The community cook-off featured local organisations, chefs, and restaurants competing for the best winter warmer soup. “We had an altogether fantastic evening embracing culinary creativity, indulging in mouthwatering flavours, and supporting local chefs as they showcased their skills,” said Liezel Maree of Salty Sistas. Keystone Café was the winner of the cook-off with their lamb shank and butter bean soup.

Jacqueline Tucker, the owner, said their café aims to be a conscious-based eatery that not only delivers great service, but a unique concept around the education and communication of where the food on their plates comes from and the stories of the people who grow, raise and prepare the food. “We believe that there is huge value in being customer conscious but at the same time knowing and understanding our impact on this world.”

She said the café was developed to create awareness of its pivotal role in ecosystems and how humans impact them. “With the right mindset and education, and by developing an ‘aardvark attitude’ we can have such a beautiful impact on the sustainability of food production and assist in community development and welfare,” she said. “We advocate ‘sustainavores’ which supports eating for your health, your planet, and your values,” she said.

Also read: Sarah turns food to art

“Agriculture, especially in Southern Africa, is a pivotal keystone for society to ensure food security for the future.” She explained that their choice of soup was supportive of this industry, hence they chose to include red meat. “Lamb is a wonderfully rich and nutritious source of protein for the human body, while also supplying healthy animal fats and of course essential minerals and vitamins. “There is nothing better than a hearty, warm, and delicious soup for winter!

“We all get inspiration and creativity from the ecosystem around us, so the recipe for the soup was originally recommended to us by a good friend who had seen and tested a similar recipe from Sarie magazine,” she said. “We of course then recreated and added some further Keystone Café magic to the dish. “A slow-cooked lamb shank with the usual key soup ingredients of onion, garlic, carrots, celery, tomatoes, bay leaves, and stock, topped up with butter beans creates the base of the dish.

Also read: Mzansi’s next cooking star is …

“A little garam masala, smoked paprika, and chili flake magic take it to the next level,” added Jacqueline. Second place, with a 173 score (only two points behind the winner), was Baby Cakes, which is owned by Sarah Harrison. They made an incredible tomato basil soup with warm tones of cumin. In third place was Moditlo River Lodge with their oxtail soup. The 2024 cook-off will be in June next year and will feature curries.