What’s your favourite comfort food?

“Squashing soft little pillows of gnocchi between tongue and palate makes me happy.”

– Tharien Nel

“It has to be something involving béchamel sauce. I ate gallons of the stuff as a child and it was the first thing my mom taught me to cook, so I could make it myself. Mac and cheese, lasagne, my mom’s version of chicken à la king – it all makes me feel warm, comforted and cosy.”

– Katharine Pope

“Butter chicken and rotis. I’ve been trialling various spice combinations during lockdown.”

– Alistair Fester

“What comes to mind when I think of comfort food is definitely something carb heavy. I make a mean lasagne and it’s definitely one of the family’s favourites too.”

– Yvette Samaai

“Oxtail stew with dumplings with a glass of Merlot brings me great comfort and joy.”

– Michelle Coburn

“Mine would have to be a cottage pie. It’s one of my favourite dishes my mom used to make before she retired from cooking, like most black parents when their kids are old enough to cook. It reminds me of home.”

– Siphokazi Tsala

“A saucy, tomatoey bowl of spaghetti Bolognese with garlic and shavings of Parmesan hits the spot!”

– Liesl Nicholson

“Risotto di zucca (roast pumpkin risotto) from the blue River Café cookbook – the first ‘proper’ restaurant dish I ever learned to make. The smell of the vermouth when it hits the onion and butter caramelising in the pan is indescribably comforting.”

– Kate Wilson