The best of The Good Food and Wine Show 2014

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a serious foodie. I love to cook and more importantly, I love to eat! The quote "My life is a constant battle between my love for food and not wanting to get fat," could not be more appropriate in describing me! After having received mixed reviews of The Good Food and Wine Show 2014, I decided to go and check it out for myself. I'm glad to say I did not regret it! The foodie in me is squealing in delight on a day well spent.

Here were some of the best of the GFWS 2014 -

• Everyone is talking about it, if you haven't seen it on social media then it is probably all over your snap stories (guilty!) - the car that was made of cake! For those of us who are Cake Boss fans, we have seen Buddy Valastro make amazing and elaborate things entirely of cake, but I was awe-struck to see a cake of this size and impeccable detail in person! My little girl was fascinated with this cake and insisted on trying a piece of the "car." To be honest, I expected the cake to have a firm texture and a dry taste (it's was a car, for goodness sake!) I was pleasantly surprised... The cake was moist and the little squizz of extra butter cream on top of our sponge was a delicious bonus. I was told that the cake was made by the Cake Extreme team of Boksburg - I was very impressed with the taste and overall look of the cake, sad the bakery is not closer to home!

• One of my reasons for visiting the show was to get myself a copy of the Chilli Chocolate Chefs new recipe book, Entertain; which I have had my eye on ever since I had seen it on their Instagram page. I visited the stall hoping to grab a slice of their Macadamia Cheesecake along with the recipe book. Unfortunately, I got there a tad too late and they were all sold out of the cheesecake. I did, however, manage to grab myself some melt-in-the-mouth macarons, candy popcorn (which my little girl gobbled up in no time!) and their new recipe book. I have flipped through the book and it seems that the quality of their recipe book is no different to the excellent quality of their edible products. I cannot WAIT to try my hand at their cheesecakes (if you have eaten them before, you will know why!), breads, tea time treats and much more. Watch this space for pictures soon!

•  Being a mom of a cupcake-crazy little girl, I was so excited to see the Snowflake stall where my little girl could ice and decorate her own cupcake. There was also a section with "chef childminders" who helped the kiddies along in decorating cupcakes. I love when exhibitions take kids into account, definitely makes it more appealing to attend as a mom knowing that your kids will have just as much as fun as you. My little girl had a blast decorating this cupcake pictured below - I guided her and assisted her throughout the icing process, passed her whichever condiments she asked for and once it was done told her what a masterpiece is was, only to have her promptly announce that I couldn't have a taste - she made it for her dad.

•  Another food item that I was impressed with was the deeeelicious donut from Wicked Donuts. I have heard of Wicked Donuts but have never had a taste, and I am glad I got to do so today! These donuts remind me of the Krispy Kreme filled donuts and I just had to give it a try. I chose the Choc Chubby which consisted of a chocolate ganache, vanilla glace and Bar-One filling. I loved every bite and was thrilled when my second bite resulted in an oozing of Bar-One sauce. It was DECADENT.

• A pleasant surprise at the show was the launch of two new flavours of Appletiser - Strawberry and Apple & Peach; which were being handed out to guests as they walked past the stall. I'm not a fan of the usual fizzy drinks, but I do enjoy an occasional Appletiser, so I was keen to try out the new flavours. The strawberry flavour was refreshingly different and I enjoyed the Appletiser and Strawberry combination. I absolutely LOVED the Apple & Peach! It was a hint of the original flavour mixed with what tasted like iced tea peach (my favourite drink!) so it was ideal for me. Definitely a must-try.

•  A highlight of the show was the food demonstrations. I enjoyed all the demonstrations from Tastic to Extreme Nutrition. My favourite, however, was the Spekko "Cook Idols" cooking competition. The competition had been taking place from Friday and two finalists were cooking off for a grand prize of R30 000. Sumi Ramnarian made chicken biryani and chocolate springrolls with dipped strawberries for dessert. It looked and smelt amazing!! Marc Stocken, the second finalist, made a sushi and shrimp starter followed by crumbed rack of lamb served with rice on a bed of brocolli. Marc was thrilled to be announced as the winner, as the judges found his dish to be more technical with a perfect combination of texture and taste and a balance of flavours. The Masterchef-addict in me was absolutely excited - I loved every minute of watching this competition, definitely a highlight of the show!

• Another delicious-looking and tasting stall at the event was Madeleines Patisserie, they displayed the most beautiful french vanilla and chocolate ganache cupcakes (which, I was informed, were baked at 4am this morning!) amongst other treats. I am not a cupcake person so I passed on those, however I did try a chocolate chip meringue which I fell in love with!! You can find them at the Shongweni Farmers Market every Saturday morning - I wish they were not such a distance from central Durban! 

• It was great to see so many famous faces of the culinary world present at the show this year. From Chef Benny Masekwameng to Hayden Quinn to Mauro Castano, the show boasted so many great chefs, both local and international.

The downside to the show was that although the selections of desserts, cakes and pastries were abundant, the actual FOOD was average. There was no stall that really stood out in the savoury or food department and that was a bit of a disappointment. I also did not see any innovative stand-out products that I would have liked to purchase. Another disappointment was the Coco V coconut water. I tried a shot of it but soon regretted it, as I did not enjoy the taste of it at all! It was too bland, I think I will stick to actual water! 

On the whole, the stalls were great, the cooking demonstrations were wonderful and the exhibition was lively and abuzz with people. I will definitely visit the show next year again, I had a fantastic food-filled day with my Masterchef-crazy hubby and cupcake-happy kids - I couldn't think of a better way to spend my Sunday afternoon!

Positive vibes & The Mandatory xoxo
Hali