SA Rocks

Who says South Africa lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to eating locally and excellent small producers? Judging by the winners of the Eat In RMB Private Bank Fresh Produce Awards 2007, recently announced at the awards ceremony in Cape Town, it appears there is ample scope for buying excellent local artisanal foods.

The awards, a partnership between the annual food directory Eat In and RMB Private Bank, is the only one of this kind and scope in South Africa that aims to celebrate our outstanding local produce and to support the people who create and market it. From only two awards in 2006, the categories have now grown to five – check out the well-deserved winners:

1. Best New Product

Nomu Stir dry instant pestos (tomato and chilli pesto mix and tomato and herb pesto mix)
Runner-up: Rozendal Farm mixed vinegar matured in oak barrels.

2. Outstanding Outlet – Regional
North: Tapenade Olive Shop, Cresta, Johannesburg
East: Everfresh Hillcrest, KZN
South: Main Ingredient, Sea Point, Cape Town
Special mention: The Neighbourgoods Market @ The Old Biscuit Mill, Woodstock, Cape Town

3. Small Producer Awards

Bakery: Île de pain, Knysna: Artisan wood-fired hand-crafted bread such as a 3kg Campanio and a traditional baguette using Eureka Meulens Flour
Dairy: Estelle du Preez /De Pekelaar Farm for their De Pekelaar Mature Cheddar.
Other dairy: Charlotte Ngwenya’s Bombolino Gelato for Italian style ice cream
Earth: Cape Gourmet Mushrooms for their exotic Japanese mushrooms (pink oyster, oyster and shiitake mushrooms).
Grocery/Condiments: Protea Hill Farm for their herb infused vinegars
Paddock: Fresh: The duck lady, Shongweni, KZN for their free-range ducks.
Paddock: Cured: Neil Jewel of Bread and Wine Farm Grocer, Franschhoek for their Spanish-style apple ham and other charcuterie.
Seafood: Fresh: Big Bay Sea Farms for their farmed Oysters
Seafood: Cured: Pisces Products for their cold smoked tuna using Rooibos tea leaves.
Organic: Kraaiboskloof Organic Farm, Knysna for their fresh organic produce
Organic Merit Award: Rozigal Organic Products for their organic yoghurt and cream cheese.

4. Innovation Award

Simply Salads & Peter Bakker for their Kumato®. This black (well, dark reddish-brown), super-sweet tomato hybrid was the brainchild of the Simply Salads’ Peter Bakker and was subsequently developed by a Dutch seed company. It is now thriving in South Africa, one of only five countries in the world to grow it. Simply Salads is the only Kumato® producer in the country.

5. South African Food Heritage Award
Groenfontein Farm, Alan Sonnenberg/ Renate Coetzee/Volker Miros for their research and replanting of indigenous food plants. By working with the indigenous people of the Ceres Karoo and local farms in their district, the farm is helping to reintroduce indigenous food plants (the area has over 200 documented plants that occurred naturally and were cultivated and eaten there) to the area and to the food and tourism industry. The farm is encouraging the local people to grow the plants so that they will eventually become self sufficient.

I was pleased to see that I have recently visited at least one of the winning outlets (Tapenade in Johannesburg) and will be visiting one of the small producers in February next year (Ile de Pain in Knysna). And as Nomu products are available over here in the UK I will be keeping an eye out for the dry pestos.

As for those of you living in South Africa – what are you waiting for – go and support these wonderful producers and suppliers, because local really is lekker!

Cooksister!

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