Meerendal Farmer’s Market on 13 July 2013

Saturday was an early morning for me as I headed out in rain and mist to the Meerendal Farmer’s Market in Durbanville.

This market has been running for almost 2 years now and is certainly well worth the visit. The market is perfect for kids, offering pony rides and other activities. Parents can browse a range of clothing and craft stalls, buy great quality dishy designs products (hehe) – all this in a very relaxed and beautiful environment. It’s probably advisable to go when the sun is shining, so you can take a seat outside at the tables or on the lush green lawn (bring a picnic blanket) and enjoy an array of food and drinks, while relaxing and watching the world around you. Having said that, even though it was cold & rainy on Saturday, the market was pumping – the event has certainly built up a loyal following over time.

Generally, all the food vendors are indoors in an old wine cellar and crafters and other non-food vendors set up outside. I was early and lucky enough to grab a spot inside, away from the icy wind.

What an experience! You can stock up on fresh cheeses, olive oil, dips, chutneys and spreads, meat, bread, pancakes, sweet & savoury pastries and MORE! Otherwise, enjoy some Thai cuisine, made while you wait by an authentic Thai lady with a very high-pitched voice. I had a generous portion of Thai Green Curry with noodles for only R40 – even though without coconut milk, it was delicious! If Thai food is not your preference, you can grab a oh-so-popular Falafel/Beef & Lamb or Chicken Schwarma from the very extroverted Eddie with his ‘wild’ sauce that includes Habanero Chilli amongst other ingredients. My stand was right next to Eddies’ and it was a treat to watch people eat the hot sauce, shortly followed by glistening tomato faces & steaming ears – I laughed a lot!

I loved the vibe indoors and wouldn’t mind this set-up for dishy designs throughout the Winter. The only downfall was that after spending 5 hours in the cellar, everything had to go into the wash, as all those lovely cooking smells turned into stale, not-so-lovely odours that had settled on my clothes…this certainly reminded me of my ‘waitressing’ days.

It was a good day for dishy designs and I got to meet lovely people – both customers and fellow entrepreneurs alike – as I do every time at ANY market. The nice thing about markets is that you are surrounded by people that are all trying to make a living from doing what they love. It’s not an easy task but well worth it when your customer darts to your stand, excited to see you AND your product, telling you how ‘amazing the tea towel looks in my kitchen and it’s so absorbent and it gets better with every wash’.  Those are the comments any entrepreneur lives for – positive feedback – as it proves that you are onto something, that you have found a gap that needs filling and that all your hard work might just turn into a fruitful venture!

Till the next time!

dd

PS: Don’t forget, The Gallery Market (23-27 July) and The Wellington Huismark (25-28 July) are on next week!! See you there.

For further details go to this blog post: https://dishydesigns.co.za/markets-in-cape-town-july-2013/