The Durban Good Food & Wine Show 2014

I experienced the Good Food & Wine Show for the first time this year, so thought I'd share a taste of what it was like (haha, pun totally intended). It was at first pretty overwhelming - there were so many stalls and so much to see, lots of little demo areas all over with interesting people to watch, as well as the celebrity chef theatres which were at an extra fee. I tried to take lots of pics, but unfortunately they aren't the best as it was really busy and it's pretty difficult to get good pics in such a crowd without getting all up in people's faces. But I think it gives you a good idea of the general vibe...

Some items that stood out for me...

Peugeot and Meals on Wheels got together to create a life-size Peugeot model car made entirely of freshly baked cake smothered in fondant icing. Slices were sold to the public to raise money and awareness for Meals on Wheels. Pretty cool!

Scoop Me s'More - "S.A's first customisable ice cream cookie sandwichery." This looks like a fun concept that hasn't quite been done in this way on much of a scale in SA yet. I had a chocolate brownie and snickerdoodle biscuit with coffee ice cream combo, and it was delicious!

Willow Creek Olive Oils had some incredible new flavour infusions, and I deeply regret not getting some of this. I sampled a few and they were incredible! Persian Lime, Blood Orange, Garlic, Parmesan, Jalapeno... I'm going to have to seek them out and get me some. 

Kuhestan Cordials come in delicious flavours and make fantastically refreshing drinks for those hot Durban days by the pool, braais and picnics.

This was something I hadn't seen before - Balsamic Beads! Looks kinda like caviar, and would be great to fancy up salads, snacks or any meal really. They're 100% vegan with no added sugars. 

I also particularly enjoying getting to watch well known Durban chef, Andrew Draper from Harvey's Restaurant. He's really entertaining to watch and shared some great tips during the process of his demos. 

Others that deserve a mention: Wicked Donuts who are relatively new and have some incredible donut flavours, Rose's Cordials who have a new range of delicious flavours as well, and La Petite France who specialise in handmade cheeses but have really great preserves as well, like Rose Petal Syrup. (all pictured above)

It did strike me that the event didn't represent the Durban food scene very well at all. We've got some great Durban restaurants and artisanal foodies, as well as the more "common" Durban food fare, and I found their absence rather glaring. Would have also loved to have seen a specialty coffee and tea section... maybe an idea for next time.

Overall however it was an enjoyable general experience and there was so much more that isn't represented in these images (things that didn't suit my specific taste). Well worth a visit!

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