This Friday, in addition to their regular Friday evening market,  The Woodmill in Stellenbosch will be hosting a boutique beer festival, showcasing a selection of micro-breweries.

The Woodmill Boutique Beer festival is an organised indoor event during which a variety of micro breweries including Paulaner Brauhaus, Trigger Fish, Valley Brewery, Boston Breweries and Darling Brew will showcase their beers.
 
Beers will be available for tasting and purchase alongside a host of edible delicacies housed at the regular Woodmill market, which is open every Friday night.
 
Ample parking and a designated kiddie’s play area will be available.

In traditional beer fest style, there will be Oempa Band to keep things festive.

I haven’t yet been to the Woodmill Market, but if I didn’t already have plans for this Friday, I think an artisan beer tasting would have gone down very nicely indeed and been the perfect excuse to wander out thattaway.

Date & Time: Friday 3 February 2012, 5.30pm – 10pm.

Place:  The Woodmill, Vredenburg Road (off Adam Tas), Stellenbosch

Cost: The tickets are R30 which includes a Woodmill Beer Glass and 5 tastings.

limited tickets available:

Phone 0786257388 to purchase or visit the woodmill friday night market.

www.thewoodmill.co.za

Time really flies. It seems like it was only a blink or two ago that I first found out about The Market Place at Hathersage Farm. But, unbelievably, the market is already celebrating its second year, and will be holding a special market this Sunday (29 January 2012) as part of the festivities:

To help us celebrate our 2nd birthday, participating traders are showing appreciation for you, our supporters, by slashing prices and throwing in a few freebies along the way! We’ll have new exhibitors and even a chance to WIN amazing hampers on the day. You’d be forgiven for thinking its Christmas!

Draws for hamper give-aways will take place on the 29th at 10am, 11am, 12pm and 1pm, and you can still enter! Just drop me an email with your name and contact number, and I’ll pop your details into our Lucky Draw Box. Winners must be present.

If you haven’t yet been, it’s quite a laid back way to spend a morning/afternoon. There’s a mix of food and more crafty items, some along the side of the river, some indoors and more out under the trees. It can get quite crowded, but if you can find a good spot on the lawn in the shade you’re on to a good thing (send out runners for champers and nibbly bits).

The market runs from 9am until 2pm. Find out more at The Market Place Facebook Page.

Location
Hathersage Farm, Gordon Road, Somerset West
GPS: 34° 5′ 0.6612″ S, 18° 52′ 3.9864″ E

A very promising looking market will be held at Gabrielskloof Estate this weekend, starting this evening at 5pm. The wine (and olives and lavender!) estate is located off the N2 not far from the Houw Hoek Pass (after the Hermanus turnoff, but before the Greyton/Genadendal exit) – just over an hour’s drive from Cape Town central.

Gabrielskloof is hosting the ‘Our Favourite Things’ market today and tomorrow, and here’s what is apparently in store for visitors:

On Friday 16 December, the “opening” night of the market will be celebrated with a super talented live gypsy jazz band from Stellenbosch – Manouche. The evening kicks of at 5pm and stallholders will be ready to welcome friends and guests with their crafts, delicacies, and fresh produce.
 
We’ve selected the very best in (as much as possible) local talent and passion – handmade chocolate by von Geuseau chocs from Greyton, amazing charcuterie from Luddite in Botriver, Genevieve MCC, oysters, ‘Food from the Karoo’, french crepes, goat’s milk cheeses from neighbouring farm “Anysbos” (and much more, and of course a fantastic selection of stylish crafts from as far as trendy design capital Cape Town.
 
We repeat all the magic on Saturday 17 December, when the market starts at 12pm and finishes around 5pm. We will have a play area for the kids with a jumping castle (and supervision, of course), so bring the whole family – including dogs

Sounds awesome – and if you’re in Hermanus, as so many Capetonians seem to be at this time of year, it’s only half an hour away!

Our Favourite Things Market – Event Details

Location: Gabrielskloof, Bot River (directions and map here)
Dates & Times: 16 December 2011, 5pm onwards; 17 December 2011, 12pm to 5pm
More info: www.gabrielskloof.co.za

Apart from all the regular exhibitors there will be many additional food, craft and gift stalls.

The annual steak dinner will again be held at the night market and tickets are already for sale at: 082 301 8561. Tickets are only available in advance. The cost per steak dinner will be the same as previous years (R125 per person). This includes a 300g rump steak, sauce, chips, two salads and a bottle of Eagles’ Cliff wine.

There are also a couple of special add ons to the market this year:

• Trevor Daly will do an outdoor movie screening free of charge, bring your own picnic blanket or camping chair. Only food and drinks bought at the market will be allowed.
• The South Roots group will be performing their dance routines, this show will also be free of charge. South Roots is an upliftment project – donations will be welcome.

Visit the website for more information, or contact Tharina via email – tharina@realevents.co.za

For more festive season market info, visit our Guide to Cape Town’s Christmas Markets for 2011.

If you’re a seasonal eater, you’ll know that despite the fact that supermarkets source strawberries and other berries seemingly all year round, the REAL season for them is happening right now.  Your local food market is a far better indicator of what’s in season: and it’s that time of year when berries start showing up in crateloads.

Last night at the fabulous Earth Fair Market in Tokai, I picked up the most delicious organic and naturally-grown berries from Sugarberry Trading (they have strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries).  For me, berries that are sourced locally and grown naturally are worth the winter wait – not only do they taste way better than the artificially-grown out-of-season variety, but their carbon footprint is so much lower, and I’m willing to hold out for that!

Anyway, in celebration of all things strawberry, the Stellenbosch Fresh Goods Market is having a strawberry fair this weekend.   I think it’s a wonderful way to highlight the seasonal aspects of food, and it’s usually really fun.  The whole Stellenbosch market turns pink and all foods and products are made with fresh seasonal strawberries as an ingredient.

Last year they had Strawberry Pesto for ice creams, Strawberry Sausage, Rose Strawberry cordials, Strawberry bakes, cakes and preserves, Strawberry Daiquiris and menus adapted to include strawberry salads, Italian flatbreads and so much more. A “visual and culinary feast to celebrate the official start of summer”.

What’s on the cards for this year’s event:

• Chef Jean Nel at Flamed will be making Gorgonzola, watercress and strawberry terrine with melba toast and/or strawberry, mixed lettuce, olive salad with wasabi cream.
• By Nature will be launching their new preservative & sugar free dried strawberries.
• Sweet Tempations will be launching a fantastic new pink port and strawberry flavoured toffee in time for this event.
• Oded’s Kitchen offers Strawberry Preserve with Vodka Jam & Earl Grey Jam respectively. Visit their stand for a fresh take on cool gin & strawberry daiquiri’s.
• Arnim & Elke will be serving up those famous waffles with their new homemade vanilla ice-cream and berry sauce. Some delectable German cheesecake, cream cake, chocolate cake and butter crumble infused with fresh berries.
• Rudis Deli handmade organic pork, sun dried strawberry and strawberry liquor infused sausage.
• Brendas homemade Strawberry Jams served up with artisan cheeses.
• Spikkel products will have original strawberry & lavender infused preserves and  homemade strawberry syrup.
• Smulpaap with include a delectable goats cheese, strawberry, roasted nut salad served with a light balsamic glaze.
• The Traveling Oyster will serve a sweet red onion & berry vinaigrette with their tempura prawns, calamari and West Coast Oysters, coupled with Du Toitskloof bubbly and strawberries.
• Naudeli will be baking sweet berry infused breads served with berry dips.
• G-Juice will be bringing you Bonnievale fresh pomegranates, juices and a delectable pomegranate reduction perfect for summer desserts.
• For the Kids! Scoops and scoops of strawberry ice cream cones! and so much more…

Here’s hoping the weather plays along…

Strawberry Fair Event Details:

When: Saturday 5 November 2011 – 9am-2pm (rain or shine)
Where: Oude Libertas, Stellenbosch (how to get there)

Good news for us southern suburbs market-lovers:  a new food and goods market will be launching this Saturday at the Baxter Theatre in Rondebosch.

Operated by the guys who created the lovely vibey Blue Bird Garage Market in Muizenberg, the Blue Bird Baxter Food & Goods Market will be held every Saturday under the magnificent trees of the Baxter garden.

Visitors can “enjoy an array of wares, entertainment and tasty delicacies while browsing through the variety of stalls with wonderful hand-made and vintage goods on sale”.

The Baxter garden will be transformed into a bustling rendezvous where exhibitors will display and sell vintage-styled clothing and jewellery designs in a convivial and fun atmosphere. These local designers include The Pendant Warehouse, Akimbo, Aeroplane Jane, Yesterday and Tomorrow, Aphrodite, Natasha Woods, love joy jewellery and Like Clock Work. The Little Hattery will launch a new range of amazing hats, and Noon-Gun T-shirts will kick-start their latest range of T-shirts.

There will be also be a nursery selling garden accessories and a variety of plants, and live music will be provided by students from the UCT College of Music.

Not much in the press release about the food element (other than what’s available from the Baxter itself), but I gather there will be a craft beer bar and a variety of food stalls to explore.

Rondebosch being my ‘hood, I’m very excited about the new market, which is more or less within walking distance, making it a very appealing Saturday afternoon activity…  Of course, being an outdoor market, weather is always going to be a factor, but here’s hoping the elements are kind for the launch and that locals come out and play!

For further enquiries and to become a stall-holder, please contact Dylan Speer on 082 493 9055 or email him at bluebirdgarage@gmail.com. For more event info visit http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=257504914296190

Blue Bird Baxter Market Details:

Where: Baxter Theatre garden, Rondebosch
When: Launches Saturday 5 November 2011. Thereafter, every Saturday from 12 noon to 6pm.

A new market is launching in mid-November at the Cape Quarter in Green Point.

On the face of it, it looks quite promising – like it’s leaning towards being more of a shopping market than yet another ‘entertainment’ market (the kind where you can eat, drink, be merry, but not really do your week’s grocery shopping).  And the courtyard area does lend itself to something like this, with undercover areas should it rain…

So, here’s what’s in the works, according to organisers:

The Village Market @ Cape Quarter is a unique, European Lifestyle Market that supports local goods and produce, all the while striving to be as organic and environmentally friendly as possible. The Village Market is a centrally located venue with an alfresco vibe – enhanced by an abundance of retail, restaurants and specialty services with secure underground parking.

The market will include:

• European-style fruit, vegetable and flower Market
• Specialty food market: a smorgasbord of fresh, organic food. Choices include; fish, specialty sausages, homemade pies, farm cheeses, biltong, pates, organic nuts and grains, artisan breads as well as many other products from small producers
• Bar area – Sporting events can be watched
• Coffee traders
• Second hand books
• Home baked goods and preserves
• Décor
• Clothing
• Alternative products: homeopathic, herbalist area
• Kiddy Corner/Children’s Entertainment
• Wine tasting

Funnily enough, the market is punted as ‘pet-friendly’, which is not something I’ve seen before.
I’m looking forward to seeing what producers will be there, and to sample from the ‘smorgasbord’ they put together… The proof of the pudding, after all, is in the eating!

Cape Quarter Village Market – Event Details:

Location: The Square, Cape Quarter, 27 Somerset Road, Green Point.
Launch date: Sunday 13 November 2011 – 10am.
Trading dates:  Sundays from 10am – 3pm.
More information is available on the Cape Quarter website.

Super excited about this one – likely to be one of my favourite Slow Food Mother City outings of the year: an artisan sweet market, accompanied by a screening of the classic Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. The event will be held at the fabulous Fugard Theatre on Thursday the 10th of November 2011.  Movie tickets cost a mere R65 (including R25 voucher for the market).

Visitors can come for just the market (on from 6pm to 7pm) or stay on and watch Willy Wonka (you might even find a golden ticket!).

Participating stallholders include:

Here are the details:

It’s Spring, and you know what that means – Cape Town is sizzling back to life with loads of events to choose from. Our big Slow Food Mother City event for November is Flick, Pick & Mix: A sweet little market and a big-screen movie. We’ll be showing Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory – the classic 1971 Gene Wilder version, which everyone knows is the better one – at the gorgeous and dramatic Fugard Theatre in Cape Town’s District 6.

Keeping with the theme, Slow Food Mother City has organised an all-sugar market, with stalls offering delicious handmade chocolates, nougat, koeksusters, ice cream, biscuits and macaroons. Stock up on snacks for the movie, sweet gifts and Christmas stocking-fillers (for very special children!). Your ticket price (R65) includes R25 of vouchers to redeem at the market.

Book for Slow Food Mother City’s Flick, Pick and Mix here. Tickets are a sweet deal at R65.

Date: 10 November
Time: The Sweet Market will run from 6pm, with the movie commencing at 7pm.
Tickets (including R25 market voucher): R65
Venue: The Fugard Theatre, Corner of Caledon and Lower Buitenkant Street, District 6, Cape Town

This weekend the Swartland is coming to Cape Town for the Swartland Country Market at Kirstenbosch.  The market will take place on Saturday 8 October 2011, from 10am to 4pm at the Stone Cottages across from Kirstenbosch Gardens.

The Swartland, in case you’re wondering, is a large area stretching from Malmesbury to Porterville, known particularly for its wines and olives.  They even have an official ‘Swartland Wine and Olive Route’, though I’ve never been on it myself.

We want Capetonians to realise that some of the country’s best wines are just around the corner. We are only 78km away, and we are sure that once people realise what we have on offer they will take the short drive up the N7 more often (Jolene Janse van Rensburg, Santam Swartland Wine and Olive Route Manager).

Some of the Swartland’s best food and wine producers will be at the market.  Here’s what organisers have in store:

The region’s extraordinary soils, little irrigation and some of the oldest wine stock in the country have produced some exceptional wines, and the winemakers themselves will be in Kirstenbosch to show off their wares.

The 50 or more stalls will include:

• The innovative young winemakers behind the Swartland Revolution, (Mullineux, AA Badenhorst);
• The affable Danie Malan whose family has been producing remarkable wines at Allesverloren 1872;
• Piketberg’s finest – organic wines from the elegant Org De Rac and the top class Cap Classique from Nieuwedrift;
• The quality wines from Swartland Winery, the gateway to the Route; and
• The new kids on the block: Franki’s Vineyards (featuring vintage cars), Nuweland, Nassau, and many more wines that underline the quality of this route.

The winemakers will be joined by exhibitors selling a large range of products and produce, including jams and preserves, olives, cordials and fresh-baked Swartland breads.

Included in the mix will be some top class potjies and other gastronomic delights for which the Swartland is justly famous.

There will also be a selection of arts and crafts on offer, and live entertainment during the course of the market.

To find out more, and to keep up to date with the happenings in the Swartland, visit the Facebook page or the website www.swartlandwineroute.co.za

A new market has popped up on the radar, this time in Stellenbosch.

The Woodmill Lifestyle Market launched earlier this month, and will be held every Saturday morning from 9am to 2pm, as well as every first Friday evening of the month, from 5.30pm to 10pm. The location: The Woodmill, Vredenburg Road, Stellenbosch (off Adam Tas).

I haven’t yet had a chance to go and check it out for myself, but here is what organisers had to say about what would be on offer:

The Woodmill market will focus mainly on lifestyle products, we have everything from clothing designers, ceramics, artists, jewellers etc. There will be wine farms and a micro brewery. Yummy things to eat from Lebanese to Italian to Indian, breads and pesto’s etc.
All this while being entertained by live music.

I’ll be interested to see the ratio of food to ‘craft’ (I’m almost always more interested in food markets, but if the quality of goods is exceptional, I can be swayed), and keen to find out whether the market can offer something unique in this now rather competitive arena!

To find out more, visit www.woodmill.co.za, or call Betty on 082 828 3944.

From N2: From the N2 take exit 33 for Baden Powell Drive/Stellenbosch turn-off. Turn left onto Baden Powell Drive. Turn right at the traffic light on the R310 becomes Adam Tas heading towards Stellenbosch. Take the first left onto Vredenburg Road, The Woodmill is on your right.

From N1: From N1 take the Stellenbosch turn-off and drive into town along Bird street. Turn right onto Adam Tas and bear right at the third set of traffic lights onto the R310 heading towards Kuilsriver/ Cape Town. Take your third right onto Vredenburg Road, The Woodmill is on your right.

“Barrel and Brew” – it has such a great ring to it, don’t you think?

Next weekend (10,11 September 2011), fans of artisanal wine, beer and spirits are in for a treat… Blue Bird Garage (Muizenberg) presents the Barrel and Brew Festival, a “wine and beer festival with a difference – showcasing Western Cape Boutique, Garagiste, Organic and Bio-Diversity producers, with a passion and dedication for crafting the finest tasting and quality beverages – many of which the public get to sample by appointment only.”

The list of participating distillers, winemakers and brewers is impressive:

On offer will be a selection of artisanal Wines, Whiskey, Brandy, Absinthe, Gin, Cape Ruby, Beers and Ciders; including: Jorgensen’s Distillers, Bains Whiskey, Ernst Gouws & Co Wines, Topaz, Cheviot, Black Pearl, Stellar, Thunderchild, Reyneke, Laskar, Walker Bay and Boer & Brit Wines; Eversons and Elgin Cider, Wilderer, Boston, Darling Brew, Napier, Birkenhead, Mitchells Breweries and Camelthorn Brewing Company from Namibia hosted by the Beer Garden.

And there’s plenty for kids and teetotallers as well:

There will be the family friendly kiddies corner too and, obviously, no alcohol will be sold to under 18’s; so there will be BOS ice-tea, ginger beer, fruit juice and spring water as well as a variety of child friendly munchies and meals on offer. For the teetotaler or designated driver The Bluebird Pantry will also be hosting The Sweet Spot offering tea, coffee, cake, pastis, nougat and handcrafted chocolates.

There will be a range of gourmet snacks and meals to choose from including both vegetarian and meat options, a selection of cheese and breadboards from The Bluebird Pantry, mouthwatering Mediterranean offerings from Maria’s, mezze platters, chicken and chickpea stews from The Egyptian Gourmet, Dohne’s lasagnas and wraps, schwarmas from The Juicy Kebab, sandwiches, samosas, and various other finger licking nibbly bits will be on sale.

To further entertain you there will be the melodic strumming of acoustic minstrels to ease the winter blues away.

The Barrel and Brew Festival would like to promote responsible driving and therefore we are encouraging you to either walk to the event or to catch the train. The Facebook event page will have a train timetable. There is however plenty of parking in Wherry and Vlei Road with parking guards on duty.

Bluebird Garage hosts a weekly Friday night market, which is warm, friendly and very colourful.  I really enjoyed my last visit, and I have no doubt they will do an excellent job of hosting this new festival – and am very much looking forward to it.

Event Details:  Bluebird Garage Barrel & Brew Festival

Date: 10th and 11th of September
Venue: The Blue Bird Garage Market – Albertyn Road, Muizenberg – next to False Bay Train Station
Time: Saturday the 10th Spetember – 2 to 10pm. Sunday the 11th 12 to 8pm
Cost: R30
Contact details – Dylan Speer –bluebirdgarage@gmail.com
Facebook –Blue Bird Garage Food and Goods Market / Blue Bird Garage Barrel and Brew Festival

We have a lot of markets in Cape Town.  This is an awesome thing – it means people are embracing a new, more connected way of buying food.  We’re looking for something a bit more meaningful than supermarket-trawling, where we can get a little closer to the source, and perhaps even meet the earth-loving people responsible for rearing/growing/producing the ingredients for our next meal.

One of my favourite new markets is the Starlings Urban Farmers Market in Claremont.  It’s small, it’s simple, it’s unpretentious.  It’s all about the produce – about being able to pop by regularly, and buy just about everything you need to cook up an awesome home-cooked meal:  uber-fresh fish from Ocean Jewels, free range chicken and eggs from Simply Wholesome, the undeniably awesome charcuterie from Richard Bosman, organic dairy from Afrikara, to name a few examples.

It’s all about creating relationships with the people who sell their wares there – having a chat about ways to cook the fish you’ve just bought (Julie of Ocean Jewels has some great recipes up her sleeve), or a debate about how best to grow vegetables.

I love it – and am trying to get there as often as possible.  I go in with an empty basket, and come out with it filled to capacity with good, healthy, wholesome and delicious produce.  And, when I’m not sure I’ll get there early enough, I order ahead, through Food Shed, just so that I know for certain that the goodies I want will be set aside, waiting for me when I arrive.

If you’re crazy about quality ingredients, stop by some time, and have a look.  The market is held every Wednesday from 4pm to 6pm at Starlings Cafe, 94 Belvedere Road, Claremont.

For more info on Starlings Cafe, a most fabulous eatery (with sublime coffee and specialty teas), by the by, check out their Facebook Page.