The Boland’s Charcuterie King

During the turbulent eighties, the late Dr Matie Brink, an NG dominee in Paarl, converted many South Africans to the gospel of potjiekos. In the furthest corners of the country and in Namibia, he would cook for up to 3 000 people at a time. It was under his guidance that inexpensive stewing meat and fresh vegetables were patiently simmered into a tasty meal in a legion of No 25 potbellied cast-iron pots.

Matie’s wife, Cheryl, and their five children often had to lend a hand with peeling and chopping vegetables. Today, the Brink family is still cooking up a storm – and, says Walter, each one of them has a particular “speciality”. (Last year, his youngest sister, Martelize of RSG fame, even published a cookbook.)

“I remember those childhood adventures as if they were yesterday,” says Walter in the house