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The Fourways Farmer's Market in Johannesburg is a quaint garden that plays host to different gourmet food and drink stalls. Picture: RIANTE NAIDOO
I’M A zealous food lover, and I only recently realised how drastically the concept of a farmers’ market has changed.
My FOMO on this Jo’burg weekend craze got the better of me and off I went to the two-year-old Fourways Farmers Market.
It’s not a collection of dusty old Isuzu vans with live chickens or cabbages in the back. No. Think “gourmet food market”.
Everything, from the burgers to breads, is gourmet or artisanal. Around 100 stands are perfectly nestled in the garden space, which has logs and bales of hay for customers to sit on.
There’s a variety of food and drink, most of it well worth a taste. But because the market reaches an uncomfortable capacity just two hours after opening, I’ve short-listed some of my favourite must-haves:
For the meat lovers, the stall named Ribs, Wings & Things is perfect for basted pork ribs, grilled on an open fire. There’s lamb on the spit right next door as well.
The Sum-tin-fresh stall does delicious crumbed chicken in a sweet chilli glaze (with cheesy fries, of course).
Personally, I found the Mediterranean stall’s pita platters bland, but this is one of the few stalls with vegetarian options.
At another stand, the dim sum is worth the buy, but the Hong Kong pears aren’t up to much despite their pretty, crispy golden exterior.
Double Shot’s new iced-tea range is delightfully refreshing, but a little too pricey at R30 a bottle, and home-brewed craft beer will set you back around R35.
The Lollipop League is great if you have a sweet tooth. Its homemade vintage candies are a real treat, but the Amarula butterscotch and salted caramel lollies outdo the rest.
So next Sunday, if you’re prepared to go a little — okay, maybe a lot — over budget for a day, throw on your sun hat and Ray Bans, as most market-goers do, sit around on golden hay and enjoy the good food, live music and mimosas.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
It’s a foodie’s world: Gourmet garden
I’M A zealous food lover, and I only recently realised how drastically the concept of a farmers’ market has changed.
My FOMO on this Jo’burg weekend craze got the better of me and off I went to the two-year-old Fourways Farmers Market.
It’s not a collection of dusty old Isuzu vans with live chickens or cabbages in the back. No. Think “gourmet food market”.
Everything, from the burgers to breads, is gourmet or artisanal. Around 100 stands are perfectly nestled in the garden space, which has logs and bales of hay for customers to sit on.
There’s a variety of food and drink, most of it well worth a taste. But because the market reaches an uncomfortable capacity just two hours after opening, I’ve short-listed some of my favourite must-haves:
For the meat lovers, the stall named Ribs, Wings & Things is perfect for basted pork ribs, grilled on an open fire. There’s lamb on the spit right next door as well.
The Sum-tin-fresh stall does delicious crumbed chicken in a sweet chilli glaze (with cheesy fries, of course).
Personally, I found the Mediterranean stall’s pita platters bland, but this is one of the few stalls with vegetarian options.
At another stand, the dim sum is worth the buy, but the Hong Kong pears aren’t up to much despite their pretty, crispy golden exterior.
Double Shot’s new iced-tea range is delightfully refreshing, but a little too pricey at R30 a bottle, and home-brewed craft beer will set you back around R35.
The Lollipop League is great if you have a sweet tooth. Its homemade vintage candies are a real treat, but the Amarula butterscotch and salted caramel lollies outdo the rest.
So next Sunday, if you’re prepared to go a little — okay, maybe a lot — over budget for a day, throw on your sun hat and Ray Bans, as most market-goers do, sit around on golden hay and enjoy the good food, live music and mimosas.
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Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.