A selection of summertime meals with a side of nostalgia

“Saturday used to be burger day when I was little and how we looked forward to it! It was our junk food day! The rest of the time it was typical meat, two veg and a starch. I’ve carried on this tradition with my family. Sometimes we cheat and use readymade patties, but when we have more time we make our own. We even have a pattie-maker (courtesy of my meat-loving brother-in-law). They’re proper burgers, with all the trimmings: onion, smoor, lettuce, fresh tomato, melted cheese, the whole shebang. I suspect kids come for playdates at our house specifically on Saturdays for the Nicholson burger.” - Liesl Nicholson, Managing Editor.
Try: The perfect burger patty.

“It has be to fruit salad. It sounds really boring, but my dad makes the best fruit salad. Apples, peaches, grapes, melon, kiwi fruit, strawberries – whatever is in season, topped up with freshly squeezed orange juice. We used to sit outside on weekend mornings and have it for breakfast when I was young. Delicious!” -– Lynda Ingham-Brown, Senior Sub-Editor.
Try: Fruit salad trifle

“My late grandmother had a couple of lemon trees in her back garden and she used to make this amazing, fluffy lemon pudding. She was pretty stingy with her recipes, but I think it was essentially like a lemon curd, with beaten egg whites and whipped cream folded through it. That, hands down, is my favourite dessert ever.” – Annette Klinger, Features Writer.
Try: Easy lemon-curd and granadilla meringue

“A simple home-made hamburger made with granny’s frikkadel recipe, fried onions, tomato, lettuce and good ol’ Mrs Ball’s will take me straight back to early Saturday evening suppers with my family. Watching TV while eating was against house rules (thanks, folks!), so after my parents had spent the day gardening, us kids would sit at the kitchen counter and watch mom fry the frikkadels and we’d build our own burgers before settling down to watch Magnum P.I. or something else equally riveting. Those were the days.” – Michelle Coburn, Features Editor.
Try: Lettie’s frikkadels

“Throwing whole watermelons into the pool to cool them down, then jumping back in to rinse off the watermelon juice and seeds – watermelon-skin fights with my cousins and siblings were mandatory!” – Lee-Anne Spurdens, Assitant Editor.
Try: Juicy watermelon salad with cucumber and chilli yoghurt

Discover more South African favourites here.