While the popular South African Cheese Festival was presented this past weekend for the first time since 2019 as a pop-up festival at Groote Post outside Darling, it is Stellenbosch's turn this long weekend, from Saturday 30 April to Monday 2 May 2022.

"We are incredibly excited to host a festival again," says Johan Ehlers, CEO of Agri-Expo, organiser of the SA Cheese Festival since 2002. "It is a wonderful experience to create this platform for cheesemakers and agricultural entrepreneurs to promote their products to a wider audience. Festivalgoers can look forward to a wide variety of exhibitors offering local, international, and handmade cheeses, selected wines, craft beer and gin, as well as niche products for tasting and sale. New products that will be launched range from goat’s milk cheese spread to CBD infused rooibos, ‘eikesap’ gin infused with acorns, red wine and rosemary herbal salt, biltong jam with habanero honey, and even ‘wine teeth’.”

This coming weekend's festival will be presented at Sandringham outside Stellenbosch. The festival times are daily from 10:00 to 18:00. View the exhibitors’ list at bit.ly/cheese-exhibitors.

“TRAVEL AND TASTE” AND RELAX WITH MUSIC
The entertainment programme includes the long-time favourite Ladismith Cheese carving competition with more than 7kg of cheese at stake. Well-known personalities who will host Standard Bank Travel & Taste experiences during the festival include chef Tiaan Langenegger of kykNET's "Tiaan Proe", his actor friend Neels van Jaarsveld, chef Jenny Morris and sommelier Spencer Fondaumiere, author-chef Isabella Niehaus, as well as wine experts Junel van der Merwe, Heinrich Stipp and Ed Beukes. Guests must register an hour in advance for these popular tastings to secure a ticket for a session (at no extra cost). The Hollard Band Stand artists include Die Heuwels Fantasties, Watershed, Ard Matthews, Will Linley, Flat Stanley, and Kurt Darren.

THE WEEKEND PROGRAM

Saturday 30 April
11:30 Dalewood Fromage Cheese and Warwick Wines with Jenny Morris and Spencer Fondaumiere
12:00 Blonde & Bru
13:00 kykNET's Tiaan Proe, chef Tiaan Langenegger, Ladismith Cheese & Sea Harvest
14:00 Mark Haze
14:00 Ladismith Cheese Carving Competition
14:30 Ladismith Cheese and Junel van der Merwe from Alvi’s Drift (Chenin Blanc SA)
15:00 Will Linley
16:00 Die Heuwels Fantasties

Sunday 1 May
11:00 Me & Mr Green
11:30 Zandam Cheese & Newlands Spring Craft Beer with Stephan Lotz
12:00 Watershed
13:00 Will Linley
13:00 Neels van Jaarsveld and kykNET's Tiaan Proe, Ladismith Cheese & Sea Harvest
14:00 Flat Stanley
14:00 Ladismith Cheese Carving Competition
14:30 Klein River Cheese and Heinrich Stipp, Stellenrust (Pinotage SA)
15:15 Kurt Darren (and Me & Mr Green)

Monday 2 May
11:30 Chef Isabella Niehaus, author of the award-winning Duinhuis, with her smoked snoek cheesecake
12:00 Blonde & Bru
13:00 Jimm Harisson Project
13:00 kykNET's Tiaan Proe, chef Tiaan Langenegger, Ladismith Cheese & Sea Harvest
14:00 Ard Matthews
14:00 Ladismith Cheese Carving Competition
14:30 Ladismith Cheese and wines from the Breedekloof with Ed Beukes (Chenin Blanc SA)
15:15 Watershed

BRING FESTIVAL FRIENDS
Visit Webtickets at https://bit.ly/SACheeseFest to book. Only a limited number of tickets will be on sale at the gate (no cash). Tickets cost R290 p.p. per day and include an exclusive festival tasting glass. Admission is free for children 12 years and younger. No Covid-19 access restrictions apply. A #FestivalFriends offer is valid for the public holiday on Monday 2 May with each ticket giving access to not just one, but two people.

WIN A CHEESEMAKING COURSE
Always wanted to learn how to make cheese? Here's your chance – one lucky winner can win a two-day cheesemaking course sponsored by A Living Way for two people worth R7 400 in Stellenbosch. Visit www.cheesefestival.co.za to enter the competition and for more information about the festival.

Issued by: AGRI-EXPO

Pictures: SUPPLIED

©2022 Herman Lintvelt - WineTourismZA