This unmissable event will be hosted by acclaimed chef and show director for SA Master Chef, Arnold Tanzer. Chalmar Beef will be presenting the Challenge, while premium South African beef producers – including Drakensberger, Afrikaner, Red Angus, Sussex, Nguni, Wagyu to name a few – will go one-on-one against each other to test for the quality, taste, tenderness and juicyness of their beef.

The competition will be judged by both an esteemed panel of local and international foodie judges, who will sample over 15 different breeds of bovine expertly prepared by the experienced chefs from The Local Grill.

Visitors to the Fair on Sunday 10 November will also be able to be part of the judging by tasting the variety of breeds on offer and voting for their favourite throughout the day. In this way, the Ultimate Beef Challenge 2013 offers beef lovers a rare opportunity to sample the full range of South Africa’s best beef – and adds a real element of education and taste sensation to the Fair.

“All Ultimate Beef entrants will go through a strict entry process to ensure fairness and transparency in the competition,” explains host Arnold Tanzer.  “All breeds entered will be slaughtered on the same day at Chalmar Beef, 11 time winner of the Abattoir of the Year award, the same cut (sirloin)  from each breed will be prepared for the competition, each sirloin will be aged for the exact same period prior to the competition and each cut will be cooked to the exact same temperature for the tasting.”

“We established ULTIMATE BEEF to educate meat lovers about the merits of beef, and to revive the deep-rooted South African age-old beef tradition,” says Steve Maresch, founder of the Ultimate Beef Challenge and owner of THE LOCAL GRILL restaurants. Maresch is a recognised expert and passionate aficionado on all aspects of quality South African beef.

“ULTIMATE BEEF’S objectives is to encourage the enjoyment and taste appeal of beef, to educate South Africans about its versatility and value, to promote the nutritional value of beef and to build confidence and assurance of the safety of southern African beef by communicating the good management practices from field to fork.”

Alongside providing an exciting challenge and superb taste experience to beef eaters on November 10th, the The Ultimate Beef Challenge has a longer-term goal – and that is to encourage South Africans to think about the meats they are eating.  The Wethmar Family, owners of Chalmar Beef who are the headline sponsor of this year’s Ultimate Beef Challenge event, are on a mission to encourage beef lovers to know the farmer and team behind producing healthy, safe and excellent quality beef, as well as  understand the ethics behind the beef they are preparing and putting on their plates.

Tickets to THE ULTIMATE BEEF SHOW will be available at the Sanlam Investments FoodWineDesign Fair on Sunday 10 November.

Roberto Panizza, who is famed for his DOP Genovese basil pesto, will be attending the Fair, where he’ll be doing pesto-making demonstrations and serving his world-class pesto to visitors. Here are his tips for making the ultimate basil pesto:

‘There is no recipe for pesto, it’s all about the technique. There are lots of ingredients allowed so everyone can come up with his own Pesto. The best pesto is prepared with a mortar and pestle, an ancient system that offers better results than the modern systems have ever been able to obtain. Then you throw in the physical contact with the marble, the wood, the sweat. Obviously, you can make good pesto with modern tools, in larger amounts. The jar isn’t really the devil’s tool. It all depends on what’s in it!’
Roberto’s pesto is sold in Japan, the USA, Singapore and Hong Kong as well as many European countries, and he’s thrilled to be bringing his product to South Africa.  ‘I like to think that the entrepreneurial spirit of Genoa is alive and well with my pesto.’

To meet Roberto Panizza and try his world-famous pesto, visit the Sanlam Investments FoodWineDesign Fair from 8-10 November, on the rooftop of Hyde Park Corner.

Picture all the best braai-able foods – chicken, prawns, burgers and more – in a festive outdoor setting where you can grab a beer, glass of wine or a locally produced gin and tonic. What better way to kick off the festive season?

This is just one of the exciting projects we have lined up for this year’s Fair, so join us on the rooftop of Hyde Park Corner for a day of fun-filled shopping along with good food and drinks.

Bring on the pizza, pasta, parmigiana, grissini, gelato and lambrusco!
 
After a fun-filled day in Amsterdam with bicycles, boat houses, canals and the traditional pairing of Dutch cheese and mustard sandwiches, my sister and I arrived at Villa Pandolfini in Florence, Tuscany.
 
The region of Tuscany embodies a flair of old-world charm, surrounded by rolling vineyards and olive gardens, peaceful villages perched on top of symmetrical hills, narrow winding streets and pastel villas with terracotta tiled roofs.   
 
With the perfect setting we were ready to cook, eat, drink and eat!
 
Day 1 started with an espresso (of course) and was followed by four hours of hands-on cooking that introduced us to the food that has made Tuscany one of the most popular destinations in Italy.

We uncorked the wine and indulged in juicy chopped tomatoes with local olive oil and oregano, Parmesan cheese that melted with each bite, toasted garlic bruschetta, zucchini and saffron risotto, freshly made pasta, Tuscan-style chicken with olives and capers and finished off with vanilla pannacotta with berries and grappa.       
 
Day 2 (after recovering from the red, white and then red wine again) was filled with more eating of the mouth-watering dishes that we prepared... and just when we thought we could never eat as much as the day before, we ate even more!
 

Deep fried zucchini flowers, panzanella salad, pasta with chickpeas, sea bass with potatoes, tomatoes and olives and chestnut cake with chocolate sauce. Yummy...
 

Day 3 started off at a local market where we shopped for the ingredients for the last day of cooking, as the locals do. Our farewell meal could only be described as heaven on a table, with fresh out-of-the-oven focaccia bread, spinach and ricotta ravioli, red wine beef stew, tiramisu and lemon sorbet.     

As an Italian, with a passion for cooking and eating, I was able to share this unforgettable experience with family in Italy... It has honestly been a dream come true!  
 
Arrivederci (Farewell) Italia and Grazie (Thank you) Sanlam Investments Food Wine Design Fair!

Al contrario (On the contrary), thank you Nikita for being a fan and sharing your amazing journey with us! We're glad you had such a ball and got to spend time with your Italian family, learning about all the good things in life.

For those of you who also have dreams of travel and other exciting adventures, you can rest assured that this year we'll be handing out great prizes once again. Watch this space and follow us on Facebook for a chance to win big!

Cape Town-based company, the Feat Sock Co, are in the business of creating bold, graphic socks that make a serious fashion statement. As soon as we laid eyes on their product we knew we wanted to team up with this creative duo. So we decided to ask three top South African illustrators to create beautiful socks that Feat Sock Co will produce as limited-edition runs especially for the FoodWineDesign Fair, from 8-10 November.

But what does this have to do with you, you may ask? Well, as part of this project, we’re running a competition that calls for original sock designs from the public – yes, you. Over the month of August we’ll be accepting submissions and on 2 September we’ll choose the top entry. Feat Sock Co will produce this winning design as a limited-edition sock, which we’ll launch at the Fair along with those of the top SA illustrators. Your name will be included on the packaging, together with a blurb about you and your inspiration. You’ll also win a R1 500 Africandy voucher and a complete set of the limited-edition socks.

Keen to enter? Here’s how:

1. Download the sock template, here.

2. Create an awesome sock design using the following colours:

Cotton and bamboo colours (use these as your main colours):

Nylon colours (use these for detail):

3. Email your entry to  [email protected] by Friday 30 August 2013.

While we want you to go completely wild with your designs, The Feat Sock Co offers the following guidelines for what makes a good sock:

• The patterns on the sock need to be quite bold and graphic, as too much detail becomes intense for the machine to handle. This is because the needle changes over quickly for each colour. Take a look at their website and you’ll see that their styles are simple, graphic and bold (for instance, if you saw someone walking on the other side of the street you would still think “hey cool socks!” – you wouldn’t need to bend down to look too closely).
• A design that works around the sock works particularly well (for instance a stripe/zig-zag) as this way the knitting machine does not need to change needles as frequently. No need to feel too restricted by this – repetitive dots/other geometric shapes also work well!
• Using the above colour charts, remember to use more bamboo or cotton and keep nylon for the details. Obviously, comfy socks are natural socks, so the more cotton or bamboo the better.

Ready to get started? Good luck and we can’t wait to see your design! Remember to send it to  [email protected] before 30 August 2013.

And for those of you in Joburg, be sure to pop around to the Sanlam Investments FoodWineDesign Fair from 8-10 November to see (and pick up) a pair of the winning designs. See you there!

Love Milo Tribal Triangle Mug, R200.

Ceramic Factory Robot, R230.

Dinner Plates by Mia Widlake, from R300.

For more local design inspiration visit us on the rooftop of Hyde Park Corner for the fourth annual Sanlam Investments FoodWineDesign Fair from 7-10 November.

1. African precious teas by YSWARA take you on a sensory journey that is guaranteed to keep you going through the cold season.

2. Add a touch of Scandi to your home with this beautiful hand knitted uphostery fabric by Bridget Hendersen of Cowgirlblues.

3. Embrace the new age of knitwear with a stylish African-inspired jersey by Maxhosa.

4. Help your skin survive the season with all-natural, beautifully packaged products by Terres d'Afrique.

5. Lock your toes up tight in a quirky pair of socks by Cape-Town based designers, Feat.

For more design inspiration, as well as loads of good food and wine, join us at the fourth Sanlam Investments FoodWineDesign Fair on the rooftop of Hyde Park Corner, from 8-10 November. See you there!

This year, after having chanced upon the spectacular Route 62 region of the Western Cape, we have decided to bring a taste of this area to the Fair. As well as breathtaking scenery, the region seems to have inspired a resurgence of traditional crafts and high-quality produce.

Curator Roberta Coci has just returned from a roadtrip, where she meandered from Robertson all the way to Oudsthoorn, in search of the region’s top products.

Here’s a sneak preview of some of the amazing products she came across, and that we plan to bring to the Fair this year, from 8-10 November.

Magpie Collective

Magpie Collective’s one-of-a-kind designs have gained huge momentum internationally, so much so that one of their chandeliers recently found a home in President Obama’s private quarters in the White House. The socially conscious enterprise uses recycled goods and other found objects, which they weave into a collection of ornate chandeliers, wreaths and pendants. Their quirky showroom, on the main road of Barrydale, is an eccentric wonderland well worth a visit.

Merton Olives

Merton Olives is a boutique Barrydale farm run by former Capetonians, Clive and Eve McDonald. With seven olive varietals and over 1 000 trees to tend, the couple is kept busy making table olives, extra virgin oils, pestos, tapenades and more.

Barrydale Hand Weavers

One of our favourite stops had to be the Barrydale Hand Weavers, a real step back in time, where hand looms are used to weave pure cotton textiles. From tea towels to baby blankets, bath mats, clothing and tablecloths, the final product is testament to the quality and authenticity of this age-old craft.

Joseph Barry Brandy

For a small town, Barrydale has quite a few accolades, one of which is being producers of ‘the best brandy in the world’. The region has a long history of brandy making and Barrydale Cellars has become one of South Africa’s top pot-still brandy producers. Their Joseph Barry 10 Year brandy has been hailed the best in the world, and they recently added a beautifully packaged husk brandy (grappa) to their award-winning range.

The Jam Tarts

If you’re in the town of Barrydale you simply have to stop at the infamous Jam Tarts Restaurant. Run by the eccentric and warm couple, Terri and Joan, the store is full of Terri’s homemade jams as well as Joan’s artworks, all inspired by the region itself. The restaurant, which boasts a menu of authentic Spanish tapas, as well as pizzas, burgers and more, is great for a pitstop, but we’d recommend taking your time and enjoying the local scenery while getting to know the owners.

Boplaas Ports

Further down the road we travelled to Calitzdorp, an area that has become renowned for its port, thanks to its Portuguese-style climate and terroir. Boplaas has a wide selection of award-winning ports, including a unique Chocolate port, with strong hints of cocoa. Their Portuguese varietals are being put to good use with an ever-increasing selection of wines as well.

For more on Route 62, watch this space and visit the Sanlam Investments FoodWineDesign Fair, on the rooftop of Hyde Park Corner Shopping Centre, from 8-10 November.

We’re particularly excited about the Cape’s Route 62, which we see as an up-and-coming area for wines, spirits and arts and crafts. In fact, we’re so intrigued by the area that we’ll be travelling there next month and getting together a whole lot of exhibitors for a dedicated ‘Route 62′ space at the Fair.

Watch this space for more info, but for now, picture ports, brandies, woven blankets, recycled chandeliers, honeys and more.

PS – In case you haven’t already, please diarise the dates for this year’s Fair: 8-10 November 2013. See you thereQ

We recently discovered these amazing mohair products by Hinterveld, who are based in the Eastern Cape. Mohair is revered as one of the world’s most beautiful and sought-after sustainable natural resources and Hinterveld pays homage to this with thoughtful, inspired design and meticulous attention to detail in the crafting of all their mohair products.

Read more about this luxurious range of blankets, scarves and throws at hinterveld.com