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Katlego swaps headphones for a culinary hat

Her head for radio is rivalled by her heart for the culinary arts. Katlego Ramagaga, radio station manager at the NWU’s campus in Mahikeng, shares the origins of her love of cuisine with us.

“I have been cooking since I was about 12 years old and my first meal was spaghetti and mince,” says Katlego, who recently took part in the popular culinary competition show, Come Dine with Me South Africa. She was one of four contestants on the second episode of the fourth season of the show, which was aired on 22 February 2018.

 

An ardent fan of the show for the past five years, Katlego jumped at the opportunity to be a contestant when the opportunity first arose late last year. Having received confirmation from the show producers that she had been selected as a participant, she got cracking on her host night menu and eventually came up with a three-course meal.

 

It consisted of spicy chicken with apple coleslaw for starters, spicy lamb shank on a bed of creamy herby garlic mash for the main course and what she calls a “naughty Oreo Amarula cheesecake” for dessert.

 

Practice makes perfect

 

“I practised the meal every Sunday for five Sundays leading towards the competition; it got to a point where I didn’t want to eat it any more and used my family and friends as my guinea pigs. Every week the results came out better and better.

 

“The dessert, which has become my signature dessert, was perfected literally the night before my turn to host the other three contestants. I must have tried the recipe six times before I got the desired results,” Katlego adds.

 

“Cooking and hosting is in my DNA, as I come from a family who celebrate everything with a braai or huge Sunday lunches – so home cooking has always been something I was involved in. I take inspiration from my grandparents and my aunts and obviously love my mother’s food. I am grateful for her because she’s always willing to let me experiment,” she concludes.

 

In addition to her demanding role as a campus radio station manager, Katlego is currently working on a food blog where she will share some of her favourite recipes and also plans to make some of the food to sell at local monthly markets.

 

 

Katlego Ramagaga, radio station manager at the NWU’s campus in Mahikeng, says cooking and hosting is in her DNA.