After a two-year hiatus, the South African Cheese Festival recently made its return to Stellenbosch with a sold-out weekend, welcoming approximately 6 000 attendees.
This is according to Isabeau Botha, Agri-Expo’s corporate communication manager.
The event was hosted at Sandringham from 30 April to 2 May and made its return in the form of a fully outdoors and mask-free event. Sales were limited to 2 000 people per day to accommodate for Covid-19 restrictions, stated Botha.
“It was amazing to be back at the Cheese Festival. And for the first time the music performances actually influenced the vibe of the festival and made it even better,” said Margeaux Wassenaar, a festival-goer. PHOTO: Jessica Hillier
A local focus
This year’s festival boasted around 120 different exhibitors, according to Botha. These businesses were all South African and sold cheese, wines, beers and other “niche and alternative products, also in partnership with the Western Cape Department of Agriculture (WCDoA)”, such as honey, olive oil and nut milks, said Botha.
“A number of small cheesemakers were invited to present their unique and handmade products according to the #SupportSmallCheeseMakers project, in partnership with the WCDoA,” said Botha.
“The Cheese Festival is always a good time, and yes, if you have a look around, it’s certainly smaller than in the previous years, but it doesn’t mean that the people here need any less support,” said chef Tiaan Langenegger, from kykNET’s Tiaan Proe, during his presentation at the festival. “We really should be supporting our local cheese makers as far as we can,” he said. PHOTOS: Jessica Hillier
As in previous years, the festival consisted of live tasting experiences sponsored by Standard Bank and were presented by celebrity chefs, including Jenny Morris, Tiaan Langenegger and Isabella Niehaus.
“These people and their businesses, I think it’s fair to say, really suffered quite a bit over the last two years, and I think it’s important now more than ever to support our local cheesemakers,” said chef Tiaan Langenegger. “These aren’t the guys buying their next Land Rovers, they need to buy stationery for their kids for school.”
“I think my favourite thing was watching people’s faces when they tried my cheeses and they would light up. Being my first big market, it was a success all round and a lot of fun,” said Linda Pheiffer, a local cheesemaker from Inyamazane Farm in Kyalami.
Paired with music
The Hollard bandstand was very popular among festival-goers throughout the weekend, according to festival-goers Margeaux Wassenaar and Sarah Bassa, with well-known local performers such as Will Linley, Kurt Darren and Die Heuwels Fantasties, taking the stage.
“The wine and cheese were amazing, but so was the atmosphere, with a personal highlight being the live music. I will definitely be attending again in the future,” said Sarah Bassa, a first time festival-goer.
The Cheese Festival offered musical performances from various South African performers, including Blonde & Bru, Mark Haze, Will Linley, Kurt Darren, Watershed and Die Heuwels Fantasties. Numerous food stalls were present for festival-goers to indulge in, such as Kaapse Kos, Love Pizza and Peter Goffe-Wood’s Fire & Smoke. PHOTOS: Jessica Hillier
The last time that a face-to-face Cheese Festival of such scale took place was in 2019. In 2021, the South African Cheese Festival was instead hosted as a series of pop-up picnics, according to the festival’s website.
This followed a virtual Cheese Festival event in 2020, which was hosted across the festival’s official social media platforms.
“Having frequented the festival years before, prior to Covid-19, it was fantastic to see it back in action, but it seemed a lot smaller than usual. It would have been nice to see as many local producers as there were in the past,” said Nicolette Hofmeyer, a festival-goer.