A calendar highlight for serious food and wine lovers, the Spier Secret Festival will once again take place at Spier Wine Farm from 25-26 October 2013. Local and international experts on food and wine will treat guests to presentations, workshops, tastings and various dinner events.

Conference line-up

On Friday, eating designer Marije Vogelzang from the Netherlands will host an interactive eating experience that explores the ancient method of baking meat and vegetables in clay. Lily Vanilli. a London-based baker who made a name for herself with macabre cake creations in the form of roadkill, gravestones and beetles, will focus on the science of baking and developing recipes, while South African columnist and cookbook author Sam Woulidge will present an interactive exploration of food and memory. (Read her list of 30 things to eat before you die.) Award-winning butcher and owner of Braeside Butchery (winner of Eat Out DStv Food Network Produce Awards in 2012 and 2013), Caroline McCann will present a unique tasting presentation and Jacques Erasmus, the South African artist, designer, chef and owner of Hemelhuijs, will do a presentation on taste and memories. On Saturday, Nicolas Joly, a pioneer of the biodynamic wine movement in France, will present a four-hour talk on the ancient art of farming.

Secret Home Dinners

The festival will once again include the popular Secret Home Dinners. Due to high demand and to give guests the opportunity to attend more than one dinner, the dinners will be taking place over five weekends in September and October leading up to the festival. Dinner hosts include Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly, Raphaella Frame-Tolmie (House & Leisure food editor), Zama Memela (head chef of EasyEating), Carmen Niehaus (food editor of Huisgenoot, You and Drum), Herman Lensing (Sarie food editor), Gary Cotterell (editor of Business Day Wanted), Errieda du Toit (RSG’s Glanskok and content director of Kokkedoor), Hetta van Deventer (TV presenter and restaurant culinary manager), Caro de Waal (Food24 editor) and the winners of reality TV show Kokkedoor. Spier Secret Market The Spier Secret market on Saturday will be open to the public from 9am to 3pm and entry is free. Expect some of the province’s best small producers, as well as bakers, street food vendors, pop-up restaurants and plenty of farm-style entertainment for kids.

Tickets

Friday’s conference: R900 per person; Nicolas Joly talk: R900 per person; Marije Vogelzang dinner: R650 for a three-course meal and wine. Accommodation at the Spier Hotel is available at a special rate of R900 per room per night for ticketholders. All bookings for tickets and accommodation can be made at 021 809 1100 or reservations@spier.co.za.

Follow the Secret Festival on Twitter @SpierSecret and visit www.spier.co.za, www.spiersecretfestival.co.za and The Spier Secret Festival on Facebook for updates and information.

Pictured: Marije Vogelzang, the Dutch eating designer, presents a dining experience inspired by the ancient method of cooking in clay.