"It's a great time to be a foodie in South Africa." So says Stefania Johnson, editor of the much-anticipated 2005 edition of the glossy annual food directory Eat In, which will appear on shelf from the beginning of October. 
Eat In, published by New Media, is South Africa's only comprehensive one-stop 'foodie directory' that lists 577 of the country's best bakeries, delis, butchers, cheese-makers, fishmongers, spice emporia, Asian supermarkets, farmstalls, markets, organic food producers, vintners, cooking schools, and much, much more. "With the vast array of fabulous foodstuffs produced and available locally - like fynbos cheddar, fig pâté, Karoo-grown olives and macadamia butter - we no longer have to look to our intercontinental culinary counterparts for mouth-watering exotica," adds Johnson.
Eat In will help you find just about anything your foodie heart could wish for - from tuna steaks to fresh organic produce, chemical-free German decaf coffee to gold cupcake cases, yellow kiwi fruit to who to call for curry-making lessons.
"It's a guide book in a magazine format," adds Johnson. "Terrifically useful, packed with information and full of surprises." Although the 'foodie directory' is the main event, there are loads of other features too. Like a four-page Foodie Diary with a year's worth of culinary events - from the Langebaan Mussel Festival to Natal Wine Week to the Phillipolis Witblitz Festival - as well as some handy seasonal hints (like when is a good time to pick porcini mushrooms in the Mpumalanga pine forests).
The Inspirations section is filled with 'foodie fare, great ideas and culinary know-how', including 20 things to do with balsamic vinegar, Who's who on the fish counter and Cheese Please: How to select store and serve it like a connoisseur. Did you know for example, that it's not rude to prod a fish before you buy it (in fact you should!) - and that the same goes for camembert and brie, or that if you spray your cheese grater with non-stick cooking spray you are guaranteed hassle-free grating and cleaning?
Eat In was initially published solely as a listings guide and has evolved over the past five years into an indispensable reference book of information and inspiration to local food lovers who refer to it throughout the year.
Winner of the 2003 Sappi PICA Award for the Best Consumer Commemorative Issue, Eat In is not merely aimed at readers with a golden spatula in the kitchen but also offers information for those in the food and entertainment industries who value Eat In as a resource for their trade, be they cooks, caterers, or small producers seeking outlets for their goods.
The glossy annual will be on sale nationally at selected Woolworths stores, CNA, Exclusive Books, Spar, Airport bookstores, farm stalls, delis and wine shops for R29.95.
