The 16th annual South African Cheese Festival offers festival-goers the opportunity to combine good food, and a smorgasbord of locally produced cheeses, with time spent with family and friends, from Friday April 28 to Sunday April 30.
Cheese lovers will once again converge at Sandringham outside Stellenbosch for their annual rendezvous with all things cheese.
Cheese makers from all over the country bring their very best for visitors to taste and stock up on, including artisan products of first-time exhibitors such as Chechil SA from Bloemfontein, Bettie Bok from the West Coast, Milkwood from George.
A range of food will be on offer, as well as selected wine or beer, freshly baked bread, meat treats, sweet delights and great recipe ideas to perfect the cheese feast.
The Checkers Cheese Emporium, Checkers Food Market, and Gourmet Lane will offer a wide variety of food items for sale.
Celebrity chefs Natanië* , Carmen Niehaus, Errieda du Toit, Haidee Muller, Amore Bekker and others will entertain with their food know-how in the new Agri-Expo Cooking Pot.
The new Agri-Expo Cheesery provides the opportunity to meet some of the best cheese makers in South Africa from Kleinrivier Cheese, La Montanara, Fairview, Udderley Delicious and Taaibosch Cheese.
Chefs from The Private Hotel School will demonstrate a range of specially developed recipe ideas using cheese and alternative niche products such as pomegranates, figs and persimmons in the Cape Made Kitchen.
The Standard Bank Tasting Room, will host wine and cheese tasting sessions by Stellenbosch Vineyards, cheese and wine pairings by Carmié* Tea, a discovery of goats milk cheese with chef Pete-Goffe Wood, and a cheese and beer experience with master brewers Tim Godfrey and Stephan Lotz.
Live entertainment will be provided by Kurt Darren on Friday April 28, from 4pm to 6pm, and by Blackbyrd on Sunday April 30, from 4pm to 6pm.
Children will be entertained at Kiddies Corner and teenagers will have access to the Teenzone.
Tickets are available at Computicket at R160 a day.
Senior citizens pay R100 and entry is free for children under 13. No tickets will be sold at the gates. Festival times: 10am to 6pm.
Sandringham is located next to the N1 near Stellenbosch between Cape Town and Paarl.
For more information, visit www.cheesefestival.co.za, call 021Â 975Â 4440 or email admin@agriexpo.co.za.
