to fit an actual Cuppa sit-down event into your work schedule, get staff to donate a particular sum of money per Cuppa-of-something-they-drink at work on a particular day.
• Alternately, challenge staff to donate 1 hour of their salary to support the Cuppa cause and of course, lead by example!
• Employees who organise a Cuppa-do, could ask their employers to match the amount they raise rand-for-rand. Company donations are tax deductible and Section 18A tax certificates can be issued by CANSA for all donations received from South African individual donors or corporates.

Your guests have taken the trouble to attend your Cuppa and to support your fundraising efforts for CANSA. It is appropriate to say ‘thank you’. A small gift from their Cuppa Host can go a long way towards achieving this end:

• Purchase limited edition Cuppa mugs (R60 per mug or R220 per set), at your local CANSA Care Centre or when you register your event, chat to your CANSA staff partner.

Alternately, ask each guest to forward you their favourite healthy recipe or life-philosophy, or their favourite inspirational quotes or anecdotes – make copies and bind them for your guests to take home.

Entertainment:

It is entirely up to you, whether or not you provide entertainment at your Cuppa Event. You are welcome to just share a Cuppa together with your guests and have fun catching up.

Alternately, you may wish to invite a guest speaker or celebrity to inspire your guests, or arrange for music or entertainment which coincides with your theme choice.

Message:

The host may choose to share a message with guests – again, this is entirely up to you – if you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, arrange for:

• an inspirational guest speaker
• a cancer Survivor (anyone who has heard the words ‘you have cancer’)
• a CANSA Volunteer to share about providing care & support to cancer patients and loved ones – ask your local CANSA Care Centre
• a health professional
• check out a suggested theme for the year…

Funds raised are being used to enable care & support programmes at our local CANSA Care Centres.

If you don’t want to share a message in an overt manner, find creative ways of spreading the message e.g. include the message, or material re the message in your ‘thank you’ gift to your guests, or work it into your table decor – e.g. obtain ‘fortune’ cookies from a supplier and ask them to include your own inspirational messages related to health or how to lower cancer risk…

This year Cuppa hosts are once again encouraged to choose healthy drinks / eats for their Cuppa event, and to enter our ‘Healthy Choices’ Recipe Competition, as CANSA is keen to promote a healthy, balanced lifestyle…

Cuppa Drinks

Cuppa is an all-encompassing “tea party” in the drinks department, but try to keep it healthy:

• tea – flavoured teas (Chai, Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Jasmine, etc); herbal teas (Rooibos – rooibos cappuccino or espresso – Lemon Rooibos, Lemon & Ginger, Honeybush, Spearmint, Peppermint, Chamomile, etc); Black Tea; Yellow Tea; White Tea; Chinese teas (Keemun, Yunnan, Oolong, Green Tea, etc); Indian teas (Assam, Nilgiri, Masala, Badam, etc), iced tea, etc
• coffee – americano, espresso, cappuccino, blends, iced coffee, etc
• hot chocolate – traditional, white chocolate, etc
• soup – cold, warm, clear, broth, etc
• juice – freshly squeezed fruit or veggie based
• smoothies – healthy and fruity (try our healthy and Delicious Rooibos Smoothie recipe)
• naturally flavoured water – using frozen or fresh fruits, herbs and vegetables

Healthy Recipes:

• Rooibos Iced Tea Variations
• Delicious Rooibos Smoothies
• See the health benefits of Rooibos & Honeybush tea

Be creative and have fun with it – any beverage, hot or cold, will do!

Cuppa Eats

Cuppa Hosts usually provide snacks to complement the beverages they serve & their theme, however, if your budget is limited, why not ask a few of your closer friends, who are attending, to help out with a sweet or savoury dish. CANSA does suggest you keep snacks and eats healthy…

• crudités – sliced veggies (celery, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, peppers, asparagus) with vinaigrette or a dipping sauce of your choice, etc.
• finger foods – fruit kebabs, olives, pitas stuffed with fresh salads and / or vegetables, cold roasts (non-processed), sushi (with low-sodium soy sauces), low-fat cheeses, quiches, shaped sandwiches, breads and pate, savoury pancakes, etc.
• food by colour – limit your snack choices to one or two predominant colours

and if you really can’t resist:

• baked goods – cookies, scones, cakes, tarts, cupcakes, brownies, pancakes with sweet fillings, muffins, savoury pastries and pies, samoosas, spring rolls, pizza, etc.
• desserts – homemade ice cream or frozen yoghurt
• sweets – chocolate, fudge

Healthy Recipes:

Find inspiration in recipes from Chaine Des Rotisseurs and Megan Pentz-Kluytz, CANSA’s consulting dietician:

• Chaine Des Rotisseurs: Roasted Tomato Chevin Garlic Thyme and Balsamic Tart
• Megan Pentz-Klutyz: Crustless Cheese and Vegetable Tart

Venue Tips:

Underground, overground, wombling free… – anywhere will do – try to choose a venue that will suit your theme and keep the weather forecast in mind.

Be sure to book your venue well in advance if necessary. Who you invite and the number of guests you invite will dictate the kind of space you need and of course any chosen activities.

Cuppas can be held anywhere – small or large venues, inside or outside, the sky is the limit – gardens, parks, mountain sides, boats, church or community halls, clubs, homes, etc…

Themes & Decor Tips:

Cuppa hosts usually pick a theme for their Cuppa event to set the tone or to add excitement to sharing a Cuppa of something.

The theme choice usually dictates decor, snacks & beverage choices and also the kind of entertainment or activities provided. Unleash your creativity…

Tutti Frutti Smoothie

• 1/2 cup Strawberries, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of Granadilla pulp, optional
• 1 tablespoon Oatbran or Oats
• 1 tablespoon Canola oil
• 1/4 cup Yoghurt, plain or vanilla-flavoured
• 1/4 cup Milk, low fat/fat free or soya milk
• If you wish to dilute further, use rooibos tea (cooled down)

Add all the ingredients together. Liquidise or blend till smooth. Add a pinch of cinnamon and mint or bit of extra zest. Add crushed ice (optional). (Serves 1-2)

Vanilla Berry Smoothie

• 1/2 cup of frozen mixed berries
• 1/2 cup free range Rooibos yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon Oatbran or Oats
• 1 tablespoon Canola oil
• 1/2 cup Milk, low fat/fat free or soya milk

Add all the ingredients together. Liquidise or blend till smooth. Add crushed ice (optional). (Serves 1-2).

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

• 2 teaspoons peanut butter (no added sugar or salt)
• 1 medium ripe banana, frozen and peeled
• 1 tablespoon Oatbran or Oats
• 1/2 cup milk, low fat/fat free or soya milk
• 1/2 cup free range Rooibos and Honey yoghurt

Add all the ingredients together. Liquidise or blend till smooth. Add crushed ice (optional). (Serves 1-2)

Serving suggestion: use smaller (think flutes or wine) glasses if part of a meal and your smoothie recipe will stretch twice as far.

Source: Megan Pentz-Kluytz, CANSA’s Consulting Dietician