‘Green warrior’ scoops food book prize
IT may come as a relief to some to hear that Tim Noakes’s Real Meal Revolution is not the only cookbook published in South Africa, although it does hold the record for most copies sold.
Fifty-four food books, all published in South Africa in the past year, were entered into the inaugural Sunday Times Food Weekly Cookbook of the Year contest, in association with Pick n Pay.
Six finalists were chosen and the winners were announced at an awards ceremony at the Pick n Pay Good Food Studio in Joburg on Thursday.
Strandveld-food by West Coast chef Kobus van der Merwe and Jac de Villiers (published by Sunbird) took the prize for most innovative newcomer. Another Week in the Kitchen by Woodstock restaurateur Karen Dudley (Jacana), and Durban Curry by Erica Platter and Clinton Friedman (Paw Paw) received highly commended awards.
The top three spots went to books published by Quiver-tree Publications, the same house that publishes Noakes’s book. The runners-up were Braai: Reuben on Fire by Master Chef South Africa judge Reuben Riffel and Cook. Better. by Nikki Werner and Brandon de Kock.
First prize went to Star Fish by first-time author Daisy Jones, a former Business Day journalist whose book has recipes for fish in South Africa that aren’t endangered.
The judges — five veteran cookbook authors and food personalities — were looking for books that contained accessible, easy-to-follow recipes that were attractively photographed and designed, and which reflected food trends and concerns.
Volume of sales didn’t count, otherwise Real Meal Revolution would have won hands down. Publisher Libby Doyle puts the figure at about 170 000 copies sold so far.
“And that is a conservative estimate.”
This is far more than the average sales for cookbooks. “Our top books sell about 5 000 copies a year,” said Doyle. “In the South African market that is a bestseller.”
Cookbooks and children’s books are the only sectors in which sales remain unaffected by digital publishing.
“The books that are most in demand show how food-aware the world is becoming. So many people are changing their game and, in the case of quiet green warriors like Daisy, wanting to change the world. All this is good news for cookbooks.”
Jones said the idea for Star Fish came from the list of endangered fish published by the Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative.
“Researching why fish on the SASSI green list are sustainable was a joy,” she writes. “The top 10 emerged quite naturally. They are solid green choices and, importantly, they work for home cooks.”