A family of dressed-up hay bales lures visitors off the R60 outside Robertson into a foodie heaven where you can buy fresh produce straight off the farm – quite literally Affie Plaas. The smell of freshly baked pies gets the taste buds working while you stock up on everything from yellow cling peaches and mealies to swanky salad splashes and homely jams.
Robertson is in the heart of some of the best fruit-growing land in the Western Cape, so when the good folk of Groenhof Farm started selling trays of golden apricots at the side of the road, it was nothing remarkable.
Fast forward 25 years and Affie Plaas, with De Oude Kombuis restaurant beside it, has become a roadside attraction in its own right – a destination that gets Cape Town’s food lovers into their vehicles for a weekend drive with a seriously good meal at the end of it and plenty of delicious treats to bring home.
Affie Plaas provides an outlet for produce and crafts from about 50 people in the Robertson area. ‘The idea is to help local people with home industries,’ said Louis van Coppenhagen, whose family arrived in South Africa in 1780 and has owned Groenhof for the past 200 years.
Next door at De Oude Kombuis, Alan and Cynthia Blain offer hearty meals at reasonable prices. Their own, farm-style bread is baked in the kitchen from stone-ground Overberg flour and is the basis of their generous toasted sandwiches. The pasta is also home-made and their pies are legendary, with farm chicken and lamb being the most popular fillings. It’s hard to resist Cynthia’s velvety baked cheesecake topped with strawberries, along with good coffee.
There’s a lawn and play area for kids and live music on Sundays adds to the chilled vibe at this popular roadside attraction.
Affie Plaas is open Sunday to Friday, 08h00 to 17h00 (closed Saturdays), tel 023-626-4567. De Oude Kombuis, tel 023-626-5634, www.oudekombuismontagu.co.za.
Hot tip:
Boost your feel-good factor when you buy Thunderchild, a red wine blend made by sympathetic cellars from grapes grown at Die Herberg, a local orphanage. All profits are donated to the children.
