Stanford style
The pint-sized Overberg town of Stanford is all about slow days and simple pleasures. Pack your worries away and head out for some soul food
It’s more than likely that you’ll get stuck behind a tractor or a rickety farm truck cruising at a snail’s pace along the R43 that leads to Stanford. Follow their example, change down a gear and soak up the beautiful views before turning off into Stanford’s main road, Queen Victoria Street. It takes about three minutes to drive the full length of the street – even with the speed bumps designed to slow ‘traffic’. Good experiences shouldn’t be rushed: park your car as soon as you get there and make your acquaintance with this country town on foot, ambling along at your leisure, slowly savouring the pleasures and treasures you discover.
Stanford nestles between fynbos-covered mountains and fertile farmlands. For city slickers, a notable portion of its charm lies in the simple pleasures it offers. ‘One of the things I love most about Stanford is lying in bed in the morning listening to the church bells ringing and the roosters crowing,’ says part-time local Sue Potgieter. Sue and her family migrate from urban Cape Town to their much-loved second home almost every weekend. ‘There are so many distractions in the city. I love the stillness, the quiet … it allows one to notice the small things,’ Sue explains.
Long-time local resident Janeen Vallenduuk elaborates. ‘Stanford talks to the heart,’ she says. She’s right. A beautiful setting – a historical provenance evident in pretty Victorian and Cape vernacular architecture; a lazy river, charming locals and the ever-changing play of light on its old-fashioned grid of roads (some tarred, some dusty and pot-holed) – sits pleasantly with the soul.
Most of the shops and houses have a veranda that encourages an outdoor lifestyle and there’s an openness to this seamless blend of indoor/outdoor living that certainly contributes to the town’s warm and welcoming character.
Then there’s the food! A handful of good restaurants are scattered in and around the town. Top of the list is Mariana’s Home Deli and Bistro, named after its talented chef and proprietor, Mariana Esterhuyse, and only open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for breakfast and lunch. This is a popular foodie destination and booking ahead is essential. (Be warned, though, children under the age of 10 are not accommodated at lunchtime and they don’t take credit cards.)
‘We breakfast there every weekend and eagerly await the opening of the front door at 9 am,’ laughs Sue. ‘Mariana makes the most incredible home-made muesli and her soufflés, made with local Klein River Gruyère, are simply divine.’ The lunch menu comprises old Afrikaner recipes, simply and beautifully prepared using the freshly grown produce harvested in the lovely garden outside or obtained locally.
If alfresco eating is your thing, then it’s well worth taking the 7 km drive to the nearby Klein River Farm. Their picnic hampers are a treat to savour while lazing under the graceful old trees. A trampoline, kiddies playground and Shetland ponies will keep little ones happily entertained. The farm also offers a tour of its on-site cheese factory and award-winning cheeses can be bought from the shop.
Just down the road is the Birkenhead Microbrewery. If you’re a beer-lover then you’ll find the factory tour – demonstrating the art of beer-making – fascinating, and will undoubtedly enjoy the tasting that follows. They do have a restaurant, but an afternoon sprawled on the lush grass outside drinking beer and admiring the view of the expansive farmlands and mountains comes highly recommended. Those more prone to wine than beer can sample award-winning Raka wines from the Erica Vineyards on the Dreyer family’s Remhoogte farm.
Back in town, Paprika’s restaurant offers red-checked tablecloth comfort, warm hospitality and Cape brandy pudding with fresh farm cream. You must have at least one drink at Hennie’s Pub and Grill on the main road. This local haunt has two traffic lights outside that glow green (when the establishment is open) or red (when it is closed). This is where the locals flock to watch weekend sport. ‘They also do a brilliant steak,’ adds Janeen.
Market Square is the heart of the town. On the first Saturday of each month, locals bring homegrown and home-made delicacies to the historical site. ‘Everyone goes,’ says Janeen. ‘There’s a banner that says “Soul Food Grown Slowly” and that sums it up. You can buy fruit and vegetables, cheeses, biltong, pickles, jams, coffee, pancakes – and you must try the fantastic custard slices.’ In the old days, farmers from the surrounding area used to outspan their ox wagons here after travelling to Stanford to attend nagmal (the Dutch Reformed Church’s communion service). In present times the square still hums with life all year round – the local school uses it for its athletics meetings, impromptu games of cricket and soccer are played most evenings and it’s even used for an annual show-jumping event.
The written history of the town is rooted in farming and dates back to 1729 when Juriaan Appel, a farmer from Caledon, secured the grazing rights to the fertile land that is now known as Stanford. The first farmhouse was built in 1801, almost seven decades later. The most notable owner of the Kleine Rivers Valey farm, as it was then known, was Robert Stanford. If you go to 14 Church Street you’ll find this old farmhouse (now offering B&B and self-catering accommodation), and if the current proprietors (Irene and John) have time, they’ll relay the heart-wrenching story of how Stanford lost his farm and had the town named after him.
Sifting through the town’s junk shops is another satisfying pursuit. A stroll down Queen Victoria Street will soon have you acquainted with them all. The New Junk shop features everything from a quirky collection of triangular stainless steel basins complete with taps, to more predictable farmhouse furniture and old-fashioned tea sets. Wispy feathers and shimmery silver stars are suspended from the ceiling of The Stanford Trading Store and a galaxy of treasures lies beneath. The Stanford Gallery features mainly the work of Overberg artists (the woven alien vegetation sculptures by Petra and Daniel Carstens are remarkable) and you can pop next door to rummage through an interesting selection of second-hand books.
And then there is the ever-present natural beauty of the town. There are flowers everywhere. Mauve magnolias bloom on gnarled branches, red poppies flourish alongside the old-fashioned irrigation channels that still provide water for garden use in the older parts of town, hibiscus trees flower in a riot of colour, and on every vacant plot of land African daisies peek out in splashes of orange and yellow. A stroll around the town reveals that this is, not surprisingly, a community of gardeners – old-fashioned vegetable and herb gardens flourish in fertile backyards.
Keep walking and you’ll reach the river where the Wandelpad allows you to meander beside the rush-lined expanse of water. Birds busy with the toils of everyday life – nest building, shouting at their neighbours, paddling and flitting – provide a fresh perspective. The combination of natural stillness and beauty is an organic cocktail for the soul. There are benches and jetties where you can ponder the meaning of life, dip your toes in the water or take in the shimmery reflection of the tall trees on the Klein River’s smooth surface. The river is deep, great for a dip and accessible by craft for about 8 km. You can take to the waters by booking a trip on local boats, The African Queen or the Platanna, or you can do your own thing by hiring a kayak from Hadeda’s to enjoy the peace and prolific bird life at
your own pace.
If you are lucky enough to stay a few nights and the weather is balmy, you will be able to gaze upon Stanford’s night sky. You will see stars like you have never seen before, a timeless nightscape of glittering beauty. You can stay up and enjoy them for as long as you like. For the underlying and overriding pleasure of this destination is in succumbing to the gentle, soothing rhythm of ‘Stanford time’.
GETTING THERE
Take the N2 national road in the direction of Strand and Somerset West. Go over Sir Lowry’s Pass. Continue on the N2 past Grabouw and over the Houwhoek Pass, then take the R43 Hermanus off-ramp. Drive through Hermanus, and pick up the R43 to Stanford.
EN-ROUTE ROAD FOOD (PADKOS)
Pick up tasty treats at the legendary Peregrine Farm Stall in Grabouw. Their delicious Chelsea buns are worth getting your hands on: fresh from the oven, dripping icing and oozing plump raisins and cinnamon. Grabouw is apple country – don’t leave without trying the apple juice.
BEDS IN STANFORD
* Bezuidenhout House
30 Bezuidenhout Street, Stanford
(028) 341 0277
www.bezuidenhouthouse.co.za
* Blue Gum Country Estate
7 km off the R326 that runs between Stanford and Riviersonderend
(028) 341 0116
www.bluegum.co.za
* De Kleine Rivers Valey House
14 Church Street, Stanford
(028) 341 0048
* Mosaic Farm
On the Hermanus Lagoon, outside Stanford
(028) 341 0430
www.mosiacfarm.net
* Serendipity
17a Morton Street, Stanford
(028) 341 0430
* Villa Isabella
27-29 Longmarket Street, Stanford
(028) 341 0417
www.villaisabella.co.za
FOOD AND DRINK
* Mariana’s Home Deli and Bistro, 12 Du Toit Street, Stanford, (028) 341 0272
* Klein River Dairy and Cheese, on Klein River Farm, 7 km from Stanford, on R326 , (028) 341 0693
* Birkenhead Microbrewery, 500m from Stanford, on R326, (028) 341 0183
* Raka Wine Farm, 17 km from Stanford, on R326, (028) 341 0676
* Paprika, Shortmarket Street, Stanford, (028) 341 0662
* Hennie’s Pub and Grill, 20 Queen Victoria Street, Stanford, (028) 341 0701
USEFUL NUMBERS AND WEBSITES
* Stanford Tourism Bureau (028) 341 0340
www.stanfordvillage.co.za
www.stanfordinfo.co.za