Route 44 Market

Taking a drive to do some wine tasting in Stellies one Saturday, a stop on the way through to the Route 44 Market seemed fit. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t working in our favour on this particular morning; however this didn’t dampen the spirits of anyone there! On walking inside the large, spacious tents was the smell of good food, shoppers walking around sipping on hot chocolate and aromatic coffees and a wide range of craft stores.

Situated on Audacia Farm in Stellenbosch this particular Food and Craft Market was very welcoming and accommodating with traders greeting you with smiles and immediate assistance. The large, open tents, with long wooden floorboards bestows the feeling of an old barnyard, with an almost “farm-like” feel. Also very family orientated with many different age groups of people there, the place was still buzzing with people on this cold, wet morning.

This Market most definitely had something there for every one of its visitors- from jewellery, to book stores, home decor tips and trimmings, fashion boutiques, African artwork as well as antique furniture stores. What striked me once again was the many different foods available. A friend of mine and me tried a German Eisbein “hamburger” with caramelised onions and a sweet German mustard sauce for only R35! Being a huge fan of pistachio nuts, I spotted a fudge store selling a pistachio flavoured fudge and had to give it a go. My sister tested out the freshly squeezed health juices available. She had “the detox” which included apple, carrot, ginger and lemon, it was very refreshing- a great equivalent to normal fruit juices. To add to the variety of food stalls there was also a health bar which I thought was rather considerate and accommodating for all those health conscious individuals who would still enjoy to indulge while out!

Another find I thought was very interesting was the “Bubble tea”. This is a refreshing tea based drink, (can be either a fruity ice tea or a non-diary “milkshake” tea) the unique thing about this drink was the toppings. Either Popping Bobas (filled with pure fruit juice) or Tapioca Pearls mixes with your tea- sucked through an extra large straw guaranteeing a whole new experience for all tea lovers like myself!