SA Cheese Festival

Cheese lovers planning to visit the SA Cheese Festival from 26-29 April at Sandringham outside Stellenbosch can expect so much more: more of their favourite cheese and other mouth-watering products, more to experience, to experiment with and to enjoy.

Celebrity foodies simply love the Cheese Festival and its enthusiastic visitors, and this year the Afrox Cooking Pot will be bursting at the seams with guest appearances by RSG’s cuber chef Nina Timm, the MasterChef sisters, Leandri and Seline van der Wat, as well as Kokkedoor’s chef Nic van Wyk, and the 2013 winners, Mynhardt and Tiaan.

A fiery tasting debate between beer guru Lucy Corne and wine lover Cathy Marston aims to bring the final judgement: which drink is cheese’s perfect partner? SAB brew master Jeto Jaeger and South Africa’s Mr Cheese, Kobus Mulder, take the relationship between beer and cheese still further.  Learn to brew the perfect cup of coffee with häzz’s barista and nibble simultaneously on a handmade coffee-toffee from Sweet Temptations Toffees during their Toffee & Coffee sessions. The five daily demonstrations in the Afrox Cooking Pot promise to serve cheese education with a generous scoop of fun.

The Checkers Cheese Emporium offers visitors a brand new experience with well-known foodies such as Nataniël, Giggling Gourmet Jenny Morris, Herman Lensing and coffee fundi David Donde guiding you through a maze-type gourmet journey with cheese, steak, wine and whisky, coffee and more.

In die Pinotage Theatre we celebrate the diversity of South Africa’s very own wine cultivar with various food and wine pairings. Enjoy for example chef Craig Cormack’s extraordinary pairing of Fleur du Cap wines with salt from all over the world.

Boutique cheeseries bring their speciality cheeses

A number of boutique cheese makers from as far afield as the Natal Midlands – generously sponsored by the Western Cape Department of Agriculture – bring their artisan cheeses to the country’s largest gathering of cheese lovers. Make sure to taste the products from Camphill Farm Community, Buffeljagsrivier Primary School, Langbaken Karoo Cheese, Taaibosch Kaas, Anysbos, Karoo Goat’s Milk Products, Indezi River Cheese, Kasselshoop Cheese, Domino Farm, Madame Fromage and Montagu Cheese.

Dad, mom and kids welcome

Rugby enthusiasts will not have to miss the Stormers’ Super XV game against the Cheetahs on Saturday 26 April. Cheer for your team in the Klipdrift/DStv Supersport Lounge while the rest of the family taste, shop and play. The little ones will be busy and happy with jumping castles and games, a merry milk ditty to learn and the DStv Cartoon Network in the Fair Cape Kiddies Corner. A visit to the farm animals in the Milk Factory will put smiles on their dials.

Tickets are available at R130 from Computicket and in all Shoprite, Checkers, Checkers Hyper and House & Home outlets (no tickets at the gates). Senior citizens pay R100 and children 13 years and under enter free.  Opening times are from 10:00 to 18:00 and from 10:00 to 17:00 on the last day. Wine tasting glasses will be on sale at R15 at the gates.  No alcohol will be served to persons under the age of 18.  Have your ID’s readily available.

Visit www.cheesefestival.co.za for more information or contact Agri-Expo at tel 021 975 4440021 975 4440 or cheese@agriexpo.co.za.