Who was Nettie?
Nettie Pikeur was the pen name of Madeleine van Biljon jr., a South African journalist, columnist and translator. Her mother, also called Madeleine van Biljon, was a well-known voice on the radio programme RSG Monitor. Both her parents loved to cook.
She grew up in Pretoria, finished school in Cape Town and studied English and French at Stellenbosch University. She started writing professionally at seventeen, for Pretoria News and for magazines such as Fair Lady and Huisgenoot.
"Nettie Pikeur" was born in the 1980s as the cooking column of Vrye Weekblad, the independent Afrikaans weekly edited by Max du Preez. When that paper closed, Nettie moved to De Kat and later to Die Burger. She came home to Vrye Weekblad as its "original food writer" when the paper was revived online.
The book
Aan tafel met Nettie Pikeur
"At the table with Nettie Pikeur"
Her cookbook is arranged by the four seasons, with illustrations by the South African illustrator Piet Grobler.
- Publisher
- Kiepersol
- First published
- 1994 (second printing 1995)
- Pages
- 174
- Format
- Softcover
- ISBN
- 978-1-874901-21-1
- Illustrator
- Piet Grobler
It's out of print. Look for second-hand copies at South African book dealers, or search by ISBN in library catalogues.
A taste of the columns
Here is a selection of her columns from the revived Vrye Weekblad (2019–2022). The newspaper's own website no longer hosts its archive, so each link opens a copy saved by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. The English renderings of the titles and the short notes are our own.
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Stoute pere by die moerbeiboom
"Naughty pears by the mulberry tree"
An autumn column built around pears.
Read the archived column -
Van Ryspunt tot risotto
"From Ryspunt to risotto"
A column about rice, and about how everyone has their own way of cooking it. The title plays on Ryspunt, a farming area in the Overberg whose name means "rice point".
Read the archived column -
Maak winterslaai, Meraai
"Make winter salad, Meraai"
Salads for the cold months, with a title that rhymes like a folk song.
Look for the archived column -
Sak, Sarel, pa wil bok skiet
A play on the folk song "Sak Sarel": "…Dad wants to shoot a buck"
Hunting-season stories and venison, including a game dish served with quince jelly.
Look for the archived column -
Hoenderpastei met hasies op, of spinasie-fillo in 'n broodpan
"Chicken pie with little rabbits on top, or spinach phyllo in a loaf tin"
A case for homemade pies. Once you've made your own, the café's plastic-wrapped version will never tempt you again.
Look for the archived column -
Skelvis-kedgeree, forel met wyn en kreef vir die pyn
"Shellfish kedgeree, trout with wine, and crayfish for the pain"
Fish and seafood, from trout to crayfish, cooked with her friend Dicky.
Look for the archived column -
Pruime vir bottel, bêre en bedruip
"Plums for bottling, storing and drizzling"
Two ways to deal with a glut of plums at harvest time.
Look for the archived column -
Kom saam op 'n Amerikaanse kosreis
"Come along on an American food journey"
A trip through American food. This column appeared after her death was reported.
Look for the archived column
The Wayback Machine may not have saved every column. If a link shows "not archived", search the Wayback Machine for the column's title instead.
Timeline
- Early yearsGrows up in Pretoria, finishes school in Cape Town and studies English and French at Stellenbosch University.
- Age 17Starts writing for newspapers and magazines, including Pretoria News, Fair Lady and Huisgenoot.
- 1980s"Nettie Pikeur" debuts as the food column of Vrye Weekblad.
- 1990s onwardThe column moves to De Kat, then Die Burger, after Vrye Weekblad closes.
- 1994Publishes Aan tafel met Nettie Pikeur (Kiepersol), illustrated by Piet Grobler.
- ~1993–2015Lives in Montagu in the Western Cape for about 22 years.
- Oct 2015Moves to Calitzdorp in the Klein Karoo, into the old Standard Bank building, part house and part museum.
- 2019–2022Writes again for the revived, online Vrye Weekblad.
- July 2022Netwerk24 reports that she died in Ladismith in the Klein Karoo.
Sources & further reading
- "Nettie Pikeur vestig in Klein-Karoo", Oudtshoorn Courant (Afrikaans)
- "Nettie Pikeur sterf op Ladismith", Netwerk24 (Afrikaans, may require a subscription)
- Aan tafel met Nettie Pikeur, Google Books record
- Archived Vrye Weekblad food section, Wayback Machine