Cape Town Food

Yesterday Sian and myself spent the day at the Cheese and Wine Festival at Bien Donne. It was my first time at the festival, and I had a great time, with little nostalgic touches from Agri-Expo (i.e. live animals) which took me back from childhood days of running around the Goodwood show.

First things first, having not checked the map, and arriving early, Sian and I took the wrong turn at the T-junction from the Helshoogte road. Thinking that there would be signage... mistake. It seems you had to know where to go (at least at 10:30), but then after retracking our steps we found the site, by following the TONNES of cars.

The parking was fairly well organised, if a little undemocratic, but tractors were taking people from the outlying areas, where we parked. But Sian and I took a walk, thinking it was worthwhile considering all the cheese that would surely be on offer.

Arriving and getting in was really easy, especially since we had bought tickets on Computicket. One gripe though, not including the tasting glass, and not having the programme pre-bagged is a little lazy. Not a huge hassle, but events like Stellenbosch Wine Festival and Winex have made this the norm. Paying an extra R6 for a glass is pretty incidental, but it sets the wrong tone straight off; rather charge more on the ticket price. Also the chaos ensuing the procurement of glasses as people entered the festival was indicative of poor planning, for this the final day of the festival.

But with glasses in hand, we went around the first of the many areas of the showgrounds.

When we first entered the show, it seemed like the festival was a little too packed; queuing to get a taste isn't my idea of fun.

But with time, the crowds dispersed, and moved on, through the festival area.

There were too many great products on offer, too many amazing cheeses, wines, olives, etc. to mention.

A couple of things stood out though. Goat's milk soft serve, was really awesome; and ended a day spent in the sun rather well. Hill Billy chilli was truly potent. The cheeses from Franschoek's Truckles were varied and wonderful.

Speaking to a lot of the shop owners, a lot of the cheese manufacturers don't have proper supply chains to outlets, and that is a really unfortunate thing. I hope to do something about this in the near future.

O'Grape's grape seed oil, especially the one infused in garlic, is a fantastic dipping oil. I suggest you try and get your hands on a bottle.

I tried out some very interesting dried olives as well; something I'd really like to pick up again.

There was TONNES of food to be had, and Sian and I enjoyed a lovely cheese platter and some wine for lunch, sitting in the sun. The festival has AMPLE sitting places, for chilling out, chatting with friends, and having a bite to eat. This is really great, and made spending the day that much easier; which is a good thing because the sheer scale and variety really does stretch the limits of what can be seen in a day's festival going.

Overall, Sian and I have an amazing time. Sian bought several cheeses, and I look forward to reviewing these with her in the coming days, and posted more specifics.

Well done to all the exhibitors and AgriExpo; it was a fantastically well run event, and a wonderful day out meeting many of the luminaries of the South African cheese industry.

Labels: Cheese, Festivals, Franschoek

// posted by Andrew la Grange @ 5:08 AM 0 Comments

On the way back from Plett, I recently stopped with Sian and Kerry, and had a pretty good lunch in Swellendam at a little bistro called The Milestone.

Having previously tried to find something to chow on, in the middle of a trip between Cape Town and the Garden Route, it was great to find somewhere dedicated to a nice meal, and not attached to a B&B or expensive lodge.

The garden was lovely and cool, the service was excellent and the food was good. Prices were Cape Town-esque (i.e. a bit pricey), but considering what's normally on offer on the road (Wimpy's, etc.) it was really great to have access to good bistro style food.

A final special touch was getting the bill in a wind up ballerina music box, a small indication of the attention to detail and pleasant surprises you'll find at The Milestone in Swellendam.

The restaurant can be found on the main street (Voortrekker street) in Swellendam, opposite The Handy Shop.

Labels: On the Road, Swellendam

// posted by Andrew la Grange @ 1:58 AM 2 Comments