Defining tastes: celebrating five of SA’s favourite food editors

One thing you can say of all South Africans is that we love our food, whether it is a good old Sunday braai, upscale comfort food, the latest in organic, locally sourced health fare or blow-your-mind cupcakes that take hours of skill and patience to assemble. Our magazine food editors keep their fingers on the pulse of international food trends, and are the first to interpret them for us, ensuring that South Africa is constantly exposed to the very best and most exciting ingredients and cooking methods. We love them for constantly honing our culinary skills and challenging our palettes. Here, we catch up with five of our favourite magazine food editors…

MOKGADI ITSWENG
True Love Food Editor
Mokgadi describes herself as ‘passionate about life, our earth, food, business, African ingredients. A writer and teller of stories’, which makes her the perfect person for the role of True Love Food Editor. ‘I want to bring a fresh way of cooking to True Love’s readers,’ she says. ‘Our readers don’t want complicated food, but they do want to feel like they’re producing something remarkable when they cook. I show them interesting ways to make impressive dishes with seasonal produce and affordable ingredients – there are so many easy ways to produce really outstanding dishes.’

If I could cook for any guest it would be… musician and style icon Erykah Badu. I have always admired Erykah’s style; her music has been the backdrop to my life for as long as I can remember.

Erykah is a staunch vegan, so my menu would be… vegan and delicious. For starters I would serve crystal vegetable springrolls with a soya-and-ginger dipping sauce; mains would include a vegan lentil bobotie; and for dessert I would serve my delicious wheat-free, vegan, upside-down pineapple cake.

My favourite Le Creuset product is… the Buffet Casserole. I love the shape – it reminds me of my mom’s copper paella pan, which she used to make the most wonderful dishes. I also love how beautiful it looks when used to serve food.

JUSTINE KIGGEN
Fairlady Food Editor
With a background as a food stylist, caterer and writer, who could be better suited to be Fairlady’s food editor than Justine Kiggen, who strives to keep the food simple yet inspiring. ‘We try to strike a balance between what to make for dinner tonight, and what to make for a dinner party,’ says Justine, who also ensures that the ingredients used are seasonal, healthy and affordable. 

Five words that best describe me as a food editor are… accessible, passionate, unpretentious, thorough and a lover of fresh ingredients.

Ingredients you will always find in my fridge are… butter, eggs, feta, chilli, nuts and baby spinach.

What food trends do you predict for Spring/Summer 2014? Coconut oil, gluten-free, artisanal teas, bacon and locally grown and sustainable food.

HERMAN LENSING
Sarie Food Editor
Not only has award-winning Herman Lensing – with his enthusiasm, knowledge and scrumptious recipes – turned the food section one of the most popular parts of Sarie magazine, this young foodie is also a thoroughly ‘nice guy’ with a fantastic sense of humour! He is known for his unusual yet utterly accessible approach to cooking, and has been hailed as the face of the future of South African food!.

My favourite Le Creuset colour is…  ALL OF THEM! I can’t get enough of Le Creuset’s colours – my dream is to have my own colour named after me, like some people have a rose named after them.

What I will never eat again is… polony! Once I was invited to a very small town that will remain unnamed. For breakfast the lady of the house served us French polony fried in butter instead of bacon! If I can recall correctly there was also Aromat in there. I still have nightmares about the dish!

My guilty food pleasure is… toasted white bread thickly spread with butter, loads of home-made fig jam and a soft-fried egg! Heaven!

BARBARA JOUBERT
Sarie Kos Food Editor
Barbara maintains that anyone who can read a recipe and who really wants to cook can be a great cook. Known for her creative yet easy culinary approach, she draws her food inspiration from whatever looks most fresh and delicious in the supermarket on the day. Her top tip? ‘My mother, Rita Burgers, always taught me to taste my food while I’m cooking, and to do so with a glass of wine in one hand.’

What’s your never-again kitchen moment? I baked a stunning wedding cake for a friend years ago. It was the hottest day of the year. On the way to the venue the cake collapsed in the car. I swore never to bake a wedding cake for someone again. The stress!

What are your favourite ingredients to cook with? I always say if you have wine, butter, cream and garlic you are on your way to creating a wonderful dish.

What’s your most memorable success? I don’t know if you can call it a great success but I created a sticky toffee pudding using caramels in a box. After a while the supplier phoned to say that stores kept running out of the product and they couldn’t understand why. Then they realised it was because of the recipe in Sarie Kos and he sent me a big box of toffees. Yum.

JOHANÉ NEILSON
Tuis/Home Food Editor
Food editor Johané Neilson is a pasta lover and real-butter enthusiast who loves to compile Tuis/Home recipes that demystify cooking without losing the magic.

One kitchen item I covet is… a 26cm Round Cast Iron Casserole in Cotton from Le Creuset – the stews I would cook!

My home entertaining style is… relaxed.

If you had to give a hosting tip it would be… choose a menu that can be prepped in advance so you can enjoy the evening with your guests.

WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT:

Congratulations to the following winners who have each won a copy of Herman Lensing’s recipe book, Voorskoot:

• Tracy-Lee Eynon
• Nadia A
• Megs Hartwig

To view our full range of products, visit our online shop at www.lecreuset.co.za, or pop into your nearest Le Creuset Boutique Store.