Filled with bacchanalian delights, the Sanlam Handmade Contemporary Fair is back to rescue those of us in desperate need to suckle from the artisanal bosom. This year's event, on the rooftop of Hyde Park Shopping Centre, Johannesburg, is a Skittles packet full of the most eyebrow-raising, delicious and arresting food and design that South Africa has to offer.There will be everything from small-batch gin to handcrafted jewellery as well as a generous helping of snob-iety (and not so much sobriety). While we can't help you dodge the inevitable backhanded compliments from assorted socialites, we can help you navigate the stalls that are sure to catch your eye.A: ARKIVIOArkivio is the partnership between Lance Surgeson and Paul Rabinowitz, whose passion is product design (which the latter studied in Milan).''Minimalism is a big influence on our style, and we love designers like the Bouroullec brothers and Nendo," says Surgeson. Their beautiful glass garden vases are made from nine pieces of glass and cut in their workshop. You can buy their succulent vases, mirrors, wall clocks and more.B: BUTTER PUDDINGInto cool, quirky (with a touch of nostalgia) and practical clothes? Butter Pudding is the antithesis of logo-brandished clobber. It's for parents who want to pepper their kids' lives with a little fairy dust and magic, who want the personalities of their children to shine through their clothes, not compete with them.C: CHE ARGENTINE GRILLTrying to find Argentinian food in Johannesburg is a little bit like trying to find the G-spot - you're pretty sure it exists but have no idea where to start looking. Happily, Homemade Contemporary has managed to corral some and bring it to Hyde Park. Based in Maboneng, Che Argentine Grill is the meaty love child of Oscar Faraldo and Bernardo Corti, two South Americans who liked South Africa but found they had a hankering for home cooking. Focusing primarily on grilled meat and empanadas (Argentinian pastries stuffed with a meaty filling), Che has built up a reputation among trendy inner-city types as a purveyor of food-induced knee wobbles.D: DARKHORSEDark Horse is a Cape Town design studio that creates its own sexy brand of furniture and accessories like classic leather satchels, wallets and notebooks. E ESCONDITOWell known across Johannesburg for their delicious tapas menu, this Illovo restaurant will be delighting visitors with their small plates of paella, sausages and buckets of prawns.F: FABRICAIn addition to creating pot holders and hanging plant holders, Fabrica has created typically South African Ndebele-style burglar bars.For the Ndebele every shape and colour holds significant meaning in the life story of each family.''It's a tradition that we feel is worth celebrating," they say. Ndebele Burglar Bars brighten the home with a culture of storytelling, giving each window a distinctive perspective on the world.G: GINThe cool thing about a trend is setting it, not playing catch-up. And South African craft gins are right at the front of the pack, leading the revival of the white spirit. Hope on Hopkins, Inverroche and Jorgensen's Artisinal Distillery are three of the best gin makers in the country. Test all three to find your perfect gin cocktail.H: HONEST CHOCOLATEHonest Chocolate is a small artisanal chocolate company based in Cape Town that believes in keeping things hand-crafted using old-school methods and high quality, organically produced ingredients.I: ILUNDIIlundi's range of leather bags and accessories is influenced by minimalist Japanese aesthetics and clean-cut Scandinavian designs. Each piece is cut, stitched and woven by hand.J: JANE SEWSCape Town designer Amy Venter's clothing label, Jane Sews, combines classic shapes and styles with a focus on quality and craftsmanship.K: KLEINOODMore often than not ingenuity is entertaining and the good folk at Kleinood - producers of Tamboerskloof wines and De Boerin olive oil - have done us the favour of not only expending their ingenuity on their produce. If you head over to www.kleinood.com you will find an electronic version of a quaint children's book that tells the cumulative story of life on the farm. It is somewhat akin in style to the children's rhyme "I know an old lady who swallowed a fly", minus the digestive issues and absurdity."The story about Kleinood had to be told and this blend of images and poems ended up being the best possible medium for it at the time," said Kleinood marketing manager Jessica Saurwein. "This philosophy has now developed further. The next booklet is all about greening at Kleinood and will be exhibited at the Handmade Contemporary Fair this year."L: LIFE: FROM THE ROOTSA collection of contemporary decor and accessories that mixes the handicraft of skilled craftsmen and Scandinavian design.M: MEVROU & COThese T-shirt makers trade off catchy phrases like ''Lekker by die see", and ''Sê dankie vir die tannie". They're looking to bridge the cultural divides through T-shirts that are relaxed, simple, unisex, and suitable for everyone, no matter your age, size, shape, or gender, with Afrikaans sayings that everyone knows, whether you speak the language or not.N: THE NINEVITESNkuli Mlangeni fell in love with the artisans of Peru when she visited there and became committed to bringing the dying art of weaving to South Africa, but reinvented with African design. ''The culture of weaving is dying out because most people buy Chinese-made objects," says Mlangani.''I became fascinated with South American textiles but wanted to connect them with my own culture."Now she is producing brightly coloured geometric rugs locally, in South America and in Namibia. ''I want to get weavers from all of these places together to facilitate a cultural exchange," she says.O: OOH LA LA ARTISAN CONFECTIONERYImpossible-to-resist treats lie in wait for you at this confectionary paradise. All products are handcrafted using the finest ingredients selected locally and imported from all over the world. They're created in the traditional artisanal European way, slowly prepared in copper cauldrons and cast-iron pots, and cut and wrapped by hand.P: PAQUITO'S TREATERYRegulars at the Neighbourgoods Market in Braamfontein, these purveyors of delicious treats discovered Churros - a fried-dough pastry commonly referred to as a Spanish doughnut - while travelling in Spain. Now the family Garcia have made it possible for South Africans to enjoy this delicious Spanish pastry by dipping it in warm chocolate.Q: QUALITY AND QUANTITYLet's face it, being discerning at Handmade Contemporary can be a little difficult. There is a lot to choose from and not very much of it is bad. Thus we suggest that you eat as little as possible before arriving, take out a bank loan and then buy any and every thing that tickles your fancy. The consequences the next day may be off putting but at least you will have a happy belly and a house full of shiny new things.R: RICHARD BOSMAN'S QUALITY CURED MEATSOne would be hard pressed to find someone who loves their meat as much as Richard Bosman. What started in 2009 as a new adventure has blossomed into a full-blown obsession with a focus on quality over quantity. Using bred-to-purpose pigs, Bosman crafts a salvation-worthy variety of Spanish- and Italian-style hand-cured meats. The meat is ethically sourced so you need not feel guilty for nibbling on Herr Snowball.S: SUGARLICIOUSOwner and joy dispenser in chief Zakeeya Mitha may just have hit upon the most delicious way to land yourself in a sugar coma. Using what one can only imagine is witchcraft, she has managed to crossbreed ice cream and macaroons to create bite-sized happiness."I love food, so naturally I spend most of my time food-stalking on social media. I saw a picture on Instagram of an ice cream macaroon which left me salivating. Since an international trip was out of the question at the time I decided to make it myself," says Mitha.Her sugary Frankensteins have turned out to be incredibly popular and it is pretty easy to see why. Unlike Shelley's version, Mitha's are easy on the eye and don't need to be house trained.T: TIME ANCHOR DISTILLERYWhat happens when your varsity hobby - making Skittle-infused vodka - snowballs into something much bigger? You get Time Anchor Distillery, Johannesburg's first craft spirits distillery.Under the watchful eye of its master distiller, Shanna-Rae Wilby, Time Anchor has been pumping spirits out of its Maboneng distillery for little over a year, and doing so with a surprising amount of success given its age. It produces a range of spirits including white rum, gin and liqueur. As we speak they even have their casks of whiskey dutifully aging until they are ready to come out of hibernation in 2019.U: UNDER ONE ROOFCombining the pleasures of eating, drinking and perusing beautiful local design - with great outdoor space and views across Joburg - the fair is a wonderful place to start your Christmas shopping.V: VICTORIA VERBAAN & THE SMOKING DAXIVictoria Verbaan is a designer, artist and illustrator who works in a wide variety of artistic disciplines from illustration and painting to the design of rugs, wallpaper, limited-edition fine art prints, fabric and ceramics. Her gorgeous umbrellas make perfect gifts and are available just in time for the spring showers.W: WHEATFIELD WINESBuilt on strong European wine making principles, these are family-made wines produced by Jan du Preez and his sons, Marcel and Jacques, in Stellenbosch.X: MARKS THE SPOTOnce again the fair takes place on the rooftop of Hyde Park Shopping Centre, which will be transformed into a bright and airy space full of beautifully designed stalls and smelling of the luscious, delicious food that will available until Sunday.Y: YOLISAIf you spot me wandering around the fair like a lost sheep at an abattoir, feel free to spark a conversation; alternatively lead me in the direction of the Pierre Jourdan wine popsicles.Z: ZANAMother and daughter team Sue and Robyn Britz started the company to produce beautiful graphic-print objects from their studio in Woodstock ''We are in love with colour, pattern and typography," they say.www.sanlamhmc.co.za..