Today marks the start of Fairtrade Coffee Week, a celebration of Fairtrade-certified coffee in South Africa.

Over 250 coffee shops around the country will be participating in the event, so keep an eye out for Fairtrade Coffee Week posters.

If you haven’t yet visited Bean There in Wale Street, now’s definitely the time – they’ll be having a ‘buy two coffees get one FREE’ promotion during Fairtrade Coffee Week (and even if they weren’t it’s a great place for excellent coffee, any day).

When in doubt, look for a Woolworths Cafe – the company recently announced that, as part of its Good Business Journey, all coffee-based beverages sold in the over 70 Woolworths coffee shops around the country will be Fairtrade certified.

That’s a huge boost for Fairtrade, doubling the amount of Fairtrade coffee currently available to South Africans, and generating a yearly Fairtrade Premium of over R180,000 for small-scale coffee farmers in East Africa, from which the Fairtrade coffee is sourced. The Fairtrade Premium is used to fund social, economic and environmental projects in farming communities.

Visit www.FairtradeSA.org.za for more info, or keep tabs on Fairtrade SA’s Facebook page.

Why buy Fairtrade?
Fairtrade was created to foster a fairer system for farm workers and small-scale farmers sidelined or disadvantaged by powerful conventional trading systems.   Fairtrade benefits small-scale farmers and farm workers by:

1. ensuring better trading, working and living conditions through Fairtrade Standards
2. providing a Fairtrade Premium that small-scale farmers (in the case of a co-operative) and farm workers (in the case of a commercial farm) can invest in projects to improve their lives
3. supporting sustainable production and protection of the environment for a better future.

If you’re anywhere near the Fringe District today and are interested in supporting local craft producers, you might like to check out the ‘Pashasha Pop-up Shop’, on today (11 May 2012) from 10am to 3pm.

The pop-up shop features twelve craft producers who have taken part in a retail readiness workshop with the Cape Craft and Design Institute (CCDI).

Their handmade products include jewellery, bags, decor items, children’s ware, cards and homeware. The craft producers are based all over Cape Town – Mitchell’s Plain to Claremont, Khayelitsha to Sea Point.

“The shop is an opportunity for craft producers to put into practice the learnings from the workshop and to get feedback from the public,” said CCDI creative training unit co-ordinator Dammon Rice.

The Pashasha pop-up shop will be set up in the CCDI’s Creative Enterprise Training Unit (Second floor, Harrington House, 37 Barrack Street, The Fringe)

The CCDI organises numerous business support and creativity workshops. Fees are generally R30/day for CCDI-registered craft producers, and R550/day for non-CCDI registered people. (Registration is free). Contact: CCDI Creative Training Unit admin assistant Eunice Freeman, 021 461 4696 or workshops@ccdi.org.za, to book for a workshop.

Pashasha pop-up shop Event Details:

Where:  Creative Enterprise Training Unit (second floor, Harrington House, 37 Barrack Street, The Fringe.)
Date: Friday 11 May 2012
Time: 10:00-15:00

More information on the shop: CCDI creative training unit co-ordinator Dammon Rice - 021-461 1488 |dammon.rice@ccdi.org.za

Some years back I decided I wanted to try my hand at growing at least some of my own fresh food. Undaunted by the fact that my postage stamp garden wasn’t likely to produce all that much, I decided to find a local food-growing course and hone my rather rudimentary skills.

This led me to Soil For Life, a fantastic organisation based in Constantia (behind the Constantia Waldorf School). Soil For Life works hard in the townships, teaching people how to create sustainable water-wise food gardens using whatever materials are at hand. Grow potatoes in layers of old tires, use empty milk bottles with holes poked in the lids to water little seedlings, mulch everything with strips of old newspaper – I’ve even seen old sinks and toilet bowls put to use!

A visit to their inspiring head office will lead you to their wonderful food garden, always full of vibrant fresh produce, all of it organic, unsprayed and positively bristling with goodness.

What better place to learn how to grow your own vegetables – and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the weekend-long Grow To Live course upon which I embarked that cold, wintry July.  Not only did I vastly improve my ability to keep things alive, I also began to look at soil, ‘pests’ and the whole cycle of growing very differently.

It didn’t matter how big your garden was – the idea behind the course is not to make you an urban farmer overnight, but to give you the foundation for growing something fresh and healthy at home, in whatever size containers you have, with whatever resources you have.

And, it’s great fun, with plenty of discussion and sociable lunching in between learning and planting.

Soil For Life runs these workshops once a month – and their next one is coming up this weekend: 12 and 13 May (8.30 am to 3.30 pm both days).

I can highly recommend the experience!  Here’s what you’ll learn:

Grow to Live  Weekend Food Gardening Workshop 12 and 13 May (8.30 am to 3.30 pm both days)

Join author of Grow to Live, Soil for Life’s Pat Featherstone on a comprehensive hands-on workshop where you learn to grow food naturally, working with the rhythm of the seasons and the biodiversity that exists in your garden.

In Pat’s engaging teaching style, you will learn to build your soil, prepare beds, how to choose and plant seedlings, pest control, harvesting and a lot more.

After the weekend you will have the knowledge and skills you need to grow your own organic produce.  Discover just how rewarding it is to pick a selection of dew fresh beans or baby greens for your salads, track the progress of your first pumpkin flower as it develops into an orange orb, packed with beta-carotene and taste the difference.

Cost: R750

Where: Soil for Life Training and Resource Centre: off Brounger Road Constantia

If you can’t spare a whole weekend, other (shorter) workshops offered by Soil For Life include their Healing Herbs workshop and two composting workshops (one specifically focused on worm farms).

Visit www.soilforlife.co.za for more info, or call them on  (0)21 794 4982.

The Camphill Country Market is a small food and craft market held at Camphill Village (West Coast) on the first Sunday of the month.

You will probably have seen Camphill products at markets and in some shops (rye bread, yoghurt, creme fraiche, cheeses and so on), but have you ever been to visit the farm?  I did, some years back, and it was quite fun.  It’s only about 35km out of Cape Town, and on market day there are plenty of activities for kids and adults, including tractor rides around the farm.

About Camphill Village 
In 1964, a few pioneers with a group of young adults with special needs arrived on a large piece of sandy property. Together they planted trees, built houses, a bakery, a dairy and a chapel. Today these buildings and beautiful surroundings they created stand as a powerful testament of their courage and character. This is the community Camphill Village (West Coast) about 35km north of Cape Town.

Camphill Village provides a safe and secure environment for between 80 and 90 adults with special needs in which to live and work, so that they can experience a meaningful and happy life.

What you’ll find at the Camphill Market
Head out for a lovely day in the country where you can enjoy the area’s natural surroundings, take a tractor ride around the farm and enjoy the produce and creations of stall holders (everything from delicious wraps, chillies, hand crafted jewellery, organic lemon juice and preserves, to candles, plants and worm farms for your garden).

Camphill products for sale are: freshly baked breads, cheese from their dairy, garden fresh organic veggies & clothing and bric-a-brac from the Charity shop.  The Camphill Coffee Bar sells delicious home baked cakes with coffee/tea, bacon & egg rolls for the early birds, freshly baked paninis with a variety of fresh fillings.  The Camphill Marimba band provides live music to add to the atmosphere.

Camphill Country Market – Event Details:

When: First Sunday of the month (except January), from 11am till 4pm.
Where: Camphill Village, West Coast.
Directions: from the N1 take the N7 towards Malmesbury, travel for approximately 35km. At the sign ‘Camphill Village’ turn left, drive another 4,5km and we are on the left.
More details: contact Lee*Hansen direct line: 021 571 8651 during office hours or email info@camphill.org.za

Last year I had the great pleasure of attending the Table of Peace & Unity, an annual fundraising event held on the slopes of Table Mountain. The idea behind the event is to bring people together to (literally and figuratively) break bread as a demonstration of peace and unity, and to raise money for children’s charities.

The main event, hosting 700 people at one long (oh so very long) table under a very (very) long tent, is held on Tafelberg Road, on Table Mountain. Top chefs volunteer their time and talents, as do some of the country’s best musical talents, and all proceeds go to the selected charities. Over the years the event has raised an incredible R12 million, and they hope to add to this figure again this time around.

In addition to this, organisers are encouraging South Africans to host their own ‘Table of Peace and Unity’ events. After all – you don’t need to be on Table Mountain to sit at a long table and share bread (again, in both senses of the word) with your community.

This year’s event takes place on Sunday 13 May 2012 (Mother’s Day!). Tickets are not cheap – R450-R500 a pop – but every cent is going to charity. Add to that the fact that you’re getting fed by the city’s top chefs, entertained by our best local performers and that the location (and occasion) is unforgettable and I’d say it was well worth the price.

For bookings, as well as how to host a Table in your own community go to www.tableofpeaceandunity.co.za or contact shona@gourmetsa.com.

The Elkanah Schoolyard Market is a community food and craft market held once a month in Table View.  I’ve only just heard about it via the organisers, so haven’t yet had a chance to check it out for myself, but it definitely sounds very promising.

There’s a lovely writeup in Taste Magazine (and great pics), and Eat In also has many good things to say:

“A lovely community market where a sense of generosity and wellbeing reigns. Although there are some artisan products (cheese, charcuterie and breads) there is also plenty of old fashioned home baking (delicious cupcakes and tarts), preserving (pantry staples like chutneys and unusual jams) and cooking on display. In winter they have log fires going that creates a very cosy vibe and in fair weather there is space for al fresco feasting.” www.eat-in.co.za

It looks and sounds wonderful, especially as a winter market option (mmm, log fires)… I don’t often go out that way (typical Capetonian!), but this market certainly seems tempting enough for an exploratory mission.  The next one is coming up this Saturday (5 May 2012 – usually the last Saturday of the month, but April holidays bumped it into May), so I think I might just find myself hitting the road and heading out to see what’s what and stock up on some homely staples.

Perhaps I’ll see you there…

Elkanah Schoolyard Market – Details:

Where: Elkanah House High School Campus, 85 Sunningdale Drive, Blouberg
When: Once a month, last Saturday of the month (subject to change, and not on every month)  9am-1pm.
Contact: Market website.   Tel. 021 554 8586

The SA Cheese Festival starts this Friday and, as always, I will be making a beeline to the smaller producers at the show. I generally find these more interesting than the more commercial operations, which tend, after all, to produce cheese that’s available in shops anyway! As in previous years (see 2010 and 2011), in preparation I’ve done a little digging to find out what I can about the small producers who’ll be at the festival this year (some new, some we’ve seen before).

The Small Producers – in alphabetical order:

Alpine Goats Cheese AKA Dragon Fly Farm (Napier, WESTERN CAPE)
w. www.goats-cheese.co.za

Absolutely love this cheese, made from organic goats milk on Dragon Fly Farm in Napier.  My favourite has always been the wasabi flavour, but who knows what they have up their sleeves for the festival.

Anysbos Cheese (Botrivier, WESTERN CAPE)
e: info(at)anysbos.co.za

I don’t know much about this cheese, other than that it comes from a farm in the Botrivier area.  Owners Sue and Johan Heyns run a boutique cheese business there that’s producing a variety of cheeses, including the unique Goat Milk Camembert.

Desiree Kingwill Cheese (Greyton, WESTERN CAPE)

I stand to be corrected, but I think these are the awesome colourful wax-coated cow’s milk cheeses I always look out for at the Greyton Morning Market when I”m there… (my favourite: stinging nettle). They are fantastic, and keep for months!

Kleinfontein Cheese (Overberg, WESTERN CAPE)
e: jakoliana(at)barvallei.co.za

100% goats milk cheeses from Kleinfontein Farm in the Overberg Region. The farm, previously primarily used for wheat-growing, was more recently diversified to include ostrich- and cattle-farming and owners Liana and Jako Cilliers began making goatsmilk cheeses a few years ago.

Laerskool Buffeljagsrivier (Buffeljagsrivier nr Swellendam, WESTERN CAPE)

In 2010, a donation by a local dentist in Swellendam funded the creation of a small cheese factory at the Buffelsjagsrivier Primary. The cheese made there went on to win a prize for best ‘goatsmilk cottage cheese without additions’ at that year’s Agri Expo Cheese Championships. I find it hard to get really good cottage cheese (especially goats milk cheese), so I’m very keen to taste this for myself!

Langbaken Karoo Cheese (Groot Karoo, WESTERN CAPE)
Twitter: @langbakencheese

This looks amazing – handcrafted cheese from a small herd of Jersey cows in the Groot Karoo (made from unpasteurised milk). There’s a lovely writeup on Eat In with more details (they play music to their cows at milking time!)

Mestervic Cheese (Stellenbosch, WESTERN CAPE)
Contact: Emile Esterhuizen at emile.esterhuizen(at)gmail.com

Norwegian-style cheeses made from a home kitchen in Stellenbosch.

Pépé Charlot Cheesemaker (GAUTENG)
w. www.pepecharlot.co.za

Goats cheeses from up north. Not too much info on the website, but it looks like these are soft goats cheeses, usually available at selected markets and outlets in Johannesburg.

Taaibosch Kaas – (WESTERN CAPE)
e: jfb(at)vodamail.co.za

Not sure where they’re located, but they produce pressed Cottage Cheese, covered with spice, Cheddar and Gouda.

Udderly Delicious (Darling, WESTERN CAPE)
e: e: candash(at)mweb.co.za

These lovely, gentle cheeses are hand-made in Darling. I first encountered the ‘Skattie’ and ” at a Slow Food event at Lelieblom Farm two years ago, and more recently spotted them at The Palms Market. Look out for the delicious salamis, too.

It’s an imperfect list  - if there are any I’ve missed, or any of my information is incorrect, please leave a comment below!

See you at the tasting tables…

SA Cheese Festival 2012 – Event Details

www.cheesefestival.co.za

Location: Sandringham (half way between Cape Town and Paarl on the N1)

Dates: Friday 27 to Monday 30 April 2012

Times: Friday to Sunday 10am to 6pm / Monday 10am to 5pm

Tickets: R110 pp per day – includes entry to this fabulous festival, a shopping bag, festival programme, tastings and inspirational demonstrations by some of South Africa’s top food icons. Senior citizens discount: R90 pp per day.  FREE entry for children 13 years and under.  Available via Computicket. NO TICKETS AT THE GATE.

The Riebeek Valley Olive Festival has to be one of my favourite food festivals on the Cape calendar.  This may have something to do with the fact that I’m rather obsessed with olives, but I think even if I wasn’t olive-crazy I’d still enjoy it immensely.  What I love (aside from the olives, of course) is that the festival meanders through the towns of both Riebeek Kasteel and Riebeek West – there are stalls and activities and entertainments in both.  That means crowding isn’t such a big issue, and you get to spend time outdoors in between visiting the various hotspots.

There’s oodles of wine to taste, quirky shops to visit, markets to explore – and of course loads of special festivities to keep visitors entertained.  And the valley is so beautiful at this time of year, vines usually ablaze with autumn colours, crisp breeze keeping the air clear – it’s glorious.

Dates & Times
This year’s festival runs over the weekend of 5-6 May 2012. Times vary widely, depending on the activity (most of it happening between 10am and 4pm, both days – with some evening activities planned).

Getting there & accommodation
Accommodation is probably hard to find now, but it’s only a bit over an hour’s drive from Cape Town out to the Riebeek Valley, and well worth the trip.  Or, you could try to find a place to stay in a nearby town, if need be – and make a weekend of it.  Another option available this year is a special shuttle bus, running from Cape Town to Riebeek Kasteel (and back) on both Saturday and Sunday.  The shuttle costs R100, which works out cheaper than accommodation, so might be well worth it if you’re wanting to sample more wines and avoid driving.

The programme
This year’s festival programme looks great – with guided olive walks, olive-oil-tastings, wine-tastings and the dubious pleasure of witnessing some Olive Festival staples: olive oil wrestling and olive pip spitting (hoohah!).  Some new highlights this year are an Olive Emporium, a micro-brewery and a fresh goods market.

The Olive Passport
The Olive Passport costs R80 (buy here or at ticket marquees on the day) and is valid for the entire weekend, allowing you entrance to 7 of Riebeek’s top farm experiences:

1. Het Vlock Casteel
2. Riebeek Cellars
3. Pulpit Rock
4. Kloovenburg
5. Cafe Felix
6. The Royal Hotel
7. The Riebeek West Funky Fresh Market

The Olive Passport includes a tasting glass and free tastings of olives or wine at the above 7 locations. It also gives you one free ride on the tractor transport (after that it’s R5 per ride, proceeds going to a local charity).

Follow @RVOliveFestival on Twitter for updates – or visit www.riebeekolivefestival.com for more info.

The Cheese Festival is just around the corner, kicking off next weekend at Sandringham.  As you probably already know, it’s a feast of cheese of all shapes, sizes, tastes, textures, colours, smells… you get the idea.

The festival runs from 27-30 April 2012, and tickets cost R110 each (not available at the door).

If you haven’t already got tickets, or would like to get more and bring some friends along, here’s your chance to win some, and possibly score some fun festival prizes as well!

Courtesty of festival organisers I get to give away two great prizes this year:

1st prize

• Double tickets to the Festival PLUS
• A backpack cooler bag with wine goodies: 1 x Pulltex wine saver; 1 Carraca Waiters friend; 5 Red wine stain remover wipes; 1 Acrylic wine pourer; 1 travel mini aerator (sponsored by Sterling promotions) – worth R450.

2nd prize

• Double tickets to the Festival (worth R220).

To enter, all you need to do is fill in the form below.

First two correct entries drawn, win.  Good luck!

SORRY - THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED! Tickets for the festival are available at www.cheesefestival.co.za for R110 each (no tickets at the door!)

Prizes are not transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.  Competition closes at midday on Wednesday 25 April 2012. Winners will be notified via email – please check your mail.  By entering you agree to be added to our newsletter mailing list (you can unsubscribe at any time!).  Good luck!

If I were headed for Stellenbosch this Friday, I think I’d have to go to this one:  an evening street banquet on Drostdy Street in Stellenbosch (with everyone dressed in white).

The event is being held in celebration of 333 years since Stellenbosch was first founded, and is (probably more to the point) also the launch, by the mayor, of a new brand identity for the town.

Residents, and fans from outside town, are encouraged to reserve their seats for a night which will feature some of the best local performers such as Laurinda Hofmeyr, Schalk van der Merwe, Lynette Pietersen, Roman Alexander, Niel Rademan, Pietman Geldenhuys and Ollie Viljoen.

Everyone is asked to wear white to maximise the dramatic effect of this setting at night, and to bring along all food, drinks, cutlery and crockery. Tables with table cloths and seating will be provided. Stunning prizes are up for grabs: For the best outfit in white, For the best hat, For the best table layout and decoration.

Sounds quite fun and, as the weather forecast stands today, it looks like a pretty good evening for an outdoor banquet.

The Stellenbosch Street Banquet will take place this Friday 20 April from 6pm until 10pm.  Tickets cost R100.

Stellenbosch Street Banquet – Event Details:

When:  Friday 20 April 2012.  6pm-10pm

Where: Drostdy Street, Stellenbosch

Cost: R100 per person. Tickets available via Quicket.

This April, Steenberg Vineyards will be starting a new winter series of ‘Movie Nights’.  Each movie has a wine or food theme, and will be accompanied by a specially prepared Bistro Sixteen82 meal, popcorn and wine gums. Wine will be available for purchase at cellar-door prices.

I love good movies.  I love good food.  Combined, it seems like heaven to me.

The movies will be screened in the Steenberg Vineyards boardroom, ‘cinema style’, each one starting at 7pm sharp (so try to get there by 6.30pm at the latest, if you want to gather your goodies before going inside).

Steenberg Movie Nights kicks off on Tuesday the 24th of April 2012 with the famous Pinot Noir themed film, Sideways (already fully booked, apparently!).

The 2012 Tuesday Movie Night Lineup is as follows:

• Sideways – 24 April
• Tortilla Soup –15 May
• A Good Year – 29 May
• Julie and Julia – 5 June
• Bottle Shock – 19 June
• Woman on Top – 26 June
• A Walk in the Clouds – 7 Aug
• Like Water for Chocolate – 21 Aug
• French Kiss – 4 Sep
• Mondovino – 18 Sep
• Waitress – 2 Oct

Only 30 people can be accommodated, with reservations made by Lida on Tel 021 713 2211 or lida@steenbrg.co.za. Tickets are R100 per person (R80 for wine club members) including your meal, popcorn and aforementioned winegums.

Taste of Cape Town is just around the corner. If you haven’t yet been, this annual foodie festival is all about giving visitors a chance to sample a whole range of dishes from some of the top restaurants in Cape Town.

Not everyone has the budget to dine at these fine establishments very often (I certainly don’t), so what’s great about Taste of Cape Town is that you can ‘shop around’ and try whatever appeals to you on the festival menu. Each of the 13 restaurants presenting this year will be preparing at least three signature dishes, served from their on-site kitchens.

You can wander about, stopping whenever something looks too good to miss, exploring different flavours and experiences. The smaller size portions allow you to try more from the menu, rather than getting full all at once.

That’s not to say it’s cheap, but this is superb quality food, and you can choose exactly what combinations you want.  Dishes range from R20 (4 crowns) to R40 (8 crowns). This year’s menu has been announced, and it looks amazing!

It’s not only about the restaurants, though – there are also a number of other entertainments on offer: demos and workshops at the Chef’s Theatre, interactive canape making (with wine pairing), food and fine brandy pairing and even Thai cooking demos.  Plus, there’s a selection of small producers showcasing their local products – a mini-market of sorts.

Taste of Cape Town runs for four days from 19-22 April 2012 at the Green Point Cricket Club.  General entry tickets cost R80 (includes a tasting glass), and you buy ‘crowns’ (the festival currency:  1 ‘crown’ = R5) once you’re inside.

No doubt the weekend sessions will be jam-packed, so if you’re like me and don’t like jostling, try to get to the earlier ones.

See you there!

Taste of Cape Town 2012 – Event Details

When: 19-22 April 2012.  Various times.

Where: Green Point Cricket Club

Cost:  General entry R80 (other ticket options available)

Website:  www.tasteofcapetown.com