As someone who eats and drinks for a living, Justine Drake has her finger on the foodie pulse and her heart in the kitchen. But this dynamo is not just the hugely successful editor of Pick n Pay’s Fresh Living magazine, she is also the genius behind the brilliant new Just Cooking TV series (in association with Fresh Living), now showing on the BBC Lifestyle channel. Justine is funny, down to earth and 100% entertaining. If you’d like to see her make culinary magic out of everyday ingredients, catch this show on DSTV, Channel 174, every Tuesday at 9pm.
Luckily for us, Justine is also a die-hard Le Creuset fan: ‘I absolutely adore Le Creuset’s simple old-fashioned style and retro appeal. In fact, when my first child, Trixie Rose, was born seven years ago I rushed out to buy the biggest round casserole dish (in Coastal Blue) I could find so she could inherit it one day. I use it all the time to cook up her favourites – spaghetti Bolognese and roast chicken.’
It seems Justine’s daughter takes after her foodie mom, who says Trixie likes to indulge in sushi or calamari when they eat out! ‘My three-year-old son, Flynn, on the other hand, eats about four foods: Provita, Salticrax, cheese and oats,’ says Justine. ‘So I flavour full-cream Greek yoghurt with freshly squeezed juice to ramp up his nutritional intake and stay away from all those horrible additives I don’t like.’
We asked this fabulous foodie dynamo to keep us up to date with the very latest trends in the food world.
TREND #1
Globally, interest in the provenance of food is still huge – in fact, it is growing. Being interested in where food comes from and where it is raised or grown has far-reaching impacts, and it has triggered a newfound interest in and awareness of food scarcity and wastage. This increased environmental awareness can’t be a bad thing, can it? It is also why farmers’ markets are doing so very well – as we have become more in touch via social media we have, in a way, become less in touch; more detached from one another. Producers’ markets are a place where we can make authentic connections. They link us, our food and the producers of the food, and as we make this connection, interest grows, awareness increases, we ask more questions around issues like where wastage is going, and the circle turns.
TREND #2
There is a pervading interest in health and all things Paleo. Linked to but separate from the provenance trend is this interest in what we put into our bodies. We want to live longer, look better and feel better. Things have moved on from decades ago when our interest in diet was purely for weight loss. Now the interest is less faddish and more holistic: it is not about looking a dress size smaller – it is about mind-body-spirit health.
TREND #3
Motivated by our increased need to connect with other human beings, shared food is an ongoing trend that is just not going away. Shared communal meals – tapas, dim sum, mezze – are a way for people to connect authentically and meaningfully with one another.
TREND #4
In terms of home cooking, growing your own is huge. Even if you live in an inner-city apartment or urban environment, having some kind of veggie garden – even if it is in pots on the patio or kitchen window sill – has become important. With this has come a heightened awareness of the need to cook better and simpler food.
TREND #5
The enormous popularity of foodie TV shows like Masterchef – which feature people who seem to have come from nowhere – has given the kitchen new glamour and made the possibility of being a great cook feel more accessible to the man and woman on the street. People are cooking more and more adventurously, experimenting with new ingredients, techniques and cuisines at home.
Stay up to date with Justine by following her on Twitter here.
To view Le Creuset’s full range of products, visit our online shop at www.lecreuset.co.za or pop into your nearest Le Creuset Boutique store.
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