Tuesday, January 22, 2019

The Oranjezicht Market at the V&A Waterfront

On Saturday we visited the Oranjezicht City Farm Market at the Waterfront and met some old friends from the time when we too worked in markets like the Biscuit Mill. It is a dynamic place selling good comestibles from local suppliers to keen foodies and featuring the fresh organic fruit and veg produced at the Oranjezicht City Farm. It is now open on Saturday and Sunday so you can go and buy your fresh produce for the following week
Stefan Wroblewski on his fish stand, he is especially famous for his tuna biltong
Home made brownies of many varieties sure were tempting
and it is a very busy stand
We love the bread produced at the Woodstock Bakery. Sourdough, rye and other variations
Nice to see butcher Salvin Hirshfield and Kaytlin Jones on their stand
He says that he will open a butchery in Sea Point in the near future
They have such good meat and it’s all from ethical sources
The Biltong stand with fans
and another old friend, Jane Selander on her cheese stand, Around Cheese; all her cheeses are the best South African
And we are very fond of Chrisna's huge variety of olives. She told us how she makes them; the process is long and complex,
but so worth it. The olives are firm and very good. You have to try the chilli olives, they can blow your mind
An extremely tempting ice cream stand with real flavour
A message to us all
The Oranjezicht farm stand is large and crammed with so many different fresh, organically grown vegetables at this time of the year. And if you are looking for something rare, try them; they do seem to grow everything. We were asked for white egg plants and saw some here last Saturday
A great selection of heritage tomatoes, they have the best flavours
The largest aubergine we have ever seen, the size of someone’s head
The large green pepper was there for a size comparison
Security watching the happy shoppers
R40 a kilo but worth every cent
They grow lots of fruit too
Sheryl Ozinsky, who started it all. We have known Sheryl for many years. John worked with her
on the Heritage site boards and Aquarium projects at the naissance of the V&A Waterfront
AGFA was one of the sponsors
Sheryl is passionate about what she is working on; someone who truly gets involved and does
We have great respect for her and her enthusiasm
There is a smaller area with food outlets and we were impressed to see the French Galette stand,
making authentic buckwheat galettes, sweet and savoury varieties
Select your mix of salads for lunch
Or on another stand, a selection of avocado open sandwiches, topped with different mixtures
Happy serving you today
.. on the Ethiopian delicacies stand
Another old mate, Lewis Niemann of Oded's Kitchen with his very popular small pies
Lewis told us he no longer does any other markets but this; it is so successful
And the stand of the Kitchen Cowboy Pete Goffe Wood
where they serve these awesome barbecued beef sandwiches. Chef Pete, who is a judge on the Ultimate Braai Competition with Justin Bonello and Chef Benny Masekwameng, knows how to do it well
The meat cooking on the braai. His staff are trained to do this properly
It’s a busy place and there are seats and tables outside where you can enjoy your food
Lynne’s choice was a naked, lightly toasted sesame seed bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon from Kleinsky’s, who have a restaurant in Sea Point. No onions or capers for her, they muddy the waters. R40 is reasonable and it’s a large bagel
The outside seating area, with plenty of umbrellas
And you can sit and watch the yachts, cargo and container ships and cruise liners in the bay. This week, Cunard's MS Queen Elizabeth called in on her way to Australia, as did the MSC Musica
The popular Queen of Tarts stand dispensing their wares
Popular with families too
On the Adopt a Pet stand we met this enthusiastic chap and we were both captivated. John said "I think I'd have called him "Jake". But our current lifestyle cannot support a dog, we have such an unpredictable life. We feel we need to devote time and attention and lots of walks and a regulated regime to keeping a dog. Maybe one day when we slow down. At present independent cats grace our lives and don’t mind our coming and going so much
Raising funds is necessary
And some very cute puppies, some of whom had already been claimed. Lynne asked what breed they are and was told African dogs. The breed is called Africanis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africanis) and is one of the most ancient breeds in the world. They have bred by natural selection
On the edges of the market are some good bric-a-brac stands, some clothing and jewellery
and flowers
Cute clothes for children, even some made with imported Liberty cotton
and one great plant stand
Milkshakes are very popular at the moment
And then we found something we love, Martin Grunert’s Protea Hill Farm Balsamic Vinegars, which we used to sell at Main Ingredient. We know there are many fans out there, our customers used to buy lots. You can buy by the bottle from the barrel. Lynne went for our favourite, his aged Raspberry Balsamic vinegar, and it cost R100. If you are a fan, this is now the place to buy them. The stand also has a good selection of local olive and other oils, some of which you can taste. They will give you a taste of the vinegar too if you ask
The barrels of vinegar. They are not harsh at all, just intensely fruity. Used by many top chefs too
The owner of the stand. We need to go back soon to get some walnut oil
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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2019

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