Peregrine Farm Stall

Posted on May 11, 2017

Peregrine Farm Stall

One of the best parts about road trips in South Africa, particularly in the Western Cape, are the numerous farm stalls off the main highways seemingly in the middle of nowhere. None are quite as great as Peregrine Farm Stall, a short 1.5-hour drive from Cape Town on the N2, the start of the famed Garden Route. Driving east across the Cape Flats and into Somerset West, you quickly climb up and over Sir Lowry’s pass to enter an entirely different biosphere. Over the mountains and into the Kogelberg Nature Reserve area, you quickly encounter dense evergreen forests in the cooler, wetter climate of Elgin Valley and the Overberg area. This area is known for its many farms, in particular Apple Orchards and cool-climate vineyards. Just outside of the first town past Sir Lowry’s Pass, Grabouw, Peregrine Farm Stall is a mecca of all things craft food.

Peregrine Farm Stall Food

Peregrine is situated on an Apple Orchard and consists of the main building that is half a sit-down restaurant, half the farm market and wine shop. Outside there is a garden shop, a grassy play area for children, and several old cargo containers that have been converted into various pop up shops, a coffee bar, and a small Craft Cider tasting area. If you’re looking for a quick bite to eat and a coffee, I recommend visiting the outdoor coffee bar and sitting on the deck overlooking the orchard. For a proper sit down meal, the restaurant within the main farm market building offers fantastic breakfasts. The traditional full farmhouse spread is always a great option, and what Leeann always goes for, but I opted for the more elaborate savory mince topped sourdough with eggs.

Peregrine Farm Stall Activities

We visited Peregrine on a Saturday with no real plans and discovered much to our delight that a wine tasting event was going on throughout all of Elgin Valley with Peregrine serving as the starting point. We sampled a few of the local wines in the wine shop at the market and they were fantastic. The Elgin Valley wine scene is a nice Saturday retreat, with all the vineyards in relatively close proximity to Peregrine. Grab breakfast or lunch at the farm stall and head off to taste some wines for a wonderful Saturday.

Peregrine Farm Stall Meat Pies

No trip to Peregrine is complete without one of their famous meat pies. I’m not sure how these things aren’t huge in the U.S., I’m sure they would be a hit, but they are the ubiquitous South African fast food, and the offerings at Peregrine are second to none. The buttery, flakey pastry crust filled with savory meat stews is the perfect autumn food, especially on long haul road trips. I went for the Springbok pie, which was utterly fantastic. I also always make sure to get their Spanakopita, a flakey filo-dough, feta, and spinach delight that makes for a perfect snack.

The hardest adjustment for us coming from Michigan is learning to simply take our time and relax. It seemed like we had every weekend booked out and were always on the run. Cape Tonians have really nailed the weekend relaxation thing – the whole family packs up and heads to a farm market or vineyard and simply sits and enjoys. We are trying to adopt this relaxation lifestyle on the weekends, and Peregrine is the perfect place to practice. Beautiful scenery and great food make for the perfect day of leisure. Whether you’re simply passing through along the Garden Route or want to make it a Saturday destination, Peregrine Farm Stall is a can’t miss stop along the N2.

~Max