By Roxanne Reid
Travelling from Cape Town towards Swellendam along the N2 is often something people do when they’re on their way to the Garden Route further east. But if you plan your stops right, it can be a destination in its own right. Here are 4 farmstalls worth stopping at in the Overberg.
Travelling from Cape Town towards Swellendam along the N2 is often something people do when they’re on their way to the Garden Route further east. But if you plan your stops right, it can be a destination in its own right. Here are 4 farmstalls worth stopping at in the Overberg.
1. Peregrine Farm Stall
Peregrine Farmstall hums at the weekends and is busy mid-week too
Go east of Cape Town and up Sir Lowry’s Pass and you’ll soon come to a perennial favourite, Peregrine Farm Stall. The Elgin Valley is apple country, so don’t forget to taste their freshly squeezed apple juice (no preservatives or additives).
You’ll find all sorts of other fresh farm produce too, from fruit & veg, dried fruit, honey, jams and preserves to cheese, cold meats, bread, mosbolletjies, biltong, cakes and quiches. My favourites are the seed bread and veggie quiche, while hubby has to eat a steak pie on the spot every time we stop there and take home an apple crumble.
You’ll find all sorts of other fresh farm produce too, from fruit & veg, dried fruit, honey, jams and preserves to cheese, cold meats, bread, mosbolletjies, biltong, cakes and quiches. My favourites are the seed bread and veggie quiche, while hubby has to eat a steak pie on the spot every time we stop there and take home an apple crumble.
From fresh fruit & veg to dried fruit, preserves and baked goods, Peregrine is a foodie's treasure trove
There’s also a wine selection, some toiletries and gifts, as well as a restaurant/coffee shop where the cooling mist spray is a welcome touch for those sitting outside on a scorching day.
Where: On the N2 at the intersection with the R321 to Grabouw
2. Houw Hoek Farm Stall
Where: On the N2 at the intersection with the R321 to Grabouw
2. Houw Hoek Farm Stall
Houw Hoek Farmstall also has a coffeeshop
You’ll find the pretty green-and-white Houw Hoek Farm Stall opposite the famous Houw Hoek Inn, which dates way back to 1834. Even if you arrive before 8am, when they’re still waiting for deliveries of fresh fruit and veg of the day from farms in the Elgin Valley, you’ll find an array of homemade pies lying in wait for you. Don’t resist them. They’re really good, filled with meatiness and flavour – none of that low-end pie-shop unidentifiable goo here!
Houw Hoek has it all, from local wines and preserves to pies worth stopping for
The yeasty smell of baking bread may tempt you further, or pick from the usual farm stall fare of rusks, biscuits, jams and preserves, tapenades, speciality olive oil and vinegar, nuts and biltong, cakes and koeksisters. There’s a wine selection too, as well as a coffee shop/restaurant.
Where: On the N2 from Cape Town to the Overberg, just before the Houw Hoek Pass
Where: On the N2 from Cape Town to the Overberg, just before the Houw Hoek Pass
Houw Hoek has an appropriately 'Cape country' style of decor
3. Dassiesfontein
Don’t stop at Dassiesfontein if you’re in a hurry; it will just stress you out. Rather stop when you can wander and browse before you make a selection, whether it’s food or some of the other eclectic goods on display. Try a venison or mutton pie, scoop up some farmstyle cheese, or choose an artisanal loaf of bread baked with stone-ground flour in an old wood stove. All the usual farm stall fare too, from biscuits to baked goods.
Taste the local wines or stay to lunch on bobotie, waterblommetjie bredie or perhaps boerekos like roast mutton with a stash of soetpampoen, potatoes and rice. I have a fairly healthy appetite, but I think you need a farmer-sized appetite to finish what’s on your plate. A chalkboard shows daily specials.
Alongside the farm stall and restaurant is a rabbit warren that’s a browser’s delight, full of collectables and bric à brac – old furniture, wrought iron garden ornaments and old-fashioned hatboxes in various designs, old kitchen utensils, tins and enamelware, vintage clothing and old carpentry tools. Prices aren’t cheap, so allow lots of time to explore the treasure trove to find the perfect piece to take home.
Where: On the southern side of the N2 between Botrivier and Caledon
4. Blue Crane Farm Shop
Don’t stop at Dassiesfontein if you’re in a hurry; it will just stress you out. Rather stop when you can wander and browse before you make a selection, whether it’s food or some of the other eclectic goods on display. Try a venison or mutton pie, scoop up some farmstyle cheese, or choose an artisanal loaf of bread baked with stone-ground flour in an old wood stove. All the usual farm stall fare too, from biscuits to baked goods.
Taste the local wines or stay to lunch on bobotie, waterblommetjie bredie or perhaps boerekos like roast mutton with a stash of soetpampoen, potatoes and rice. I have a fairly healthy appetite, but I think you need a farmer-sized appetite to finish what’s on your plate. A chalkboard shows daily specials.
Alongside the farm stall and restaurant is a rabbit warren that’s a browser’s delight, full of collectables and bric à brac – old furniture, wrought iron garden ornaments and old-fashioned hatboxes in various designs, old kitchen utensils, tins and enamelware, vintage clothing and old carpentry tools. Prices aren’t cheap, so allow lots of time to explore the treasure trove to find the perfect piece to take home.
Where: On the southern side of the N2 between Botrivier and Caledon
4. Blue Crane Farm Shop
Stop at Blue Crane for garden-fresh produce and preserves in the farm shop or sit and enjoy delectable goodies in the coffee shop (photo courtesy of Lalakoi Publishing)
The building that houses the Blue Crane Farm Shop 3km west of Heidelberg in the southern Cape used to be an old farmhouse and dairy. Now it’s part farm stall and part coffee shop, and it’s well known in the area for its warm, open-hearted hospitality. You can’t miss it – just look for the bright blue roof.
As with any farm stall worth its salt, it’s full of garden-fresh fruit and veg, dried fruits and preserves, cheese, biltong and home bakes. A friend swears by its milk tart, so that’s on hubby’s to-do list next time we visit. It also sells homemade breads, including rye and gluten-free breads, rye rusks, gifts and roses in season.
If you need a break from the road, enjoy a light meal inside or outside in the courtyard. Choose from breakfast options to toasted sarmies, pies, burgers and salads. Some of the ingredients are grown in Blue Crane’s own garden – and you can’t get fresher than that.
Where: On the N2 3km west of Heidelberg
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As with any farm stall worth its salt, it’s full of garden-fresh fruit and veg, dried fruits and preserves, cheese, biltong and home bakes. A friend swears by its milk tart, so that’s on hubby’s to-do list next time we visit. It also sells homemade breads, including rye and gluten-free breads, rye rusks, gifts and roses in season.
If you need a break from the road, enjoy a light meal inside or outside in the courtyard. Choose from breakfast options to toasted sarmies, pies, burgers and salads. Some of the ingredients are grown in Blue Crane’s own garden – and you can’t get fresher than that.
Where: On the N2 3km west of Heidelberg
Like it? Pin this image!
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Tredici in Swellendam: a taste of Europe
Food feast on the Garden Route
East Head Cafe in Knysna and why you have to visit
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without written permission from roxannereid.co.za
Tredici in Swellendam: a taste of Europe
Food feast on the Garden Route
East Head Cafe in Knysna and why you have to visit
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without written permission from roxannereid.co.za
