Gourmand    ‘  Best in the World’ Cookbook Award won by South African    self-published and first time author. Mila’s Meals: The Beginning & The Basics by Knysna local Catherine Barnhoorn has been awarded the prestigious Best in the World Gourmand World Cookbook Award in the First Book category at the glamorous ceremony held in China on 28 May.

Catherine, who created the recipes, wrote and designed the book, competed against authors from Mauritius, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Togo. “This is a dream come true,” Catherine said after accepting the award. “It was an honour to have Mila’s Meals nominated alongside the other inspiring titles. Receiving this award is validation for the hard work, blind faith, love and passion I have poured into this project.” The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards have been celebrating the best food and wine books in the world for the last 22 years. The competition has grown to be the most prestigious of its kind and has informally become known as the Oscars of the cookbook world. Publishers from over 200 countries nominate thousands of books each year. “In December last year the awards jury notified me that Mila’s Meals had been named the national winner in the Self-Published Book category,” Catherine said. “This put it in the running to compete for the Best in the World award against winners from other countries - in the First Book category.” In his letter to Catherine, president of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards jury Edouard Cointreau wrote: “This massive book is a mother-daughter team work. It shares much nutrition information and tips, plus one hundred recipes. The photography is delightful. This is an excellent book.” Catherine is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and single mother. “My daughter Mila is the great inspiration behind Mila’s Meals,” she explained. “With the growing prevalence of conditions like celiac disease, IBS, lactose and gluten intolerance, ADHS and diabetes, parents have been facing the growing problem of what foods are safe for them and their growing children. I wrote Mila’s Meals as a tool for parents and health practitioners who are having to deal with these conditions.” Three and a half years of exhaustive research and many trial recipes resulted in Mila’s Meals: The Beginning & The Basics. It is a 500-page collection of over 100 gluten-, sugar- and dairy free, nourishing, wholefood recipes and food ideas for baby’s first years (and the rest of the family too). The stunningly appetising images were taken by photographer Alfred Lor. Catherine is already planning two more books in the Mila’s Meals series: Mila’s Medicine and Mila’s Meals: Lunchboxes & Celebrations. “I am incredibly honoured by the Gourmand Awards jury naming Mila’s Meals the 'Best in the World'. This has given me a valuable platform to spread the 'food is medicine' message. It is an amazing to see how an idea can become a reality, what a mother’s love can achieve,

and how a challenging situation (like food intolerances) can actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Isn’t it amazing what our children can teach us?” Mila’s Meals: The Beginning & The Basics has also been placed as a finalist in the Health/Wellness (non-fiction) category of the international 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards (NGIBA). Ends  Press release by Jacques Marais for Write Touch Communications. ABOUT THE BOOK Mila’s Meals: The Beginnings & The Basics retails for R480-00 and is available from Faithful-To-Nature, Takealot, Loot, Yuppie Chef and www.milasmeals.co.za. More information on the book, and a complete list of stockists, can be found at this same website.