At last, after hearing about “FYNBOSHOEK CHEESE”  about 3 years ago, I was eventually on my way to see and taste if everything I had heard was true….

When I called to make a booking, Alje (he is the award-winning owner / cheese maker) answered the phone to take my details.  I asked if he could email the directions but was politely asked to rather write the directions down – Alje does not do email or even have a website…..so here we are, with my scrappy piece of paper and equally scrappy directions which read:

N2 Storms River Bridge (Total) – cross 7kms – turn off N2 to right, Fine Bush Stall, 200m T-junction, turn right, 400 m farm road, left small sign “Fynboshoek”, 1 ½ km neighb hse pass that road forks, keep left, ends at house.

Who needs a GPS?  Certainly not us, I just love a bit of a treasure hunt, the scenery was beautiful, our wine was in the boot and we were all hungry after spending the morning at the Tsitsikamma National Park.

Although my hubby and friends were a little sceptical, the directions were spot on and there, literally at the very end of the farm road stood a beautiful old farm homestead.  We had arrived at the Fynboshoek Cheese Farm.   It felt a bit like arriving at a friend’s house, which, in fact it is, as the house is Alje and Ima’s home and they invite you in to relax on the terrace or in the sun room where you are served a wonderful cheese lunch.  Everything is grown on the farm or as local as possible and the cheeses are all made by Alje.

What an amazing find…. Deep in the countryside, surrounded by trees and overgrown shrubberies, overlooking a dam with birds tweeting, wine in hand and delicious food shared with friends – BLISS!

View from the sun room

You are welcome to bring your own wine, but should you forget, Alje will have a choice of red or white on hand, there is definitely no wine list, you accept what is on offer!

First up was  a steaming hot rosemary focaccia bread which unfortunately I did not get a photo off – I am afraid that photos were the last thing on my mind as everyone grabbed a piece of this delicious bread and I certainly did not want to be left without my slice! Yummy melted mozzarella topped with herbs was next on the list – there is also no menu, one just sits back and waits with mouth watering for the next surprise…

Caprese Salad with mozzarella and red ripe juicy toms - YUM!

A huge salad bowl filled with freshly picked leaves and topped with Parmesan crisps – I can actually taste those Parmesan crisps by just looking at this photo, it offset the green salad leaves beautifully, fresh with a salty smack in the mouth!

And the Piece de resistance, the Cheeseboard!

Should you still have space….and of course, we all do…. there was a delicious lemon tart with home-made ice-cream to finish it off…

Only 20 guests (no patrons here, definitely a guest) are seated at any time which is why one cannot simply arrive, you need to make a booking – you may think that a place in the “bundu” with no website or advertising will always have space…do not make that mistake.  Call (042) 280 3879 well in advance.

Tips:

• Take your own beverages, an ice cold bottle of champagne would go down well
• Give yourself at least 3 hrs to enjoy this delicious meal and the surroundings
• Make sure you have cash, there are no credit card facilities
• Purchase a tasty reminder to take home

Interesting Fact:  Alje Deemder is a microbiologist turned self taught award-winning cheese maker – Isn’t it interesting what we study at University and what a lot of us eventually land up doing…

About Cynthia

I am a fun loving woman who loves to explore new destinations and experiences. My philosophy in life is “Have suitcase, will travel” and I like to drag my family and friends along with me to share in the joy. Naturally, along the journey of “life” I like to indulge in long, lazy lunches, delicious champagne, creamy chocolate and most important, lots of laughter……Having being in travel for many years, I write about my personal experiences, mostly about Southern Africa but I do also get to travel internationally so will pop in some stories about my travels abroad. As food and wine are an integral part of my travel experience I also explore both those topics as well.

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