“We meticulously restored the Werf so that it could once more become a hub of activity – where agriculture, artisan food and creativity find expression,” Mariota Enthoven, Spier’s family owner says. “The opening of the Spier Farm Kitchen, which is housed in a more than 200-year-old building overlooking this historic farmyard, is the latest step in bringing this dream to life.”
The Spier Farm Kitchen allows guests to customise their picnic with a wide range of freshly-prepared options to choose from - including rotisserie chicken, handcrafted piesand sandwiches (trythe roast vegetable and pesto, or Farmer Angus roast beef with aioli)made with wood-fired Hoghouse bread. Guests can choose a freshly-made salad or create their own at the Salad Station. While Spier’s famous organic 70% Couverture chocolate meringue and other decadent treats are on offer, Chef Lolli has also developed a range of healthier sweet products which substitutes refined sugars with natural ones – think fig balls and citrus almond cake. To drink, there’s a selection of Spier wines, Juicebox juices, cider and beer as well as coffee to go.
The Farm Kitchen’s take-home selection includes Farmer Angus’s pasture-reared products such as eggs, biltong, bone broth as well as chicken, pork and beef. Fill the pantry with oils and vinegars, dressings, spice rubs, honey, dried fruit and nuts. Sweet temptations include Darling Toffees, cookies, farm-made biscotti and rusks. Hats, blankets and baskets are just some of the picnic accessories for sale; there are also locally-made homeware ceramics, glassware and textiles.
Timeless interior design has kept things simple and authentic, respectfully allowing the building’s rich heritage to take centre stage. Guests enter at the kitchen, and are able to watch everything being made – a nod to the integrity and transparency underlying Spier’s farm-to-table ethos. Spier’s sustainable values – in which re-using and recycling are paramount – found expression in the use of salvaged factory lights in the kitchen as well as the reclaimed Oregon pine beams used on the sides of the counters.
The Spier Farm Kitchen is self-service, and guests are welcome to linger on the stoep overlooking the Werf with a glass of wine or relax nearby under one of the Werf’s giant oaks.
About Spier Picnics
The Spier Farm Kitchen is also the collection point for guests who have ordered a pre-made picnic basket online. Options include vegetarian and children’s baskets and must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance at www.spierpicnics.co.za.The baskets can be collected between 12.00 and 14.00.
Whether you make your own or have ordered a pre-made basket, you’re welcome to picnic wherever you choose. From sitting along the banks of the tranquil Eerste River, under the giant oak on the Werf, or in full view of the Helderberg mountains beside the Spier Dam, there are a whole host of spots to choose from.
Although the picnic spaces are public, group bookings can be accommodatedin semi-private areas if booked in advance. Blankets can be hired from the Spier Farm Kitchen.
The Spier Farm Kitchen is open 7 days a week, including public holidays, from 10.00 to 16.30 daily.