Text: Tracy Gielink, Clifford Roberts and Lisa van der Knaap. Photography: Roelene Prinsloo and Lisa van den Knaap. Article from the February 2012 issue of Food and Home Entertaining Magazine.
With new food markets popping up all the time, we’ve narrowed down some of our favourites around the country.
Gauteng
Neighbourgoods Market
The buzz around this new kid on the block has been immense and fortunately it has followed the same uber-successful recipe as its sister market in Cape Town. The vibe is incredible, with two levels for you to flit around. The paella is often first to sell out, but you can also tuck into other ‘food on the go’ – scrumptious pizzas, waffles, even an egg and bacon roll – at long wooden tables featuring cherry blossoms down the middle. Quite a few stalls caught our attention, particularly & Union Beer, Origin Artisan Roasters, The Charcuterie and Heartwood Smokehouse. Upstairs, there’s a bar and more wares, including Be Kind Ceramics.
Open every Saturday from 9:00 to 15:00. 73 Juta Street, Braamfontein.
Call 082 370 4075 or visit www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za.
The Bryanston Organic and Natural Market
A morning at this market is still as wonderful as it was 35 years ago. Wensleydale Farm does organic produce, while Kutai offers raw, gluten- and dairy-free chocolates.
At The Mushroom Company you’ll find a self-growing kit for white and pink oyster mushrooms, or pick up delicious deli items from Cremalat. Pizazz is great for a cappuccino and an overflowing ‘lava’ muffin, and at Bettina’s Cafe the quiche and salad is generous and delicious.
This market is all about handmade and homemade; we love the gorgeous espadrilles at Awawas and the glass balls with protea stamens from Nature’s Pods.
Open Thursdays and Saturdays from 9am to 3pm. Culross Road, off Main Road, Bryanston.
Call 011 706 3671 or visit www.bryanstonmarket.co.za.
Market on the Main
Developed in a newly converted warehouse, the focus here is on design and food. Munch on breakfast frittatas, snoek on roosterkoek, Greek meze and vegan meals, or mosey through the vintage clothing, jewellery and decor.
A must while you are there is lunch at Canteen, which overlooks Joburg’s derelict buildings and serves up beer-battered fish and chips, roast beef and Yorkshire puddings, and Scottish salmon with rocket salad. Make it an all-round experience and head to the Decades Hotel for a sundowner, then on to the Bioscope – both just down the road.
Open every Sunday from 10am to 3pm and the first Thursday of every month from 7pm to 11pm. 245 Main Road, corner Berea Road, City & Suburban.
Call 017 007 0080
Pretoria Boeremark
The Pretoria Farmers’ Market is definitely for early birds, but it is lovely, situated under the trees. Celebrating all that is truly South African, you’ll find homemade favourites like vetkoek and melkkos. There’s also a plethora of venison, which you can have as a fillet, boerewors or biltong, while the cheeses at Van der Poel Cheese have been matured from three months to five years. There are also three Asian stalls and some of the best curry around. Or simply enjoy a ginger beer while you peruse the organic veggies, unusual herbs and fresh flowers.
Open every Saturday from 5am to 9am. Pioneer History Museum, corner Keuning and Fred Davey streets, Silverton.
Call 079 987 1025 or visit www.pretoriaboeremark.co.za.
Hazel Food Market
Forced to move premises to accommodate more stallholders, this market is as popular as ever. Although you will munch on things as you wander – egg and smoked salmon breakfast rostis, gourmet burgers and lamb pitas – there is plenty of ready-made food for those who would like to hang up their apron for the night. Think traditionally smoked German meats, samoosas, Italian country bread, pate, carpaccio and smoked mussels. You won’t be able to say no to sweet treats from The Continent either: baklava, pasteis de nata and a variety of Polish cakes.
Open every Saturday from 8am to 2pm. Greenlyn Village Centre, Thomas Edison Street, Menlo Park, Pretoria.
Call 083 554 5636
The Western Cape
The Old Biscuit Mill Neighbourgoods Market
The Neighbourgoods Market at the Victorian-era Old Biscuit Mill is a confluence of so much that is Cape Town. Farm produce shares space with high art, and fine food with rare crafts. The environmentally minded initiative, founded in 2006 by entrepreneurs Justin Rhodes and Cameron Munro, bustles with apartment dwellers out for a quick bite and families looking to spend some time perusing the wares of some 100 specialty traders. You tan drop off waste for recycling; buy arty T-shirts; eat thin-crust, rustic pizzas at trestle tables; and listen to live music.
Open every Saturday from 9am to 2pm. 373 – 375 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town.
Call 082 370 4075 or visit www.neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za.
Pure Boland Farmer’s Market
Put on your wellies and catch up on the local goings-on while you shop at the Pure Boland Farmers’ Market at The Green Shed in Worcester. Weather and seasons permitting, you can even pick your own grapes in an adjoining vineyard, hitch a lift on a tractor or cycle down dirt tracks on the working farm. Stock up on koeksisters and hertzoggies, olives and preserves, fresh fruit and pies, and Trevor Daly’s potato breads and ciabattas.
Open on the first Saturday of the month, from 9am to 2pm. Green Shed grape depot, Brandwacht, Worcester.
Call 082 301 8561 or visit www.purebolandmarket.co.za
The Wild Oats Community Farmer’s Market
Wild Oats has quickly become a popular weekly gathering on the Garden Route. No crafts are sold at the main market – it is solely the domain of local farmers and their homemade produce; some of them sell exclusively at the event. A major attraction is the fresh delivery of crusty breads from renowned Knysna bakery ille de Pain, often gobbled before making it to the buyer’s car. Enjoy breakfast under the trees, where tree stumps serve as furniture.
Open Saturdays from 8am to 11:30am. On the outskirts of Sedgefield, at the Sedgefield Island turnoff.
Call 082 376 5020 or visit www.wildoatsmarket.co.za.
KwaZulu-Natal
Karkloof Farmer’s Market
Karkloof has the country charm you hope for at a family friendly food market. Peruse stalls in an unpretentious shed and chat with the hands-on producers who man them. Your first stop is literally the market’s ‘cafe’, which does a great cappuccino and is best teamed with a breakfast roll. The Wild Bread Co’s breads are understandably coveted, as are Le Petite France’s Camembert and Brie. Pick up supplies like fresh veggies and herbs and supplement them with homebaked treats, organic yoghurt and cheeses, nougat and an array of pickles, mustards and preserves.
Open every Saturday from 7am to 11am. Karkloof Road, 2,6km from Howick off the D507.
Call 082 820 8986
Shongweni Farmer’s Market
Even after 13 years, foodies and foragers continue to flock to this market. Arrive early and come armed with shopping bags to enjoy the country air and to find the freshest produce. Stalls offer as much instant gratification as they do take-home supplies. Highlights include buying farm ducks, Hatting’s array of delicious sausages, Hope Meat’s free-range, hormone-free meat and taking time out to taste Chrissie’s organic, handcrafted cheeses. You can tuck into everything from Middle Eastern dishes to Scottish specialties, as well as indulge your sweet tooth with an array of confectionery. Kids and dogs are welcome.
Open every Saturday from 6am to 10am. Corner Kassier and Alverstone Roads, Assagay.
Call 083 777 1674 or visit www.shongwenimarket.co.za.
Related Content
