SA CHEESE FESTIVAL: PURE CULINARY ENJOYMENT

Cheese has become an indispensable part of culinary enjoyment, conjuring images of green pastures, down to earth craftsmanship and leisurely delight. At this year’s SA Cheese Festival of 24 to 27 April the most ever new small cheeseries, most of them brought to the Festival by Absa, will entice visitors with a multitude of handcrafted and innovative cheeses. Cheese makers, those who cook with cheese and other lovers of this noble fare are sure to convert those who still shy away from experimenting with and enjoying the wide variety of cheeses that South Africa has to offer.

As expected, the main attraction at the Festival is cheese. Be on the lookout for interesting cheeses such as Barbeque Feta, flavoured with spices and not the traditional herbs; a Yael – (Hebrew for goat) that is aged in grape skins and pips and Clairevaux’s red wine; goat’s milk cheese with chocolate, grappa and nut, or cheeses with green pepper corns or pecan nut.

Although nothing matches the pleasure derived from a well thought through cheese board, cheese has shown its prowess as starter, main and dessert. Checkers, the Festival’s main sponsor, has brought various gastronomic champions on board, such as the illustrious Nataniël and Jenny Morris, better known as the Giggling Gourmet, to share with visitors their diverse approach to cheese. Jenny will also dish up with the products of Willow Creek Olive Estate. Free tickets to Nataniël’s demonstrations will be available before the shows from the Checkers stall next to the Cooking Pot. The French Pavilion, where visitors can nibble on our local cheeses’ ancestors, will enable two lucky cheese lovers a trip to Normandy. The competition will be run from their stand and the prize includes two return tickets to France.

At the same time chefs, Peter Goffe-Wood and Craig Cormac will cook up a storm in the ever popular Cooking Pot with cheese, its culinary partners and wine. Renowned chef George Jardine, 2008 Unilever SA Chef of the Year and owner of award-winning Jardine Restaurant in Cape Town will sip on a glass of Beyerskloof wine while conjuring interesting meals with traditional Italian Mozzarella made from the milk of water buffalo. Rebecca Hurst of The Culinary Academy will cook with products from Pesto Princess and fans of the lovely Minki Visser will be able to see her behind the stove in a demonstration with Welmoed wines.

Bien Donné farm between Paarl and Franschhoek again plays host to this ultimate family festival where children will make sure that parents linger longer. Wilde Fruit Juices Kiddies Corner on the Gourmet lawn will cater for the small kids with face painting, organised games, clowns and activity areas for clay and bead projects. On the Dairy Square, teenagers can lounge in the DSTv Cheese Chiller, the Boomerang Theatre and Energizer Games Room with music, games, cartoon characters and magic shows, while mom and dad will be able to enjoy an unrushed meander through the stalls. The Milk Factory is also a big draw card for kids and adults of all ages especially when it is milking time and they can taste the fresh milk. Kleinplasie will entertain and inform with demonstrations of traditional butter and cottage cheese making in the Milk Factory. Make ready for a culinary feast without comparison and allow yourself to be lured into the wonderful world of cheese.

Tickets are available from Computicket and Checkers stores and have to be purchased before the start of the Festival. NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AT THE GATES. Tickets are R 85 pp for adults for Friday or Monday and R 110 pp for Saturday or Sunday. Children 12 years and younger enter for free and senior citizens pay R 65. Opening times for the festival will be as follows: Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 and on Monday, 27 April from 10:00 to 17:00.

Contact Agri-Expo for further information at tel 021 975 4440 or e-mail [email protected].