Readership sitting on 670 000 monthly readers and being the biggest in its category are two sources of great pride for editor, Andrea Pafitis-Hill, who joined the title as managing editor in 2012 and was appointed the magazine’s new editor.

“Food & Home Entertaining is well into its second decade of publishing and the challenge for me and the team was to take this much-loved title with a strong tradition of reliability, (we have loyal readers who keep issues in their homes and reference them months, if not years, later) and giving it a fresh and contemporary edge,” says Pafitis-Hill.

Delivering content that is on trend began with developing the magazine’s new look and design and then ensuring that the subject matter was both globally conscious and yet relevant to a local audience; an ongoing mission Pafitis-Hill and her team pride themselves on.

“The growth of Food & Home Entertaining has been a gradual evolution from the trusted title readers have known for years to one that is the go-to authority for food; striking the delicate balance between inspirational and accessible. Every issue of our magazine serves up a smorgasbord of appealing recipes, from simple midweek suppers to ‘wow factor’ feasts,” says Pafitis-Hill.

From a design point of view, ex-VISI editor Jacquie Myburgh-Chemaly was brought on board from April 2013 to December 2013 to energise the magazine in a fresh direction in terms of content and design. “We took almost a fashion sensibility with the title, starting with the cover,” explains Pafitis-Hill, “and then moved through the magazine to serve up subject matter with style and substance. Almost as soon as our transformation began, we saw a direct correlation between the new path the title was taking and the increase in readership.”

Commenting on the most recent trends Food & Home Entertaining has focused on, Pafitis-Hill notes the resurgence of time-honoured culinary practices. “In our June issue we looked at how the age-old tradition of Spanish tapas has largely influenced the current ‘small plates’ movement where sharing food is both a convivial and informal way to enjoy a broader range of flavours. And in our July issue, we revolutionised French cuisine, another classic comeback that is taking hold both here and overseas.”

Presenting in-the-know content, combined with understanding what readers want, is a passionate principle of Pafitis-Hill’s. “Our readers and burgeoning foodies alike are more and more conscious of what they’re eating, the provenance of food, the stories of emerging artisan producers and unsung heroes behind the food industry, such as community-upliftment organisations and small-scale farmers who we often, perhaps, take for granted.”

Food & Home Entertaining also launched their Top 10 Bakes 2014 tablet application in April which has had over 1000 downloads both locally and internationally. Available from Google Play and iTunes stores under the Food & Home Entertaining Hot List, the application taps into the ‘baking boom’ currently taking the foodie world by storm.

“The success of the app is also due to the fact that again we are focusing on bringing trends to the online market, together with our coveted content. Not many traditional publishers are playing in this space and our app reaffirms how we, as a title, are constantly moving forward,” concludes Pafitis-Hill.