First-time entrant Elrico Johnson from Kimberley is one of the ten top finalists in the Shoprite and Checkers annual Championship Boerewors Competition.
“I enjoy making boerewors and I wanted to share my recipe with the public. I tried different herbs and spices, but my main technique was keeping my recipe simple,” says Johnson, a trainee butchery manager at Shoprite Kimberley.
After impressing an expert panel of judges from the South African Chefs Association (Saca) over multiple rounds, Johnson will now join nine other contestants at the grand finale in Cape Town on Saturday, 24 August.
Here they will prepare and cook their boerewors for judges Zanele van Zyl, Carmen Niehaus, James Khoza, Mattew Howcroft and Martin Kobald.
The winner will be declared on the day and will take home incredible prizes – including a brand-new Toyota Fortuner 2.4 GD RB AT – and the coveted title of 2024 Boerewors Champion.
The winning recipe will also be for sale in Shoprite and Checkers stores nationwide from 6 September.
The other nine finalists, in no particular order, are:
- Moshasheni Mabotja, who works at the Department of Public Works in Polokwane, Limpopo;
- Werner Taljaard, a Checkers regional meat market manager from Yzerfontein;
- Werner Gouws, an animal health technician from Riviersonderend;
- Rasheed Hassen, a Shoprite regional meat market manager from Randfontein;
- Jasper Gordon, a Checkers regional meat market manager from Strand;
- Ruard Briel, a financial manager from Centurion;
- Debbie Nel, a volunteer at Domino Foundation from Amanzimtoti;
- Marthinus Verwey, a Checkers regional meat market manager from Bloemfontein; and
- Ashook Beharie, a Checkers regional meat market manager from Ladysmith.
The first prize is the Toyota Fortuner and R20 000 cash, the second prize R50 000 cash, and the third prize R30 000 cash.
