Out & About: The Palms Market

Dried fruit by Droog

I have been itching to visit some new food markets and on Saturday morning we stumbled upon The Palms Market quite by accident. I'm so glad we did!

Knight Fine Furniture at The Palms

I arrived at The Palms Lifestyle Centre in Woodstock, with hubby and toddler in tow, for the grand opening of the Knight Fine Furniture showroom. While admiring the beautiful store and catching up with friends we couldn't help but be tempted by the smell of sizzling prego rolls and freshly brewed coffee wafting upstairs - not to mention the sounds of Newton Theron and his band, entertaining the crowd with classic hits and adding to the fun atmosphere. 

What struck me the minute we walked into The Palms was the decided vibe in the space. As I strolled through the ground floor food market I was greeted by the friendly faces of the traders - eager to share their sumptuous products and chat with passers by. 

Milk tart at the Zoelendal stand 

I was immediately attracted to a colourful display of dried fruit at the Droog stall (find them on Facebook). Outside the Rococoa chocolatier a staff member was keen to show me an eye-catching chocolate pizza topped with dried kiwi, strawberry and pineapple pieces. At the Zoelendals table Gerrit Van Dalen displayed his stunning savoury and sweet tarts, along with other fresh produce (you can visit their emporium at Newlands Quarter). And my husband wasted little time in following his nose to find out where that prego roll had come from and getting one for himself - which was devoured in no time! 

Also to be found at the market: artisan sausage and cheese, herbal tea, exotic mushrooms, pastries and cakes, beer bread, preserves and oil, sweet treats, liqueurs served in chocolate shot glasses, not to mention a variety of foods to take-away and enjoy on the go. 

Busy Saturday morning at The Palms

With so many beautiful food items available and delightful people to talk to I could easily have spent the entire morning going from stall to stall - sadly it wasn't possible this time around with my aforementioned toddler starting to tire, but all the more reason to visit again. 

To sum up, the thing that makes this market so special, apart from the authentic products, is the people who make them. Who pour passion and love into their craft, and it certainly shows! 

The Palms Market is situated at 145 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock and is open every Saturday from 9am to 2pm. For more information you can visit their website.

Zoelendals savoury tarts / Market day