go: Platteland

Water remains one of the biggest blessings, of which we were again reminded when we travelled to Mpumalanga, Gauteng and North West in November 2019 to gather stories for this issue and upcoming ones. We felt properly spoilt when we were treated to a

André Beaurain and Corné Pretorius’s new Riebeek Valley Garden Centre on the main drag of Riebeek West is guaranteed to make your jaw drop. Locals describe this plant paradise as a “destination” – it also boasts an art gallery, a coffee shop and rest

The eateries acclaimed in the annual competition of the restaurant guide EatOut are almost always in the Boland, in Cape Town and sometimes in the City of Gold – but for Platteland’s two biggest favourites you would have to head out to the platteland

Faith and humour. According to long-time Ohrigstad residents, these are the two essential requirements if you want to thrive in this valley. Their bushveld town can be found 48 km north of Lydenburg, just across the Limpopo border, surrounded by a la

Martie grew up in the valley, and since 2017 she and her husband have lived on Marlotti farm, 20 km from Ohrigstad on the road to Pilgrim’s Rest. This move followed a 13-year stint in Johannesburg, where Shawn was a fresh produce agent and Martie wor

This little gift shop in the Oasis Shopping Complex sells a little bit of everything: wool, needlework, handmade soap, rusks, jams and preserves. The Honey Badger range of children’s clothes is also available here. 084 515 7956 Also at Oasis, this pu

Today, the wind is blowing in Bushmanland. Again. Not a fresh breeze but a hot, dusty wind. And I am tired. Tired of the dust and the drought. Tired of saying all is well when that is not how I feel. Tired of seeing lambs without their mothers. Tired

Few things are as spectacular to behold as a Highveld thunderstorm. It begins as a restlessness on the horizon. The brooding starts in the early afternoon with a wind that chases the clouds – high, high, into the pale blue sky, like a litter of Malte

Debbie prints and sells a large variety of T-shirts for men and women. Our favourites are the Val and the Platteland designs. Debbie was living in Nieu-Bethesda in the Eastern Cape when she first heard about Val. She says she was not very happy in th

It’s not at all difficult to come up with a title for the rather unusual fairy tale that is unfolding at Nicola Vernon’s Greyton Farm Animal Sanctuary: The Showgirl and the Gentle Sow. Or perhaps The Bond Girl and the Injured Calf. Or something along

Generally, when the militantly health-conscious, the quacks, the hippies, the hipsters and the woke generation start to sink their teeth into a “new” food or health trend, it becomes almost impossible to separate the ringing cash registers from the t

Foraging expert Loubie Rauch says she has experimented with various recipes over the years, adapting them with indigenous edible plants. “This recipe is an adaptation of a pickled carrot recipe from the iconic recipe book Indian Delights, which has i

Ten years ago, Danelle Murray and her husband, Brendan, recognised the great need to protect owls and started the Owl Rescue Centre in Hartbeespoort. Today, this is the biggest sanctuary for owls in the world. When the centre opened its doors, the Mu

About 4% of the flowering plants of the world – an estimated 12 500 species – are succulents that use their fleshy leaves, stems and/or roots as an adaptive strategy to overcome brief or prolonged periods of drought. More than a third of these plants

Igrew up in the Platteland, in Rustenburg in North West, and always kept myself occupied playing in the garden. My parents and grandparents were keen vegetable gardeners and I vividly remember pulling up bright, juicy, tasty orange carrots from my Ou

Fresh beetroot sometimes tastes as if you’re biting into clean, sweet earth. This earthiness, the sugar content (higher than that of carrots and mielies) and the concentrated jewel-like colour are both a joy and its undoing. Or, as Nigel Slater puts

There’s a good reason virtually every cookbook contains at least one beetroot recipe: both the raw and cooked versions of this autumn vegetable are packed with flavour, aroma and nutrients, and it can be kept in the fridge for up to three months and

Asparagus quiche Geranium leaf sorbet Leg of lamb in pastry Parmesan roast potatoes Pumpkin fritters with muscadel sauce Minty cucumber salad Blitztorte (Strawberries in the clouds) No collection of retro dishes is complete without this chic tart fea

Many Gauteng families subjected to the daily grind in the concrete jungle, in the suburbs or in peak traffic want to get out of the city on weekends to relieve their cabin fever. If the budget doesn’t allow for a weekend escape far from civilisation,

The Platteland doesn’t have the kind of attractions that keep born urbanites happy. Our neighbour had married a city girl – they’d met as students at university and fallen in love. And, since love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all thin