Former Anatoli owner Tayfun Aras published his ‘Anatoli Authentic Turkish Cuisine’ Cookbook in 2018, containing a collection of recipes of dishes served at Anatoli, many still on the menu, and his kitchen secrets. His culinary journey From Turkey to Cape Town is penned as well. Anatoli is one of Cape Town’s longest-established restaurants, still trading on Napier Street, where it opened its doors in 1984. Continue reading →
The Sweet Service Award goes to Mynhardt’s Kitchen in Paarl for its professional delivery of a Fruitcake, to publicise its charity drive to sell 1200 Festive Fruitcakes, to support disadvantaged children in Paarl, and frail and disadvantaged elderly persons in Montagu. Not only did I receive a Fruitcake, but the goodie box contained the non-perishable ingredients which one would use to bake a Fruitcake too. In addition, a recipe card was sent to bake a Fruitcake, as well as tips on how to store and serve a Fruitcake. The most professional presentation which I have seen in a long time, and all for a good cause. Continue reading →
The new Department of Health food labelling regulations, Regulations Relating to Labelling and Advertising of Foodstuffs, No R146 of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act of 1972, which came into effect two weeks ago, are a welcome benefit for consumers, in that labelling will now be far more honest with regard to product content and its health benefits.
Claims such as ‘fat-free’, ‘low-fat’, ‘100% fruit juice’, ‘0% cholesterol’, ‘wholesome’, ‘balanced nutrition’, ‘nutritious’, and ‘healthy’ are now illegal. The percentage of major ingredients in a product must be specified. A berry juice, called that and depicted with berry illustrations on the packs, must prominently display the berry as well as the apple juice content, the latter being the basis of most fruit juices. Even more importantly, any ingredient making up less than 2% of the content by weight may not be emphasised, reports the Cape Times. Any implied health benefits of a product are illegal. ‘High in fibre’, ‘low fat’, and ‘sugar free’ claims on packs must be supported by the mandatory nutritional table.
The regulations dictate that the name of the product must be a minimum 4 mm in size, may not contain a misleading photograph or illustration, must list the ingredients in descending order of weight, product claims must be supported by the nutritional table, allergens must be listed, the name and address of the manufacturer and/or distributor must be stated, the net content must be shown, the batch identification number must be displayed, a ‘use by’ date is mandatory, and instructions for use must be provided. Claims relating to diabetes must be supported by low GI, lower fat, and/or lower sodium information.
Food retailers appear divided about the food labelling regulations, Pick ‘n Pay expressing its support of the legislation in that it would carry products with full information disclosure, while Shoprite is said by Business Report to be critical of the legislation, due to it being too complex, it being inconsistent, not being fully inclusive, and being ambiguous. The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa is addressing the retailers’ concerns about the legislation.
Despite the implementation of the regulations having been known for two years, Pick ‘n Pay Franschhoek was out of stock of its Pick ‘n Pay-branded Greek yogurt yesterday, a manger saying that the supplier is fixing its packaging in accordance with the labelling legislation, and therefore the product will not be available for another two weeks or so.
The new food labelling regulations, which apply to dog and cat food too, are a welcome benefit for consumers, in that it will remove deception and confusion about products’ ingredients and their health benefits. The regulations apply to advertising of foodstuffs too, preventing puffery and misleading claims in this regard too.
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage
Increasingly consumers are entertaining their guests at home, by shopping at a select number of specialist food shops and delis, and preparing something last minute. This is partly due to the recession South Africans have experienced in the past two years, as well as the general shortage of time, and this has stimulated the production of wonderfully healthy and creative food products for in-home use. It also reflects the greater time that consumers spend on shopping for produce and ingredients than they do cooking or preparing it. This was said by Anelde Greeff, editor of Eat In, at the announcement of the winners of the 4th Eat In Produce Awards, which was held as a Night Market at the Old Biscuit Mill on Thursday evening. 
The Best New Product winner of the 2011 SAB Eat In Produce Awards, as judged by Anelde Greeff, Justine Drake (previous editor of Eat In), Pete Goffe-Wood (an Eat Out Top 10 restaurant judge), Anna Trapido (an Eat Out Top 10 restaurant judge) and Michelle Barry (principal of the Christina Martin Cookery School in Durban), is Totally Wild’s Aloe and Baobab Juice, which contains calcium, iron and vitamins. The South African Heritage Award went to Enaleni Farm in KwaZulu-Natal, and this selection was motivated as follows: “This KZN farm is preserving our heritage by keeping a herd of Nguni cattle, endangered Zulu sheep, growing rare, local maize varietals and the traditional ibhece melon”.
The other 2011 SAB Eat In Produce Awards winners, with the motivation for their selection, are the following:
The 2011 edition of Eat In magazine was launched at the event, the tenth issue, with 850 listings in categories such as bakeries, butcheries, cheese suppliers, delis, cooking schools, kitchen tool suppliers, ‘exotica’ (being spice and imported product suppliers), fish suppliers, farm stalls and markets, organic food suppliers, caterers, olives and olive oils, and tea and coffee suppliers. For the first time quick and easy recipes are provided as well.
For the first time the Eat In Produce Awards were held with a ‘Night Market’ at the Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill, with many of the regular stall holders and past Eat In Produce winners selling their wonderful products. I was pleased to meet Richard Bosman (left), making an excellent quality and packaged range of cured meats using pasture reared pork. I bought lovely mozzarella products from Puglia Cheese, and loved the stand for Buffalo Ridge in Wellington, buying their mozzarella too, and trying their yoghurt. It was good to see La Motte’s Farm Shop have a stand too.
To co-incide with the Awards, S A Breweries launched two craft beers at the event – a Newlands Extra Special, and the Sunset Wheat Beer. A lovely sparkling Newlands Spring water was also available to drink at the launch.
As an invited guest to the Awards, it was disappointing that there was no name tag on arrival, despite my RSVP. The media and “VIP” guests were herded into the back section of the market hall, but there was no one to guide one to the SAB table for the beer, and there was no wine available if one was not a beer drinker. No food was served (ironic for a food-related event), and invited guests had to buy their food. The whole function seemed a little amateurish in its execution, and I had to ask for the media pack on my departure, no New Media Publishing staff member proactively ensuring that all guests received such a pack. The media pack consisted of a selection of SA Breweries beers, a lanyard and the Eat In magazine, but none of the award-winning products! Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly, who was attending the event as a colleague, and who was one of the writers for the magazine, was most hospitable and helpful, even though it was not her function, and not her duty to do so. New Media Publishing’s Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards’ events have a far longer history, admittedly, but are slick and almost without hiccups, in contrast to what we experienced at the SAB Eat In Produce Awards. Parking anywhere reasonably close to the Old Biscuit Mill remains a challenge, even in the late afternoon.
Eat In 2011 magazine. www.eat-in.co.za
Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage