‘Come Dine With Me SA’ returns

Skaapstertjies, kleftiko and kritharaki, sticky oxtail in red wine, and terrine de foies de volaille.

These are just a few of the interesting and unique dishes that will be on the menu on the new season of Come Dine With Me SA.

Food lovers can look forward to 12 new episodes of the popular culinary show, when it hits TV screens on Monday.

The second series of the cookery show sees four amateur chefs attempt to wow and outwit one another with their culinary and hospitality skills, in a bid to win a R5 000 cash prize, as well as Pick n Pay vouchers worth R5 000.

The new series, a local spin-off of the popular British cooking reality TV show, premieres with Anne-Marie Pavkovich, Simphiwe Mtetwa, Jo-Anne van Niekerk and Menelaos Hatziandreo.

The producers of the show spent months looking for unique characters for the show, and South Africans can expect larger-than-life characters this season.

Each episode has four contestants who host a dinner party at their home, where they are rated by fellow contestants for a chance to win the two prizes.

Besides the cooking, the characters on the show make for good TV, even if they are likely to exasperate viewers.

One contestant likely to do that on the first episode is Joburg teacher Pavkovich, who describes herself as a “bubbly, outgoing and crazy-as-hell person who is very opinionated”.

This first episode starts in Pavkovitch’s home, where she serves her guests skaapstertjies (sheep tails) with mini veggie pies as a starter, mutton curry bunny chow with home-made bread and sambals as a main, then milk tart for dessert.

Day two is the turn of Greek stockbroker Hatziandreo. The 27-year-old serves dolmathes (vine leaf-wrapped rice), tzatziki keftethes (Greek meatballs) and Greek blue cheese salad for his starter, kleftiko and kritharaki (slow-cooked lamb with Greek pasta) as his main, then galaktoboureko (Greek milk tart in syrup), for dessert.

Van Niekerk is the host of day three.

The 36-year-old financial manager from Brakpan serves cream of mussel soup, sticky oxtail in red wine, and creme brulee to her guests.

Last, it’s the turn of Mtetwa, 33, an events manager from Mondeor, who serves terrine de foies de volaille (chicken liver pate), sirloin steak with vegetables, then peppermint and chocolate milk tart.

* Catch season two of Come Dine With Me SA on BBC Entertainment on Monday night at 8pm.

Weekend Argus