Bella – on Home and Heritage

She is warm, she’s funny and her culinary creativity knows no boundaries. We are talking about Isabella Niehaus, or Bella – who’s continued presence lights a spark in many a South African (and overseas) kitchen.

Speaking to Bella about what “home” means very much explains the source of her creativity. For this award-winning food writer, chef and stylist, home has very little to do with perfection, expensive décor or fashionable trends. For Bella it’s about memory, comfort, warmth and the objects that tell the story of her life.

“A house becomes a home when you add your own personal touch to it – when you realise: this is my home and no one else’s”, Bella reflects. “It is the small bowl of pebbles reminding you of special holidays. The very bright and inexpensive lemon shaped jug that you’ve cherished for 30 years. A random pile of books. Your own style. Your own personality reflected in the colours you paint the walls. The wonderful way that you combine original art with your child’s art. That is what transforms a house into a sanctuary.”

Bella’s creations, whether it is food or books, continue to inspire. She’s the author of several celebrated cookbooks including Duinhuis that won Best Book in the World in Entertaining at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2020. Daar’s ’n Vegan op my Verandah and Earthling Food/Skepselkos, created in collaboration with Louis Jansen van Vuuren, also earned Bella and Louis the highly acclaimed World’s Best Vegan Book award at Gourmand in 2023 and 2024 respectively!

That, however, has not made Bella rest on her laurels. Her gift keeps on giving and Bella’s Kitchen, her latest book, will not only fill us with wonder and delicious ideas for our dinner table but is also a personal and career highlight for Bella. “It’s my most beautiful and wonderful project yet”

“It is so much more than a cookbook,” Bella explains. “It tells the story of my childhood in the Free State, my years in the glamorous magazine world, my life on the dune in Langebaan, my life in the Riebeeck Valley and the future that is my beautiful son.”

The book is filled with stories, memories, photographs and recipes that reflect the instinctive way she cooks and lives. In Bella’s Kitchen she confesses that she cooks on feeling, smell and taste and not according to recipes. It is the same kind of philosophy that shapes the way she creates a home.

Three years ago, Bella left her much loved Duinhuis in Langebaan and moved to the picturesque village of Riebeek Kasteel. Her homes have always been the guardians of treasures collected over decades – objects connected to family, friendship and memory and her eclectic art collection tells the story of her upbringing in the Free State.

Among her most treasured possessions are two large oil paintings by Claerhout, an enormous painting of her childhood home by Stefan Ampenberger, a charcoal by Maggie Laubser and a sculpture by Gerard de Leeuw. (In Bella’s Kitchen, she shares vivid memories about Saturdays spent with priest Frans Claerhout, her parents’ best friend, at his home and studio in Thaba ’Nchu. Bella adored visiting the charismatic priest and artist with his white hair, black clothes and endless creative energy. Evenings there were filled with artists, poets, priests and fascinating conversation – experiences that shaped her lifelong understanding of beauty, creativity and hospitality.)

Other very personal pieces include treasured books, her father’s small desk and a 1963 Vespa gifted to her by son Taro, 25 years ago. A delicate Five Roses porcelain tea set from her mother also has a very special place in Bella’s home. “It always feels as if I have my parents and Taro here with me”, she says.

Although she remains known for long-table meals, hearty gatherings around delicious dishes, Bella admits she has become quite selfish over her private space. “I am a loner and I spend a lot of time on my own in my home. Nowadays I don’t entertain a lot although I do open my home for cooking classes once a month. (And I cook wonderful meals for myself!)”

Bella says as her home (and garden which receives delicate and dedicated care) is a sacred place, she needs to feel emotionally and financially safe. “That’s the reason I decided three years ago to move away from the corporate insurer that had handled my affairs for three decades and place my trust in the hands of a team that look deeper, understand more and go the extra mile for their clients.” She explains that her decision to entrust her precious home and cherished belongings into the hands of Ami Underwriting Managers had very little to do with paperwork and everything to do with people.

“I admire Christelle Colman, Ami’s CEO and founder as a person and a businesswoman,” she says. “For years, I felt the personal interaction was missing from the large corporate environment. With Ami, I immediately experienced warmth, care and attention to detail.”

Bella says when her quote was prepared she was very impressed with the in-depth detail. “Christelle immediately understood the areas of my life and profession that required greater financial protection and security but most importantly, the sentimental value I attach to many of my things were instantly recognised. Her sincere interest in and support of my career is also rare for an insurer and means the world to me.”

For homeowners whose spaces are filled with irreplaceable artwork, heirlooms and sentimental possessions, Bella believes that that level of understanding matters enormously.

“I feel safe under her guidance and in the way she handles my home, my car and everything else that’s important in my life. “It is perhaps the perfect partnership for someone who values authenticity above status and familiarity above fashion.”

For Bella her home is an extension of her personality. “I’m down to earth and that reflects in my home. I also have a wicked sense of humour and that too is reflected.  Brands and labels mean very little to me.”

Even in the kitchen, the heartbeat of her home, she prefers trusted favourites over trends. “I don’t need all the latest designer equipment or colour-coded pots and pans,” she says. “I’m happy with good-quality tools that I’ve used for years and years.”

And what can Bella not live without? “My ANIMALS!” (Bella has three dogs and three cats!) Other non-negotiables are a coffee machine, breathing space and beauty in all its forms. “Beauty can be a herb garden, a colourful couch or even a shelf filled with spices,” she says. “Small things bring me joy.”

And when winter settles over the Riebeek Valley and she finds herself alone at home, there’s one comforting favourite she always returns to: “Definitely lentil and butternut curry”, she laughs. “And oh my goodness – I can easily eat an entire pot of it.”