Out & About: ROOT44 Market

Not far from Cape Town, on the R44 to Stellenbosch you will find Audacia Farm, home to the popular ROOT44 Market. We headed down there last Sunday morning to see what was on offer.

Now many Capetonians will be familiar with Mooiberge Farmstall on the corner of the R44 and Annandale Road. You know - the one with the colourful collection of scarecrows where you can pick your own strawberries? You will find Audacia Farm on the other side of the road, underneath the giant strawberry. Ahem, not to be confused with the other even more gigantic giant strawberry at the other farm stall on the opposite end of Annandale Road. And so after a short, unexpected detour (why are there so many giant strawberries in Stellenbosch?!) my little family arrived at the market just after 10am. Although the parking lot was filling up fast it was still relatively quiet inside and we were able to peruse the stalls easily without too much hustle and bustle. Within an hour though the place was buzzing! 

Exhibit A: Giant Strawberry. Not the other one. This one.

I was impressed with the variety of items available at ROOT44. There is something for everyone, as apart from delicious food you can also buy clothing, jewellery, shoes, furniture, books, and even take pottery lessons! (To name just a few things.) Naturally, I was most interested in checking out the edible goods.

One of the first stalls I stopped at was Mama D's where I tasted some Hot Harissa paste. I was a little dubious about tasting it on its own, but luckily she had mixed it into some cream cheese to make a delicious dip which I tried out. Mama D prides herself on the fact that she includes lots of spices in her product that not only make it hot but very flavourful too! 

There are plenty of baked goods to choose from with fresh muffins, pies and cupcakes on offer. You can enjoy traditional vetkoek or Tunisian cuisine. Fish lovers can choose from traditional fish and chips or sushi. The pizzas at Earth Fire Pizza looked and smelt ah-ma-zing, and whilst I did not try them this time around I hope to do so at our next visit! I love a good hamburger and the ones from Wagyu Wagon were very tempting (and not just because of their clever names). You will also find gluten-free food and flour from Root'n Toot'n, as well as fresh salads and juices, so there really is something to suit all tastes! 

After we had perused the stalls and bought something for lunch we took a seat under one of the trees to enjoy our food whilst listening to live music. Dear husband thoroughly enjoyed his steak ciabatta from Kitchen Cowboys, while I sipped happily on Peanut Butter smoothie deliciousness (made with banana, honey and frozen yoghurt, nom nom) from Wendy's Smoothie Bar. Then it was time for one last spin around the craft section before we had to head home. I loved the wire creatures by Pedro's Wireworks and dear daughter who loves all things shiny and girly went straight for the silver jewellery. Hmm... she might have to wait a couple of few years for that! 

The market is undercover and open in all weather. There is ample seating outdoors under one of the trees or tents and plenty of space for the kids and/or furry family members to roam about. There is a bar area as well as a big play area for the little ones - I love that ROOT44 Market is so child-friendly! There is also plenty of parking right outside the market, one of the helpful marshals will direct you when you arrive. 

The ROOT44 Market is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4pm. For more information you can click onto their website: www.root44.co.za.