HC and Red magazine hunt for African cookery star

HarperCollins has joined forces with lifestyle magazine Red to find a new cookery star to bring their style of African cookery to the masses.

Entrants are asked to select their category of cuisine (West, South, North or East Africa) and submit five full recipes and 10 recipe suggestions along with up to 1,000 words about themselves, why they love their chosen cuisine and how they cook.

The winner will receive a recipe feature and interview in the magazine followed by a publishing deal with a £10,000 advance.

The judges of the competition will be Pip McCormac, lifestyle editor at Red; Grace Cheetham, publishing director at HarperNonFiction; Henna Zamurd-Butt, features editor at Media Diversified; Ronke Lawal, entrepreneur and food blogger; Jessica Laditan, c.e.o. and founder of Pop Up Africa; and Leslie Leigh, founder of West Africa Cooks.

McCormac said: "We've seen a huge growth in people wanting to eat food from African countries, and it's about time these recipes became better known across the UK. We're looking for someone who has an exciting way with flavours and can bring this vibrant style of cooking alive."

Cheetham said: “It is fantastic to be working with Red magazine to find a new voice in cookery. We have seen a significant rise in pop ups and media coverage of food from across Africa and yet the continent is notably under-represented in the cookbook market. Red magazine is the perfect partner to help us find a future star.”

The deadline for entries is 12th June.