Rox and Spoen Green, fun-loving farm girls from the beautiful countryside of Winterton, have won Season 2 of M-Net’s popular cooking competition My Kitchen Rules South Africa! The country sisters clinched the title and a grand R1 million cash prize after beating newly engaged couple Kim and Pashi from Durban in the yummy season finale, in which both teams were set the task of creating a gourmet five-course meal.

Judging and scoring each dish were the show’s resident judges David Higgs and J’Something, as well as a panel of outside experts: celebrity chef Reza Mahammad, who is often referred to as “the spice prince” of The Food Network; editor of Fresh Living Justine Drake, who has her own cooking show, Just Cooking; chef and food stylist Zola Nene, one of the Bashers on Season 2 of M-Net’s Wedding Bashers, and a judge on The Great South African Bake-off;  and South African filmmaker, chef, and television personality Justin Bonello, who is best known for his cooking and travel show, Cooked.

In the nerve-wracking decider, the finalists had to create an appetiser, a soup, a pasta dish, a main course, and dessert. Adding to the pressure of five courses, they were required to prepare 20 plates for each course for the grand finale, a monstrous challenge – 100 plates in total! The guest judges tasted their dishes blind and the show's other participants returned to MKR’s Kitchen HQ for this special episode and had the opportunity to share their views.

Kim and Pashi’s five-course menu "took it back to the streets" with a mixture of cultures and flavours... and of course they took the risks one has come to expect of them! The couple served an appetiser of Pork Belly Bau Bun, a Chicken Consommé with wild mushroom and water chestnuts for their soup, and Squid ink Tortellini in coconut milk, broth with lemon and chilli caviar for their pasta dish. For mains, they presented Goanese crab curry with saffron-infused rice and pickled vegetables, which was extremely well received. “I would eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” chef Justin Bonello raved. For dessert, they whisked up a sparkling wine raindrop cake with vanilla crème anglaise and berries. Unfortunately, this was the dish that dashed their hopes.

Rox and Spoen based their five-course spread on what they know best - farm life and vegetables. They started off  with line fish ceviche served with crackers and herb pesto; their soup was a bone broth with vegetables and chicken skin which was well received: “I love the aroma of this broth, it smells like chicken pie, and for me, that’s already inviting,” Zola Nene said, while chef Reza raved about it being very well-flavoured. For their pasta course, they created a Ricotta Ravioli with mushrooms and pancetta crisps, which was another hit. “These people definitely know their food. They cook with understanding,” an impressed Justine Drake complimented, and chef Reza described it as "full of flavour and depth". Next up came beef cheeks with kale and cauliflower and, for dessert, grilled pears with cheese parfait and walnuts. More accolades all round!

Despite Kim and Pashi’s impressive effort, Rox and Spoen’s dishes won over the show's judging squad, with their combined score across the five courses giving them a clear edge. The farm sisters scored a total of 47 out of 60 points, beating Kim and Pashi by eight points. “Yeah! I don’t even know what to do right now,” an excited Spoen said while a gracious Kim and Pashi agreed with the judges that their competitors’ win was well-deserved.

Rox and Spoen were low-key contenders for the entire competition, and none of their fellow competitors would have expected to see them in the finale. The sporty girls winged their way through each phase at Kitchen HQ, but their lack of a rigid plan meant they were ready to adapt on the fly and keep cool under pressure. A winning recipe, as it turned out.

The loveable twosome has become well known for their farm-to-table style cooking and made viewers fall in love with them with pet names for each other such as “bru” and “dog”, which they fondly bandied about the kitchen. They wowed the judges week after week with their simple yet flavourful vegetable dishes, like charred corn and grilled vegetables at the first People’s Choice challenge, their first attempt at cooking tripe with samp and beans, which they nailed, and who can forget their stunning all-round performance in the semifinals! And they outdid themselves when it really mattered: in the grand finale of My Kitchen Rules SA! 

My Kitchen Rules SA is proudly sponsored by Stella Artois, Mercedes Benz, and Romans Pizza.
One lucky viewer is the proud owner of a Mercedes Benz C-Class courtesy of My Kitchen Rules SA and Mercedes Benz.