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.

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Johan Ehlers, Agri-Expo Chief Executive Officer, Louise Baadjies of Klein River Cheese from Stanford, the Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Peter Pentz from Groote Post Wine Estate at the SA Cheese Festival.

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.

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Top artists perform at the SA Cheese Festival including Die Heuwels Fantasties with Hiram Koopman on saxophone.

THE STELLENBOSCH WEEKEND PROGRAMME

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

STELLENBOSCH | 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.

The 2022 SA Cheese Festival is supported by platinum partners, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture and Standard Bank, as well as other partners. Follow the SA Cheese Festival on Twitter @SACheeseFest, Facebook @SACheeseFestival or Instagram @sacheesefest. For inquiries, contact Agri-Expo at tel 021 975 4440 or [email protected].

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5. Discover an array of cheese for tasting and sale at the SA Cheese Festival, including Klein River Cheese.

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