The judges were unanimous and the verdict is in. Kelly Chrystal’s tasty Durban Mutton Curry Soup has been named the best homemade soup in South Africa and taken top honours in Woolworths 2011 Soup Competition. Kelly walks away with a R50 000 Woolworths gift card and the knowledge that her original home-style soup will feature in our 2012 range. Following the success of our inaugural soup competition last year, Woolworths once again invited amateur cooks to bowl us over with their very best original soup recipes. More than 2 000 entries were received. In order to make the finals, a soup had to be visually appealing, have on-trend flavours and a good texture, and appeal to a wide audience. After an exhaustive preliminary judging process in which finalists were selected by our soup experts, the top 10 were prepared for the illustrious panel of judges to taste. Judging the competition were well-known chef David Grier, who has recently joined Woolworths on our quest for good food, food blogger Andy Fenner (aka Jamie Who?), TASTE Magazine’s Food Editor Abigail Donnelley, ‘Eat Out Chef of the Year’ David Higgs of the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel, and Hilary Biller, Editor of the Sunday Times Food & Travel supplement. Speaking on behalf of the panel, Abigail Donnelly said, “The Durban Mutton Curry stood out head and shoulders above the rest of the entries and the judges’ decision was unanimous. The flavours were perfectly balanced, creating a delicious and truly South African soup which will definitely appeal to Woolworths customers.” Kelly, a born and bred Durbanite, is a graphic designer who designs cookbooks, which is where she says she got her inspiration. She’s also a subscriber to Woolworths TASTE magazine, which, she says, has inspired her to try new recipes and be a bit more adventurous in her cooking. “I love mutton curry,” she explains, “so turning it into a soup was a natural step. I’ve only made this recipe once or twice before, but I really thought that South Africans would love it. I think it’s an ideal winter warmer.” Kelly’s award-winning Durban Mutton Curry Soup will be launching at Woolworths stores from mid-March 2012.

The judges were unanimous and the verdict is in. Kelly Chrystal’s tasty Durban Mutton Curry Soup has been named the best homemade soup in South Africa and taken top honours in Woolworths 2011 Soup Competition.