Woolies Icon Bun Fight!

Team raisin or team extra-spicy? Straight-up buttered or toasted? Not surprisingly, the TASTE team has some strong opinions on optimal Woolies hot cross bun enjoyment and was generous enough to share them

CHRISTMAS STEP BY STEP

If you’re the kind of traditionalist who insists on old-school starters, two roasts (glazed gammon, obvs), duck-fat potatoes, gravy perfection and the ultimate jelly and “custard”, then Hannah Lewry has all your work cut out for you, right here. Because if ever there was a time of year to flaunt your cooking skills, this is it

HAPPY HOUR Spirit of the season

A few ingredients left to infuse for two days and you can add a few home-made gifts to your festive repertoire this year, says Jeanne Calitz

A NEW KIND OF MAGIC

Break a few rules this Christmas, ('cos it's been that kinda year) and make new traditions with Abigail Donnelly’s inspired modern menu

Mayo, sir?

In which Jonathan Ancer makes peace with the most embarrassing meal of his life, after learning that his food phobia has become family-table folklore

THANKS FOR sharing

Best way to do Christmas on a budget? Pot luck, you guys! Make some menu “suggestions”, says Khanya Mzongwana, set up a buffet table and ask everyone to bring a shareable dish that costs less than R50 per person. Think of it as food-nerd secret Santa

STEP BY STEP Christmas fairy-cake biscuits

For the kids and the kids at heart, these buttery, rainbow sprinkled biccies offer pure, unadulterated joy in the making and eating

The Taste Case

Wikus Human is responsible for recommending wines to pair with the flame-cooked food at David Higgs’s Marble restaurant. We couldn’t think of anyone better to curate this month’s TASTE case to pick your six ultimate braai wines

Anatomy Of A Dish Snoek Pâté Reloaded

There’s no shortage of inventive, delicious, locally flavoured dishes on the menu of Cape Town restaurant Belly of the Beast. But if there’s one dish that people can’t stop talking about, it’s the smoked snoek dip with lightas-air sweet potato crisps. Here’s why

Food From The Heart

Durban-based author Shubnum Khan honours the women in her family who, for decades, have expressed their love through cooking and sharing excellent food

Everything You Need To Know About Maize Rice

Also known as mielie rice, maize rice is finely cut maize with the bran and germ partially removed. It’s finer than samp and coarser than maize meal, making it a wonderfully textured accompaniment to stews, salads and braais

Magic Beans

Mogau Seshoene associates winter with her grandmother’s bean curry and the stories that she loved as a child, which is how her summer bean salad became a cold-weather curry

The Taste Case

Want to expand your cellar this season? Or make some daring pairings? We asked Woolies’ experts Rebecca Constable and Rob Gower to use their insider knowledge and recommend some winter gems

Pasta Lover, Lover

Recently diagnosed as gluten-intolerant, lifelong pasta enthusiast Tumi Morake was utterly bereft until she discovered some unexpected alternatives

TALKING ITALIAN

We may not be able to get on a plane to Italy, but we can bring it to our tables with Abigail Donnelly’s incredible, inspirational tribute to one of the world’s favourite cuisines. Stanley Tucci would be proud

Mother Tongue

As Mother’s Day approaches, Lesego Semenya – a.k.a. Les Da Chef – remembers a dish he associates with his late mom, Gloria. Ting ya mabele is the kind of recipe that’s passed down by mothers to their children

Easy Weeknight Suppers

Lamb sausage-and-lentil Bolognese, cauliflower soup with cheat’s Welsh rarebit, shredded chicken chilli over polenta and more easy weeknight suppers Hannah Lewry has lined up for autumn

Sunday's Best

Sparing her from beetroot stains before the traditional seven-colours lunch is Mogau Seshoene’s poignant example of the breadth of her father’s love

New Cookbook Tea Highs

Surprise your mom with a next-level treat straight out of Babylonstoren’s new book An Invitation to Tea. We’ve got first dibs on three of Maranda Engelbrecht’s decadent recipes, just in time for Mother’s Day

The Acid Test

Ever think vinegar could be good for more than just a vinaigrette? It’s time. Abigail Donnelly hit the condiment aisle and cooked everything from fried eggs and Momofuku-style firecracker pork, to old-fashioned vinegar pudding, poached nectarines and pickles

Sunny Side Up

Breakfast goals? 1. Don’t skip it. 2. Mix it up. Humans cannot live on muesli alone, says Hannah Lewry. So how do cheesy flatbreads, easy veg fritters, smoky beans and eggs, ricotta frittata and choc-almond oats sound?

Mother sauce

Chakalaka recipes are not in short supply, but Mogau Seshoene just happens to be the daughter of the woman whose version is the very best in the land. Now you know

ROUTE CAUSE

The next time you head to Kruger, take a slow drive along Route 71. Melanie van Zyl did, and discovered culinary gems born of lockdown, craft whisky, Bao Mayo, hand-harvested salt and soulful fine dining

Pot luck

Cooking for friends is a privilege, so it should also be a pleasure, not a chore. And it needn’t wait untll after payday either if you use this low-key seasonal summer menu by Phillippa Cheifitz

Live large

Chicken livers are famously divisive, but they have a special place in SA cuisine. This is Lesego Semenya’s cross-cultural twist for when you want to live large, but still save a few bucks

Nigella Lawson's Recipes Are Guaranteed To Bring You Joy

The holidays may be different this year, but Nigella Lawson’s recipes in Cook, Eat, Repeat are guaranteed to bring you joy. Her rhubarb-and custard trifle could even become a new tradition

The Family Stew

For Mogau Seshoene, a.k.a. The Lazy Makoti, Christmas means oxtail stew. It is non-negotiable. What’s more, her own recipe (shared here) has been credited with marriage proposals. It’s that good

There Will Be Pie!

Growing up in Bloemfontein, Ming-Chau Lin associates Christmas with her dad having time off to cook. Now living in the US with her family, the holidays take on a whole new significance

Stay Friendly, PE

The Port Elizabeth food scene is having a moment, says Khanya Mzongwana of her home town. Whether you’re a local or just visiting, these gems should be on your holiday to-do list

From here to Timbuktu

She’s eaten many great meals at her family’s iconic Cape Town restaurant, The Africa Café, but Lumai de Smidt says the chicken she shared with them on a boat on the Niger River counts as the most memorable dinner of her life