Nokx Majosi is probably best known for her role as head pie maker at Rosewood London’s Holborn Dining Room. Her ultimate burger pie – if you’ve not seen it – is all over social media (imagine a burger inside a traditional pie crust, and you get the picture). And, while it may sound like too much of a good thing, it has been known to tempt even the staunchest of vegetarians. Her pastry creations are like mini morsels of artwork.
A chef who hails from South Africa, Nokx has been living and working in the UK since she was 22 and is now a chef-in-residence at London hotspot Fallow. But, while Nokx may be best known for pies that come stuffed with everything from truffle and Tunworth dauphinoise to pepper steak and blue cheese, her skills go far beyond her stunning lattice creations to a food that mirrors the very complex and historically tumultuous history of her home country: South Africa. Hers is a culinary heritage she celebrates poignantly in her new publication, The South African CookBook.
Nokx describes the cultural glue that food has served for her and many South Africans during the most tumultuous of times. She notes in her new book that “our country’s history has left an indelible mark on our relationship with food, with elements such as urbanisation, poverty, dispossession and apartheid significantly affecting access to quality ingredients.” And yet, the dish Seven Colours alone is one that Nokx explains “represents how South Africans have come together despite their differences, in a nation marked by a complex history of colonialism, apartheid and the struggle for freedom.” The recipe is for a meal served in many colours on Sundays and special occasions. It not only showcases the food of South Africa but also exemplifies the happy meals she has shared with her family at home, as seen in the gorgeous photographs that pepper the pages of her book.
Nokx admits the process of writing the cookbook has left her feeling vulnerable at times but adds, “I’m so glad I’ve done it by myself. I write as a kind of telling of my own story, but within the terms of my food. There was no way I could ask someone to do that for me. It was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it.”
While presenting the world with a beautiful and very bountiful number of recipes from South Africa, Nokx is quick to add that the pages and the food within reflect her childhood and the food she encountered on her travels. She describes South African cuisine as “a varied narrative made up of the diverse cultures and culinary traditions that define our nation.” There is a wide array of flavours and experiences to be found within the cuisine, especially in Durban, where Nokx grew up, a city with the largest Indian population outside India. She also notes that she was raised with a strong awareness of the importance of using local, seasonal produce and not wasting anything.
“There are things that your parents will teach you and, not knowing the benefit when you’re young, you often question them. But now, looking back as a chef, I see where they were coming from. I am very focused on using seasonal products, never wasting anything where possible. And remember, when I grew up, people were often relying on the neighbours because you couldn’t always buy what you needed.”
Nokx talks of her mother a lot, both with me and in her new book. “My mom is getting old,” she tells me. “She’s alone, and I miss her more than ever now. So, I try to go home twice a year, but last year I went three times because I was invited to do MasterChef over there as a judge.” When she does return to South Africa, she spends a great deal of time in Cape Town. “It is two hours by plane from where I grew up [in Durban], and it’s such a wonderful city. That’s where many restaurants are most innovative in South Africa. The landscape is incredible; the people know much more about the wines and vineyards than elsewhere. And, with that, she gives us her five favourite tables to book in The Mother City, as it’s known.