Fresh dairy products are generally locally produced, simply because they go off too quickly to transport over long distances. It’s different with cheese. Cheese allows humans to carry milk around outside a cow – and it tastes good, too. CheeseSA lists South African cheese makers (blessed are the cheese makers) on their website. If you are wondering ‘what’s so special about the cheese makers?’ they also publish the ‘Qualité Award’ winning cheeses. Between the choice of great quality conventional cheeses and a growing variety of local craft cheeses, we don’t need to import fancy cheese from Europe. Farmers’ markets and farmstalls are a good way to source your artisanal cheeses, otherwise look for a specialist cheese shop like The Real Cheese. Eat Out online recently published their favourite ‘15 South African cheeses everyone should try’ and where you can buy them. Most, but not all of them, are craft cheeses.

Eat Out actually mentions more than the 15 varieties from across the country and also provides further links, so it is worth bookmarking if you are a cheese afficionado. Not mentioned in their feature are these crafty producers: Aidan Pomario in Hoekwil, Alpine Goats Cheese in Napier, Camphill Dairy on the West Coast, Cloud Cottage in Avontuur (goat), Daily Dairy in Stellenbosch, Geluksfontein in Vaalwater, Green Goose in Ficksburg, Indezi River Cheese in the Midlands (goat), Montague Cheese, Langeberg Cheese in Buffeljagsrivier, Myst Hill Dairy in George, Ovis Angelica in Smithfield (sheep), Poelkaas in Cullinan, La Rochelle in De Doorns, Wana Farm (Gilly Robartes) in Lidgetton and Weltevreden Cheese in Kokstad.