Minki nostalgic about Christmas with VIA’s ‘Kersfees-Kookstryd’

TV host Minki van der Westhuizen says: “I am crazy about Christmas and everything that comes with it.”

Although it doesn’t take much more than family to impress her when it comes to Christmas, two teams embark on a quest to impress Minki under three different categories in the one-off, hour-long Christmas cooking contest, ’n Woolies Kersfees-Kookstryd met Minki.

In the show, which will be broadcast repeatedly over December, Minki is joined in the kitchen by two cooking teams competing in three uniquely themed rounds to determine who can serve the best Christmas-inspired meals.

Chefs Nic van Wyk and Yolani Abrahams team up against chef Jacques Erasmus and media personality Zoë Brown.

“It is wonderful to be part of such a set and production and of course, Jacques, Zoey, Nic and Yolani – they are such fun people to work with,” says Minki.

She reminisces about Christmases gone by, saying some of her favourite memories of the festive season include visits to her grandmother in Vanrhynsdorp.

“My brother and I always dressed up like Joseph and Maria with baby Jesus.”

She laughs when she reimagines their bathrobe outfits and the towels around their heads and then – as if remembering a holy moment – shares the special memory of her grandfather reading the Christmas story from the Bible.

“Wonderful childhood memories that I can cherish,” she says.

For her, family time is very important, especially over the festive season. This year is a Van der Westhuizen Christmas and Minki and her family, together with her brother and his brand-new wife will be spending time with her parents in Strandfontein along the West Coast.

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When it comes to the Christmas table, Minki says as they will be at the beach over Christmas, she might get the kids to pick up some seashells as decorations.

“And, definitely candles and serviettes and Christmas crackers that we’ll be taking along to keep things festive.”

For Minki, a Christmas meal is very much about the people with whom she shares the meal and the reason for celebrating Christmas. But, her favourite dish from ‘’n Woolies Kersfees-Kookstryd met Minki’ is undoubtedly the gammon.

“It’s something that we don’t prepare often, and a traditional Christmas dish. The gammon was a huge piece of meat that just looked so delicious,” she says.

She also highlights the fact that if there are leftovers, it is delicious on a sandwich or as cold meat for many days afterwards.

Minki says she is happy that the year is drawing to a close and that she has a little more time on her hands. She will be shooting one last campaign mid-December and has a lot of brand ambassador work lined up for 2022. They will also start filming her TV series, Minki’s 11th season in January.

Watch ’n Woolies Kersfees-Kookstryd met Minki, in partnership with Woolworths on 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 13, 14, 15 or 16 December on VIA.