HOT OFF THE PASS | This week in food news: April 16

With the cheer of the long Easter weekend behind us and another two weeks (at least) of lockdown ahead of us, it's best to keep yourself busy.

Airbnb might be most well-known as an accommodation booking website but it also offers Experiences, where you can join a local for a tour or workshop while travelling. Although you'd usually have to be in Italy to book one of their pasta-making experiences, for example, they've now taken the concept online so you can do it from the comfort of your own kitchen.

This opens a world of possibilities as far as virtual culinary adventures are concerned. You could learn to make pastries from a pro baker in Switzerland, or join a Moroccan family for dinner as they share the secret to making authentic North African cuisine.

View the full list of Airbnb's Online Experiences, both food-orientated and otherwise, here.

Ready, steady, stop cooking

As we all embark on our own household versions of our favourite cooking shows, a bevy of professionals have been told to stop cooking.

The last two weeks has seen a slew of restaurants, home cooks and chefs somehow apply and seemingly receive essential-service permits from the Companies Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), allowing them to sell and deliver ready-made meals during lockdown. The celebrations were short-lived, however, as the CIPC began to revoke any permits which had been mistakenly awarded causing quite a stir on Twitter.

Food for good

Luckily, those chefs who are cooking for a good cause may continue to do so. This includes the brigade of kindhearted Franschhoek chefs who have taken it upon themselves to serve up weekly food parcels to over 500 disadvantaged families in the area. Read more about their efforts here.

PS. Got any Easter eggs left?

If you and your family received a bounty of chocolate marshmallow eggs from the Easter bunny last weekend, why not fire up the braai — or the microwave — to turn them into delicious s'mores? Check out our easy recipe here.