Start as you mean to continue, goes the saying, and believe us when we say that this breakfast of creamy Turkish eggs (or cilbir) will start your day off right. If there’s anyone who knows the importance of a good breakfast, it’s Meg Lagerwey, a.k.a. The Good Gut Guru (@the_good_gut_guru).

With her focus on gut health, Meg recognises the value of adding probiotic-rich foods such as yoghurt to your diet – and this breakfast of Turkish eggs ticks all our boxes. We’ve got the new Greek-style yoghurt from Woolies at the base (hello, gut-friendly bifidobacterium cultures), topped with poached eggs (thank you, protein), and a wonderfully fragrant blend of paprika butter, olive oil, herbs and za’atar on toast. Breakfast will never be the same.

Turkish eggs

The kicker in this recipe is the yoghurt. Woolies’ new Greek-style yoghurt is made with rBST hormone-free milk and Greek cultures sourced from Athens, Greece (true story). It contains no additives, preservatives, thickeners or stabilisers. Live bifidobacterium cultures are helpful to your gut health, and for anyone trying to up their protein intake, it’s worth nothing that this Greek-style yoghurt contains a solid 8.4 grams of protein per 150 g serving, compared to standard yoghurt’s 5.6 grams.

But enough about the good stats – the simple truth is that this Greek-style yoghurt is really delicious! Super-creamy and with a nice tang, it’s the perfect addition to your snack repertoire (enjoy it with fruit and nuts, or make a tasty dip), breakfast or even dessert! Case in point: it’s the hero ingredient in these ridiculously fudgy chocolate brownies.

Fudgy Greek-style yoghurt chocolate brownies

Keen to try Woolies’ new Greek-style yoghurt? You’ll find it in fat free, low-fat, full-cream and double-cream varieties, and there’s also a strained version, which is even thicker and creamier (swoon). And just a heads up: the double-cream strained wild honey blossom yoghurt is so delightful you’re going to gobble it up like dessert.

Producers: Fatima Saib and Lerato Tlali

Host: Meg Bense

Photography: Shavan Rahim

Stylists: Bianca Strydom,  Chevonne Fourie

Videography: Sadiqah Assur-Ismail

Food assistant: Bianca Jones

Hair and makeup: Diane Bessesen

Woolies’ thick and creamy Greek-style yoghurt is made with Greek cultures from Greece. It’s delicious on its own as a snack, mixed with fruit for breakfast, or as an ingredient in dips and baking. It’s a source of protein, forming part of a balanced diet.

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When roadside produce stands, fresh food markets and grocery stores brighten with fresh fruit that seems to gleam and shine more than ever, leaves that bounce and crunch, and peas and beans that snap freshly between your teeth, it’s a sign that spring has made its way into the seasonal group chat. It’s celebrated for its flowers and foliage but perhaps unsung for its natural provisions.

I’ve said this before, but I’ll joyfully say it a thousand times over: eat with the seasons, people. It’s a mantra that shapes my culinary world and deepens the flavours on my plate. The environment remains grateful, plus it supports local farmers, inadvertently sparing me the environmental and financial consequences for shopping out-of-season produce shipped in from Spain or Italy.

I fall in love anew in springtime. I feel cured when I walk around Observatory and see people washing their cars, watering their gardens and walking their dogs in the warmth and early light. I want to exercise again. I yearn to lie on the grass, but mostly, I’m eagerly planning my next meal. You should, too. If you live a life of waiting for the next mealtime while you’re eating the previous one, you’ll understand the exciting anticipation of cooking dinner. Alternatively, if you’re tired of standing over the stove stirring soups and stews all day, spring brings with it a reprieve from all that work and an opportunity to eat less elaborately prepared, lighter meals.

If you’ll have me, I’d like to be your food therapist. I want to heal your relationship with cooking by showing you ways to feed yourself that don’t feel like a sentence to hard labour. This spring, let me guide you through this, the prettiest, most popular and outgoing sibling of the seasons. I’ve put together some recipes that aren’t homework, and that feel good to eat and share. It’s warm outside; set down those picnic blankets, get the Tupperware and flasks ready and for the love of Mary, turn off the TV and get outside. But only once you’ve cooked this very outdoorsy food that tastes its best in dappled light. Make spring all the more delicious with my special pick of TASTE recipes below, in accordance with what’s in season!

1.Asparagus

Abi makes this often enough in her home for it to be an expectation when there are guests over – very classy. The addition of anchovy butter might be my favourite thing about this recipe and the hunk of cheese alongside it doesn’t hurt either.

Asparagus with anchovy butter recipe

2.Avocado

I hate to toot my own horn, but this ice cream has been my best use of avocados so far and is such a fitting recipe for the season as it warms up.

Avocado-and-lemon ice cream recipe

3.Stone fruit

My mild allergy to stone fruit is NOT a deterrent. I prefer the stone fruit of midsummer, but if you just can’t wait, the nectarines on shelves right now are great in salads and other savoury dishes, like this nectarine, apricot and verjuice roast gammon. Abi is our in-house genius.

Roast gammon glazed with nectarines, apricots and verjuice recipe

4.Strawberries

I might be late to the party, but I love this use of strawberries by Hannah Lewry. Strawberry curd is just outrageous, and I’m trying it right away. You should, too – it might just beat lemon meringue pie.

Strawberry curd meringue pie recipe

5.Kale

The best way to enjoy kale is very thinly sliced, bruised and doused in this orange vinaigrette. It requires no cooking whatsoever and is fabulous as a braai side.

Kale slaw recipe

6.Baby marrows

Charlie Lakin was kind enough to share his gorgeous recipe for baby marrow tarte fine and I feel like this is perfect spring fare. It looks beautiful in the middle of the table and needs nothing more than some well-dressed leaves on the side.

Baby marrow tarte fine recipe

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There’s a flavour that belongs to the South African veld – earthy, gamey and distinct. It’s the taste of free-roaming wild venison, an ingredient that doesn’t need to be dressed up because it’s already got more character than most things you’ll cook this week.

Woolworths free-range venison mince comes from animals that roam wild, naturally. It’s lean, which means it cooks fast – a hot pan, a few minutes, and it’s done. Overcooking is the only mistake you can make. Salt, pepper, and let the flavour speak for itself.

Venison sliders with home-made milk buns

These sliders keep it that simple. Patties seasoned with nothing more than salt and pepper, tucked into soft, buttery home-made milk buns with white Cheddar, crisp Crunchita leaves, juicy tomato and a swipe of mayonnaise and mustard. Fresh chives finish it off. The buns are the other half of the story – soft, pillowy and buttery, they’re the kind that makes you wonder why you ever bought them from a shop.

Make them ahead, let the venison do the rest, and slider night just went wild.

Find more burger recipes here

Food assistant: Bianca Jones

Photography: Shavan Rahim

Woolworths free-range venison mince is lean, flavourful and ready for anything. Extra lean and full of gamey depth, it works just as well in a juicy slider as it does folded into pita bread with fresh herbs and yoghurt.

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Introducing the slow-down evening ritual you didn’t know you needed – a uniquely flavoured milk tart, with time to indulge in some self-care with WBeauty while it bakes.

Life is so busy these days, it can be hard to find the time to make something special for your family, let alone a quiet moment for yourself. But what if you combined the two? For Bashiera Parker, commercial content producer at TASTE and a busy mom of three, it’s so important to take the time for self-care, whether it takes the form of a thoughtful session of late-afternoon baking or a soothing beauty ritual.

When you plan well, these two experiences can be combined. Throw in some proudly South African flavours (we’re thinking of rooibos and ClemenGold) and that’s a Venn diagram we can really get on board with: beauty, baking and bountiful heritage! Sign us up.

Here, Bashiera shows how it’s done: gather your ingredients for a rooibos-flavoured milk tart (some mise en place goes a long way towards settling a busy brain), line up your favourite beauty products, and get ready for some delicious me-time.

Follow the simple steps for baking your indulgent milk tart, infused with rooibos and ClemenGold (scroll down for the recipe), pop it into the oven, and take the opportunity to indulge in a soothing beauty ritual while it bakes.

You’ll notice Bashiera’s favourites are all proudly South African products and available at Woolworths – Lelive, Skoon, Charlotte Rhys and, of course, WBeauty.

She starts with Lelive’s Jelly Splash Brighten and Renew Cleanser, with soothing green rooibos and aloe, followed by Lelive’s All Glow’d Up vitamin C, turmeric and HA Brightening Serum, with sustainably sourced rooibos.

Next, Skoon’s Pretty Smooth Oil-balanced Gel Cream, loaded with Aloe ferox, or the Hydrating Gel Cream, which includes an active ingredient of impepho. Finish off with a spritz of WBeauty’s Sensu fragrance, with notes of green apple, lily and melon, or Luré, with notes of pear, peony and vanilla (be sure to shop the Nite and Soul ranges for your partner, too) to set the tone for the rest of the evening.

And at last, your milk tart is ready!

Baked rooibos-and-ClemenGold milk tart

You’re feeling good, cared for and refreshed. You take the time to wash your hands with WBeauty’s mandarin-and-ginger hand wash, with extracts of green tea and aloe leaf, before slicing the milk tart.

All that’s left to do is brew a cup of rooibos tea, plate a slice of milk tart, and light a scented candle to set the atmosphere: Charlotte Rhys no. 17, with its matching diffuser, with top notes of yuzu, bergamot, lemon and tarragon makes the perfect backdrop for this gorgeous ritual.

A beautiful life is made by taking time to savour and celebrate small, beautiful moments. Don’t skimp on those small luxuries – use that special beauty serum, enjoy the scent of your favourite perfume, light the good candle and treasure the quiet moments.

Find more South African recipes here

Producer: Bashiera Parker

Recipe and production: Bianca Jones

Videography: Kaylene Sauls

Photography: Sadiqah Assur-Ismail

WBeauty, Lelive, Skoon and Charlotte Rhys are proudly South African beauty brands that incorporate proudly South African ingredients, such as rooibos. Support local and find them at Woolworths.

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You may have noticed something different at Woolies recently. The free-range eggs have moved off the shelf and into the fridge. It’s a deliberate decision and there’s a very good reason for it.

Why Woolworths chills its free-range eggs

Chilling preserves the freshness of eggs from the moment they’re packed. That means every egg you crack open at home is starting from the best possible place –  fresher, better performing and longer lasting in your fridge than an egg that’s been kept at room temperature.

But what does that mean in the kitchen?

Cold eggs hold their shape when poached – that tight, neat egg white that wraps cleanly around a runny yolk – and they stay fresher for longer in your fridge at home, which means less waste and more value from every single box.

The difference you’ll tasteWhether you’re whisking them into a silky Béarnaise, poaching them to perfection on a thick slice of toast or cracking them raw into a bowl to show off that deep, proud yolk – you’re always starting with a better egg. Because it’s cold.

Toasted brioche with soft eggs and Béarnaise

Crisp brioche, soft eggs with runny yolks and a velvety béarnaise. The breakfast that proves cold eggs cook better.

Toasted brioche with soft eggs and Béarnaise

Ramen with crispy egg

A steaming bowl of chicken bone broth, fresh egg noodles, baby pak choi and BBQ chicken kebabs, topped with a crispy chilled egg with a runny yolk and a scattering of crunchy sugar snaps. Ready in minutes.

Ramen with crispy egg

Find Woolworths free-range eggs in the fridge. That’s where the good ones live now.

Find more egg recipes here

Recipe and production: Marcelle van Rooyen

Food assistant: Bianca Jones

Photography: Shavan Rahim and Jan Ras

Videography: Romy Wilson

Woolworths’ free-range eggs are chilled from the moment they’re packed – and that makes all the difference.

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The post The big chill: why Woolies moved its eggs to the fridge appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Did you know that you can enjoy every part of the asparagus spear from the stem to the tip? This is because they are handpicked in the cool of the morning from sandy soils in the Free State and Limpopo and then hand trimmed to ensure you are getting the most tender juicy spears and that nothing goes to waste.

After three years of patiently growing the perfect crop, the local season is now open! It runs from now until mid-November – and while you can get asparagus throughout the year, now is when local produce is at its very best and at a lower price.

Pro tip: before you start cooking, rinse the spears in lukewarm water. This opens up the tips and helps release any sand trapped inside. It only takes seconds and it makes all the difference; nobody wants gritty asparagus on their plate. While they can be cooked in many different ways like roasting, grilling or steaming, our favourite way to serve them is straight from the braai to the table – here’s how:

1. Charred asparagus salad with sheep’s-milk feta and pistachios

Crispy tips, smoky stems, salty feta and a squeeze of charred lemon to liven it up. This is the braai side that will disappear before it reaches the table.

Charred asparagus salad with sheep’s-milk feta and pistachios

2. Charred asparagus with gribiche sauce

A platter of charred asparagus pairs perfectly with a classic French gribiche sauce, which also works well alongside roast lamb, grilled fish, or as part of a long lunch spread. Gribiche is best served at room temperature and can be made a day ahead.

Charred asparagus with gribiche sauce

Producer: Fatima Saib

Recipes and production: Bianca Strydom 

Food assistant: Bianca Jones

Videography: Romy Wilson

Photography: Shavan Rahim 

This classic green is at its best in spring, when you can feast on the locally grown crop. Handpicked from the sandy soils of Limpopo and the Free State, trimmed for convenience and cooled immediately to preserve freshness, Woolworths’ asparagus is as close to the field as you can get.

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The challenge: you’re looking for a versatile plant-based protein to make all your usual meals – lasagne, cottage pie, moussaka. The game-changer: you learn that Beyond mince is a true MVP of the plant-based universe!

Beyond Mince is a plant-based ground mince made without GMOs – it’s specifically developed to provide the juiciness and texture of beef in your favourite recipes. And it’s so versatile! Vegetarian cottage pie? Bring it on. Jacket potatoes loaded with spiced plant-based mince? No problem. Sweet roasted peppers, stuffed with meat-free mince, pine nuts and rice? What a grand idea. Or how about a fragrant curried mince filling for your next batch of vetkoek? Yes please, and thank you.

For those who are conscious of their environmental impact and curious about how to bring that awareness into the kitchen, Beyond mince is the perfect option. One such a person is Masego Morgan (@masegomorgan), a Cape Town-based content creator and sustainability advocate.Masego joined TASTE in the kitchen for a day to whip up some plant-based dishes.

Her recipes are a fabulous illustration of the way Beyond mince allows you and your family to enjoy more, not less, of your favourite dishes while savouring the satisfaction of swapping meat for a plant-based alternative. Beyond mince is a good source of protein – you can count on getting 15 g of plant-based protein per 100 g serving!

Back to the kitchen: Masego cooked up a storm and you’re going to love these three recipes:

Beyond mince curried koftas with curry leaf mayo

These easy koftas are brimming with bold flavours and smoky notes from the braai. Add a tasty vegan curry leaf mayo and you’ve got yourself a feast.

Summer baby marrow lasagne with Beyond mince

The summer lasagne you’ve been dreaming of – it’s brimming with flavours of lemon zest, basil and parsley and features a very clever trick of using silken tofu instead of béchamel.

Beyond mince braai pie

Then, Masego had fun with a Beyond mince braai pie – a quick, easy and slightly playful addition to your next braai menu.

More plant-based recipes

Photography: Shavan Rahim
Videography: Romy Wilson
Food assistant: Bianca Jones

Reducing your meat consumption without depriving yourself of your favourite foods is possible. Imagine a world where animals are taken off the table, while still delivering the meaty, plant-based, better-for-you meals you crave. Take your favourite comfort food a step beyond.

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The post 3 reasons to try Beyond™ mince this summer appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Renowned for its rich, creamy versatility, Gouda undergoes a stunning transformation with age. The soft, sweet, mild cheese of its youth matures into a masterpiece of texture and taste, turning firm and crumbly, typically with crunchy protein crystals, and developing an intensely sharper profile rich with caramel notes.

Discover a Gouda for every palate here, with our harvest table spread

Woolworths has four gouda types that get infinitely more complex in the aging process, so every age has a story – and every one has a Gouda cheese to find and fall in love with:

• 2-month matured ‘Young’ Gouda is creamy, mild and buttery. Pair it with fresh pears, green apples, sourdough and fresh lemonade with mint and a green apple juice.
• 6-month matured ‘Mature’ Gouda is rich, rounded and nutty. Pair it with fig preserves, charcuterie and peach iced tea and light kombucha.
• 10-month matured ‘Extra Mature’ Gouda is complex with caramel notes. Pair it with caramelised onions and toasted mixed nuts with premium non-alcoholic ginger beer.
• 20-month matured ‘Vintage’ Gouda is crystalline, intense and savoury. Pair it with honeycomb, roasted hazelnuts, fresh figs, balsamic glaze and tonic water with orange peel or sparkling mineral water with grapefruit.

Loaded gouda fries

Use Gouda in your cooking – and with a dish that celebrates the flavour profiles of every block in the range. These crispy, golden fries are drenched in layers of velvety cheese, and topped with bacon bits and more fried crispy curds for the moreish loaded cheese fries.

From the first creamy bite to the last crumbly morsel, every age of Gouda invites you to taste something extraordinary. Whether you’re building a showstopping cheese harvest table or piling those droolworthy loaded fries high, there’s a Gouda for every moment, and every bite is worth the wait.

Find more gouda recipes here

Recipe and production: Bianca Strydom 

Food assistant: Chevonne Fourie

Photography: Jan Ras

Videography: Romy Wilson and Kaylene Sauls

From young and creamy 2-month Gouda, to richly matured and beautifully complex 6-, 10- and 20-month, discover the full Woolworths’ Gouda range crafted for every taste and every moment.

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The post For the love of Gouda – explore the range, find your perfect pairing appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Envy apples are sweet and crunchy – their exceptional flavour means they definitely deserve the Flavourburst label at Woolies.

A cross between Royal Gala and Braeburn apples, Envy apples are also slow to brown, even after they’re cut. So whether you’re slicing them to enjoy throughout the day, adding them to your breakfast, or baking them into a sweet treat, their versatility makes them the perfect choice for anything you have in mind.

Here are 2 sweet Envy apple recipes to get you started:

1. Envy apple cake

Thinly sliced Envy apples make up the layers of this delicate French-style cake, with just enough batter to hold everything together. As it bakes, the apples soften into a tender, custardy centre, making every slice all about the fruit. This cake is simple, elegant and a delicious way to let apples shine.

Envy apple cake

2. Envy apple granola

There’s no need for added sugar when you have an Envy apple. This home-made granola gets its natural sweetness from freshly grated apple, which also helps create those deliciously crisp, golden clusters as it bakes. Packed with oats, hazelnuts and seeds, it’s an easy, wholesome breakfast staple that’s just as good sprinkled over yoghurt as it is eaten by the handful.

Envy apple granola

Looking for more apple recipes? Check out:

5 irresistible apple recipes

Producer: Bashiera Parker

Recipes and production: Bianca Jones

Videography: Romy Wilson

Photography: Shavan Rahim

Envy apples are favoured for their sweet, sophisticated flavour, delightfully satisfying crunch, beautiful red colour and naturally white flesh.

Shop at Woolworths

The post 2 ways with Envy™ apples – the apple everyone’s reaching for appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

When Ella first started her food blog, Deliciously Ella, she was in her early 20s and living at home. In other words, she had ample time to indulge her love of cooking. But as her brand took off, her time in the kitchen became limited. Add on two kids – now aged five and six – and time really became a commodity she didn’t have enough of.

“Life was so different,” she explains. “And it’s not like my way of cooking has completely changed – it’s similar ingredients, it’s similar ideas – but I started looking at it and being like, okay you’ve got to meet in the middle.” For her, it became about three things: ease, flavour and nutrition. “I needed food that made me feel good, that I enjoyed, but was also actually plausible with my life.”

What will busy moms find in Quick Wins?

There are two parts: recipes and meal plans. The recipes are based on ingredients you probably already have at home – beans, yoghurt, lemon, garlic and chilli – or can easily pick up on your way home from work (like fresh tomatoes). The other part is the meal plans.

“That was something I had never really done before,” Ella shares. “And then I started to think – as I think so many people relate to – you had a full-on day and then it’s like: what’s for dinner?

“And it wasn’t that I didn’t have 20 minutes to do it or couldn’t put a pot on the stove, or something like that. It was the emotional headspace at the end of the day. You’re knackered, you’ve got the kids, and you’re like, I just need this to be straightforward. And so, we started planning dinners for the week and I would do an online shop, and I was just like this is so much easier. I found that, on the weekend, doing that little bit of planning, it was so easy. And I had all the ingredients. So it was this win. I hadn’t really done very much different. I’ve just had a little bit of foresight when I had the time, and suddenly my life is a thousand times easier. It’s just one less thing to think about, really.”

Ella’s quick hacks for making mealtimes easier

1. Reduce the level of process involved. “If you’re going to add another pan or another step, it must work hard. And on a Tuesday night, I just don’t want three pots. It’s too much.”
2. Use a jar. “You can make your own pesto and it’s delicious. There’s one in the cookbook that has pistachios and broccoli and it’s absolutely delicious. But if you’re only using a tablespoon of it for extra flavour, just use a jar.”
3. Keep staple ingredients in your pantry. “You don’t have to have 36 different spices – just some cumin, chilli, coriander, cinnamon and turmeric. If you have tinned tomatoes and tins of coconut milk, you can make a nice soup or curry. Keep chickpeas, beans, lentils and pasta. I always have onions and garlic. If you look at these ingredients, you can make an easy chickpea curry, for example, without really any fresh food at all.”

ALSO READ: Why gut health is important to your child’s diet

3 tips to eat more healthily

As one of the top wellness experts in the UK, Ella Mills has always focused on healthy eating. But what does healthy eating look like to her in 2026?

“Where we were a few years ago, wellness felt quite accessible and approachable. And I feel like it’s become quite extreme again. We’re collectively failing at the basics of wellness. We don’t sleep enough, we’re too stressed, we don’t eat enough vegetables, we spend too much time on our screens. These are the foundations of what health and wellness are.

We all just really overestimate what we’re going to do in a week. ‘I’m starting this cleanse; I’m going to change what I eat in seven days.’ You’re just not. Humans don’t work like that with too much else going on. Everyone’s emotionally stretched and overwhelmed, so how do you meet people where they are?”

Here are some quick wins Ella suggests readers make:

1. Add an extra portion of plants every day. “That would be seven extra. It’s quite a lot. But if it’s just a piece of fruit you don’t normally eat, as a snack, or a berry on your porridge, it’s doable.”
2. Include nuts and seeds. “Buy a mixed bag of toasted nuts and seeds, or make it yourself, and sprinkle it on a salad. That feels quite doable, but these things really matter and they add up over time.”
3.Batch cook on a Sunday. “It’s going to be cheaper, it’s going to be healthier, and oftentimes it’s probably going to be more delicious.”

ALSO READ: 6 wholesome recipes to help you reset 

Recipe inspiration from Quick Wins

“The things my kids will always eat are lots of the big-batch recipes. I know there’s a debate on hiding vegetables vs not hiding vegetables. For me, it’s a balance of the two. I want to expose them to it, but I also want them to eat it. So, I do a lot of the big-batch recipes and serve them with rice or pasta.”

Here are some of her family’s top picks:

1. Creamy coconut lentils 
2. Pulled miso aubergine ragu
3. Creamy pistachio and broccoli pasta

Find more plant-based recipes here

The post Ella Mills shares her quick wins that make mealtimes easier appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.

Not all burgers are created equal. Some are fine. Some are good. And then there’s the one where the edges are so crispy they crunch before the bun even hits your mouth, the cheese melts down the side, and you wonder why you ever bothered with anything else.

That’s a smash burger. The reason it works is simple: hot pan, press flat. The beef caramelises where it touches the heat, building a depth of flavour a thick patty just can’t reach. Woolies’ new smash burgers are already portioned and seasoned, so you get straight to the good part. No shaping, no weighing and no hoping you got the seasoning right. Just press and let the pan do the rest.

We made one and it’s a smash hit!

Smash burger with pickles

Build your burger personality

So you’ve got the recipe. But the thing about a smash burger is that the recipe is a suggestion, not a rule. You can totally make it your own. If you’re a purist, keep it simple: lettuce, tomato, double patty, done. If you’re a maximalist, go for extra cheese, extra pickles, a drizzle of something sweet, because why not? If you’re a chaos agent, add pickled jalapeños, crispy onions, bacon jam, whatever’s in the fridge and half of whatever isn’t.

Not feeling the Dijon mayo? Garlic aioli. Want more heat? Swap the pickles for chilli sauce. Is the Cheddar feeling safe? Try blue cheese and live a little. The smash burger doesn’t judge. It just takes whatever you give it and somehow makes it work.

Find more burger recipes here

Recipe and production: Bianca Strydom

Food assistant: Bianca Jones

Videography: Romy Wilson

Photography: Jan Ras

Woolies’ new coarsely ground beef smash burgers come seasoned and pre-portioned, ready to press flat and pile high whenever burger night calls.

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There’s a kind of quiet you only find in the bush. Not silence – the bush is never silent. But the kind of quiet where your shoulders drop, your phone stays in your bag, and the only thing on your schedule is whatever the river is doing and wherever the next game drive takes you.

Last Word Makanyane sits beside the Marico River, tucked into the Madikwe Game Reserve. It’s a malaria-free Big Five sanctuary designed for travellers who want space without sacrificing the thrill of being in the wild. With just eight private luxury suites, the lodge is intentionally small, giving guests a rare sense of seclusion that’s hard to find and harder to leave.

Each suite is built for watching. Wide glass frontages look out over the water and the riverine fringes, and even the en-suite bathrooms are positioned so you don’t miss a thing. Step onto your private deck, settle into a lounger, and let the river do the entertaining. On cooler evenings, light the fire and watch the bush settle into night.

Think two game drives a day, guided bush walks, a gin bar that opens onto the view, and traditional boma dinners under the stars. All meals and beverages are included, so the only decision you need to make is whether to watch the sunset from your deck or from the back of a game-viewing vehicle. Wildlife moves through the veld, birds call from the canopy, and the view is never the same twice.

Find out more at thelastword.co.za The lodge is run by Steve and Maryna, whose shared philosophy is simple: live like someone left the gate open. Steve is a former safari guide who’s spent years across the Kruger, Botswana, Namibia and Tanzania, and Maryna’s heart beats for conservation and the wild places she calls home. Together they bring a warmth that makes Makanyane feel less like a lodge and more like someone’s home – one where you just happen to have the Big Five as neighbours.

Privacy in the wild isn’t just a tagline here. It’s the whole point. Space, stillness and a private sense of “we found something special”. This is safari at its own pace, and entirely yours.

Win a two-night safari escape at Last Word Makanyane, worth R74 000

One lucky TASTE reader will win two nights at Last Word Makanyane for two people, including all meals, beverages and two game drives daily.

Enter here to win

Ts&Cs apply.

The post Privacy in the wild: a safari sanctuary on the Marico River appeared first on Woolworths TASTE.