As those of you in Cape Town know, we had a Mother City of a storm this past weekend so the thought of leaving the warmth of my bed in False Bay and trekking through to a market in Woodstock in the pouring rain was not all that enticing. Luckily for me friend and colleague Jolene had arranged to pick my son and me up so we couldn't get out of it - and I'm so glad we didn't!
We met friends at the Neighbourgoods Market and yes, it was cold and windy but we made it into the main market area (in a large warehouse) just before another downpour. It was like entering an enchanted space -
...delicious aromas of coffee, fresh bread and all manner of herbs and spices blended with the colourful noise of Capetonians bundled up in bright coats and scarves against the winter weather; from the ceiling hung a crazy assortment of old radios, dried plants, a small wheelbarrow and crocheted doilies. Running down the middle of the open plan market stalls stretched a long table made of old doors on trestles, with candles in wine bottles all the way down the length of it. 1940s music completed the effect of having arrived in some kind of winter wonderland...
Having secured coffee and a space at the table (where there were enough copies of the weekend newspapers to go around) we took turns to find food - Raphael got in first with a massive crepe filled with melted bar one and smothered in chocolate syrup. I had a lamb shwarma (I know, not exactly breakfast but it was very tasty!) Also on offer - breakfast burritos, make-your-own sandwiches with fresh fillings, all manner of spicy, sweet and scrumptious foods in wraps and loaves and rolls, and to wash it all down hot chocolate, coffee, smoothies, pomegranate juice and even Artisan beer and cider (we decided, sadly, it was a little too early for beer...)
And of course there were the fresh organic fruit and vegetables, fresh meat and fish and flowers – just what you'd expect from a fresh produce market.
After our
breakfast by candlelight we took another hour or so to browse the shops in the
Old Biscuit Mill centre. A massive
bead emporium, third-world furniture store,
lomography shop and an art exhibition were among those that captured our interest.
The Old Biscuit Mill is truly a great find for those of you who have yet to get there - especially on a Saturday morning. Definitely a good plan for a winter weekend – although I believe it’s wonderful in summer when it all spills outdoors into the sunshine and attracts many more visitors. Be sure to go hungry!
Raph took hundreds of photos of the market – I’ve used some of them to show you a little of the magic that we enjoyed.
