The Clover Little Big Cook Off concludes their first round.
The Clover Little Big Cook Off has concluded the first round of the show. The first nine episodes saw spatulas flipping and cakes rising in the oven with 27 teams battling it out in the Way Better kitchen for a spot in the semi-finals and a chance to win prizes up to R1,000,000.
The grand prize at the end of the finale is certainly something worth sharpening those chopping knives for. The winning team will win a family trip to Disney World, Florida, USA; a kitchen make-over to the value of R300,000 and their recipes published in the Clover Little Big Cook Off Recipe Cook Book, which is due to hit the shelves in mid-August.
#CLBCO: the top nine teams
The first round of the show introduced us to a variety of the best home cooks in South Africa; all who brought their own unique flavour to the table. In each episode, three adult-and-child teams whipped out their culinary skills to land a spot in the semi-finals.
In the first episode, we were introduced to the cute ‘n’ clever team of Pavel Morris and her adorable daughter Tiana Tsvangirayi (8). Together Pavel and Tiana made up The Brainstormers, a team that wowed chef judges Fathi ‘Coco’ Reinarhz, Martin Kobald and co-judge and host Zuraida Jardine with their butter-sizzling skills. “We never use a recipe book,” Pavel comments, “We can pick up on flavours and smells and tell if they will taste good – we make our own meals all the time.”
Competition began to heat up in the kitchen in the second episode with Team Family-Lee. Haidy Lee and her 14 year-old son Pasqual earned a top spot during their episode by winning both of the cook-off rounds – and with no surprise either! Team Family-Lee has great team work and persistence both in and out of the Way Better kitchen: Haidy’s persistence is demonstrated in her 14 year wait to get hold of her mother-in-law’s special Feta Prawns recipe, “and now I’m throwing it out there in a recipe book!” Haidy laughs.
Episode 3 tickled viewers’ taste buds with Team Sugar and Spice – the yellow team from Kwa Zulu Natal. Lee-Anne Ibbetson and her bubbly daughter Hannah (12) have loved cooking together for years and jumped for joy when they found out that they would be on the show, “We’ve experienced some trying times in the last few months and this really is a silver lining,” Mommy comments. Lee-Anne’s sweet-as-sugar persona and Hanna’s spice for life certainly balance each other out: Hannah bossed her mother around while mommy encouraged her darling daughter to experiment in the kitchen. Hannah is full of talents: not only did she create her Minnie Mouse-inspired hairdo by herself, but she brought an impressive level of baking experience to the dishes they created.
The Dynamic Duo brought some dynamite to the show in the fourth episode. Mother and son team of Dianne and David Killian fired up their competitive side to lock a spot in the semi-finals. Their teamwork helped them achieve full colours by winning all three challenges: The Way Better Quiz; their family recipe of Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with freshly made Fettuccine; and their rendition of the Hot Milk Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache in the bake-off. “The Dynamic Duo definitely showed Little Big team spirit in their cooking.” Chef judge Martin Kobald says, “They definitely deserve a spot in the semi-finals”
The Glorious Angels introduced a little innovation to the show in episode five with their interestingly unique family recipe: Mamas Big Surprise Burger (with a barbeque sauce made from Clover Krush Apple Juice and Clover Krush Orange Juice). Single mother Glory Legodi and her daughter Baby Angelic touched the hearts of viewers in this episode with their passion to win. “Financially, I am struggling,” Mama Glory states, “I want to give my children the very best that I can give; I want to give them birthday parties! If I win the competition, it will help a lot because I can treat my children to a special holiday and I would have a beautiful kitchen for all of us to cook in, together.”
A loveable father and feisty daughter made up The Cooking Gurus in episode 6. Mornè and Caitlynn Labuschagne (11) took over the Way Better Kitchen with their determination to win a spot in the semi-finals. With a desire to become a South African cake boss, Caitlynn really pushed both herself and her father to give it their all in their cooking. It was a combination of their meticulous attention to detail, team work and passion that locked them a place in the semi-finals.
With a dream to become a pastry-chef, Deeya Toffie (15) and her tutor and friend Aamina Mohammed (23) proceed to the semi-finals for more than just their fruit-crumbling abilities. With excellent team spirit and a constant relaxation in the kitchen, Team Halaal brought some spice to the kitchen with their delicious family favourite Butter Chicken, and Deeya got to perfect her dessert-making skills with the Fruit Crumble with Fresh Custard, both which earned them gold stars and the seventh place in the semi-finals.
The Clover Little Big Cook Off got viciously delicious in the eighth episode with Zulayka Goga and her adorable little daughter Asma Mahomed, aged 9. Together, the two of them made up Team Vicious & Delicious – a team that excelled in the show with not only their spicy and tasty Butter Chicken, but also their version of the Milk Tart with Cardamom to win the overall episode and land a spot in the semi-finals. Asma’s vicious and delicious skills shined in the show and Zulayka found herself in awe of her daughter as she chopped and helped and blossomed in front of her. “She’s not little anymore!” Zulayka proudly smiled.
The pretty-in-pink aunt and niece duo Team Flour Power rounded up the final episode of the show with their exceptional whisk-whipping and pear-poaching skills. Marilize Grobler and her 12 year-old niece Chantè Engelbrecht won the bake-off challenge with their personalised Cinnamon Crumpets with Poached Pears and Chantilly Cream, which landed them the ninth and final position in the semi-finals. The team captured the attention of all three judges, with Chef Coco saying, “Team Flour Power produced some great tasting food and they also showed a remarkable synergy on the set; they were always smiling and having fun.”
The first round of #CLBCO has concluded with these top nine home cooks. Together, each team will compete in the semi-finals for one of only three spots in the finale, airing on SABC3 on 2 August. Which of these teams has the Way Better Way to secure them a spot in the finale? Tune into SABC 3 on Saturday 12th, 19th and 26th July to find out which of these Clover favourites have what it takes!