Chefs let pots simmer for Errieda du Toit

The winter air that blows over the Stellenbosch mountains carries a special scent of togetherness this month. It’s wrapped in the smell of pickled fish and moss balls and pumpkin puffs, of rump meat that has been gently cooked in an oven for hours, and of memories that have been passed down from generation to generation like old recipe books. But above all, it carries a spirit of community.

For decades there has been one voice that has taught South Africans that food is not just about nutrition, but about who we are.

Errieda du Toit, beloved heritage food evangelist, celebrity home cook from RSG, the content producer for cook door, MasterChef South Africa in In die sopas well as the author of ten monumental cookbooks such as Together – A Century of South African Community Recipes – are currently facing huge medical challenges.

Errieda du Toit. (Photo: Provided)

Food people, however, know how to react if one of their own hardships: They set a table.

Under the banner of Onderstok Food Creative (a collective of Stellenbosch chefs) and Stellenbosch wine routes, the Cape food and wine community joined hands for an exceptional fundraising dinner.

On Wednesday 24 June, the historic Lanzerac in Stellenbosch will be transformed into a rich gathering of heritage flavors and camaraderie.

All proceeds from ticket sales are donated directly to Errieda and her family for her medical expenses.

To understand why the country’s leading chefs donated their time, supplies and talents unconditionally for this evening, one must look at what Errieda means to our food culture. She is not just a cookbook author – she is the archaeologist of the South African home kitchen.

“Food has the power to connect us with others and with ourselves – and shape our identity,” Errieda has often said. Her love of food is a classic case of the apple not falling far from the tree.

It started with her mother and grandfather, with the recipes that were hastily written out for her mother’s trousseau. Those faded, tattered papers were the seed from which a collection of more than 2,000 antique cookbooks grew.

Errieda’s great passion – some would say her whole-making obsession – is discovering so-called “church books” or charity cookbooks at flea markets and in second-hand shops. These booklets, often typed by hand, with ridges that curl from the years of use and fat spots from the butter on the pages, she described a year or two ago as our country’s “cultural selfies”, during a heritage dinner at Clara’s Barn on the historic farm Vergenoegd Löw. (How fitting that the word “satisfied” means the glorious state of total contentment and satiety.)

“They show us an undiluted look at what ordinary people ate at home. Not the lofty gourmet ideals of glossy magazines, but the food of the heart. It tells the story of who and what we were, and who we are today.”

In her gigantic archive lie treasures such as The Calendar of Puddings from 1933, published by the Women’s Agricultural Society of the Cape Province, which prescribes a pudding for every day of the year. The oldest gem is the Paarl Cookery Book from 1918, compiled in aid of the Red Cross at the end of the First World War. It is precisely these booklets that show how world events have affected our tables: from the arrival of the electric stove and the microwave, to the psychological impact of television, when recipes suddenly had to be adapted so that they could be eaten on a tray in front of the screen.

It is this very spirit of generosity and community, the driving force behind those old church booklets, that will be revived at Lanzerac next week. The entire meal is a living tribute to the food history that Errieda so fervently protects.

The culinary team that has been put together for the evening reads like a roll of honor from the Cape winelands: chefs such as Bertus Basson, Garth Bedford (Joostenberg), Drikus Brink (Toevlug), Marthinus Ferreira (Jordan Restaurant), Stephen Fraser (Lanzerac), Cornelle Minie (Middelvlei), Shaun Scrooby (VUUR), Michelle Theron (Vergenogd Löw) and Jess van Dyk (Post & Pepper) are behind the dishes themselves.

“Errieda touched many lives through her passion for food, stories and the way she brings people together around the table,” says Bertus Basson. “She is a cherished member of our community, and this meal is our way of giving something back.”

Elmarie Rabe, manager of Stellenbosch wine routes, echoes the sentiment: “There is a special connection between wine, food and stories, and few people understood it as well as Errieda. She not only celebrated our culinary heritage, but also helped to preserve it for future generations. Her contribution to the 50-year commemorative book, Stellenbosch: The Wine. The People. The Stories.helped to capture the people, traditions and stories behind Stellenbosch’s wine and food culture. Her work reminds us that the true value of food and wine lies in the people who share it around a table.”

That very day, Errieda thanked Bertus and Drikus for giving their heritage food new wings.

Bertus Basson. (Photo: Provided)

“They understand the close bond we have with food, and I love Drikus’ fine interpretation of memorable food,” she said. And Bertus was not the judge on the reality show for nothing cook door and provider of In die sop NO.

How full circle that they are now part of the chef team.

As Errieda also said that day on Vergenoegd Löw: “We live in an era in which nothing seems certain and reassurance is rare. What we need more than ever is a spirit of generosity, sharing, cooperation and community. It is precisely now, in an era of unprecedented access to recipes online, that we must look to heritage food for stability and a sense of belonging.”

On Wednesday evening, guests can look forward to a magnificent four-course family-style feast, served with some of Stellenbosch’s best wines. The dishes will tell the rich history of our home kitchens; those same stories that Errieda writes about with so much “evangelical zeal”.

Perhaps there will be references to the mysteries of our food names. Where does the name “mallow pudding” come from? (Errieda researched it: It first appeared around 1971 under that name in a Porterville High School cookbook, before that it was known as “Free State pudding” or even “thirst pudding”). What is sling-around-the-smoel?

The food of the evening will remind us of the days when recipes did not give oven temperatures, but simply said that you should feel the heat with your hand or put a white piece of paper in the oven to see if it turns brown for pie dough or pale yellow for meringue.

(Photo: Provided)

It’s food that swings the pendulum back from the cold, clinical Google recipes to the rich, rustic honesty of togetherness.

The event is hosted by the well-known radio personality Martelize Brink, who made her time available free of charge to act as hostess. It promises to be an evening of exceptional food, excellent wine and intimate camaraderie.

The tables at Lanzerac are ready. The fire is lit, the chefs write down their final recipes and the wines are on ice. All that’s missing is you. Buy your ticket today on DinePlan, move your chair in next week and become part of the recipe that supports Errieda du Toit’s life’s work. Because in the words of the old church booklets that she loves so much: Tasting is funbut carrying around is even better.

Kitsfait:

To be part of this historic evening and support Errieda, the arrangements are as follows:

• Date and time: Wednesday 24 June 2026 at 18:30
• Location: Lanzerac Estate Hotel & Spa, Stellenbosch
• Ticket price: R12 50 per person (including the four-course meal and wine)
• Bookings: Direct via DinePlan: Fundraiser for Errieda Du Toit at Lanzerac Estate, Stellenbosch – Book Online | Dinner plan
• Make a weekend of it: For those who want to fully experience the evening without driving home, Lanzerac offers an incredible opportunity. If you book a room for the night of 24 June via lanzerac.co.za, the hotel will donate R1 000 from each room booking directly to Errieda’s fund.
• For any further inquiries you can contact the organizing committee at (email protected) or 021 886 4310.
• If you cannot attend the event, but still want to lend your hand to this food treasure of South Africa, an official Back-a-Buddy campaign has been launched.