The pull of the Karoo is hard to ignore and when you have some ace organisers behind an appealing event that ticks all the boxes (good food and wine, hospitable folk, clean country air and charming surroundings) then you just have to get in your car and head on over.
This was the case with the excellent Karoo Food Festival in Cradock recently and then again last weekend, when the historic town of Graaff-Reinet once again put its prettiest verandahs on show for Karoo Wine Club’s swingin’ Stoep Tasting wine weekend.
Both events, though very different in character and offering, managed to attract not only rave reviews, but scores of repeat visitors from far and wide – which just goes to show that the Eastern Cape countryside still has so much going for it. Give us city slickers a good reason for a country caper and our FOMO alone will lead us straight to your door! My husband, Salvelio, and I bumped into loads of familiar faces not only from Port Elizabeth but from all over the Eastern Cape.
The legendary Karoo hospitality was evident from the moment we arrived. With every accommodation establishment in town filled to the rafters, we were put up by local farmers Graham and Helen Harris in their rambling “town house” in Caledon Street.
Here we rendezvoused with Stoep Tasting organiser Rose Wright and her husband, delightfully off-the-wall Karoo food ambassador Gordon Wright, who also pre-launched his new cookbook at the event.The Harrises have a beautiful stone cottage on their farm about 25km outside town, but since Stoep Tasting is all about drinking and NOT driving (the ingenious verandah setup means you can walk pretty much everywhere to taste wine) a farm stay was not an option this time around.About 32 wineries as well as craft beer, liqueur, gin and brandy makers took part, and the beauty of this festival is that the winemakers or farm owners usually come down in person to share their wines.
The Fledge & Co’s Leon Coetzee has taken part in every Stoep Tasting since it started five years ago. He and Boplaas Family Vineyards winemaker Margaux Nel, his partner in The Fledge, were married just two weeks before this year’s festival: “We’re still on honeymoon!” Margaux quipped.Other farms included the likes of Muratie, Peter Bayly, Creation, Hermanuspietersfontein, Deetlefs, Axe Hill, De Meye and Stofberg.
Two of the town’s museums – Reinet House and the Library Museum – also hosted tastings, and several masterclasses were held for the first time. The most popular one was the blending class with Neethlingshof winemaker De Wet Viljoen, which culminated in a fun competition where participants could create their own blends.
Also new to the programme was a Karoo farmers’ market in aid of Union Pre-School, where choice local produce such as Michael Smit and Johan Swiegelaar’s superb Karoo French Kitchen terrines and pates was available. Restaurants like Polka and Our Yard were packed all weekend and many of the hosting stoeps also sold street food and other eats. We grabbed gorgeous prego rolls at Aa’Qtansisi Guesthouse and hearty Cuban pitas at Kambro Cottages. Late-night potato soup at the Library Museum and skaapstertjies off the braai at rustic Klub Libertas kept the night’s chill at bay.
“As organisers of the event we look back with happy hearts,” Rose said of last weekend’s festival.
“This community can really pull things off. We all worked well together and look at the magnificent outcome. This year was significantly bigger than last year and yet it felt a lot easier to manage.
“The weather was perfect; people embraced this and went all out with the decor and vibe on their stoeps. The best sign is when people book for next year as they check out to ensure they get a bed for the next Stoep Tasting.
“The feedback from the committee who ran the farmers market was also very positive and they are keen to do it again next year too.”
Karoo food shines in Gordon’s bookGraaf-Reinet’s celebrity chef Gordon Wright has done it again. The former investment banker and motoring journalist turned Karoo food fundi has produced another quality cookbook to bring the joy of authentic and a nourishing country cuisine to wider audience.Karoo Food was pre-launched at the Graaff-Reinet Club at Stoep Tasting last Saturday and follows popular first offering Veld to Fork.
Gordon and his wife, Rose, both seventh children out of eight, have called the Karoo home for the past decade, having moved here from Port Elizabeth. The two were pupils (and sweethearts) at Union High and had wonderful memories of their time there – so much so they wanted their sons, Jason and Max, to enjoy a similar experience.
Country life led to a restaurant and guesthouse where Gordon perfected his already impressive culinary skills and became a national executive member of Slow Food International, establishing its Karoo chapter.
Veld to Fork was a natural progression and now Karoo Food – a tribute to Rose and Gordon’s mums and grandmothers – appears set for similar success. It’s a collection of traditional recipes alongside more modern dishes inspired by ingredients like Karoo venison and lamb, and is filled with entertaining stories about food and life in the area.
Photographs by Sean Calitz capture the abundance of country cooking and were mostly shot in natural light at the Wrights’ home. “I like to tell the stories of my food and showcase my journey through the Karoo, and my mission in life is to save the world one bite at a time,” Gordon said. “We are fighting a battle in this world to get real food back on our plates. The rubbish we are putting into our bodies is poisoning us and ruining our agriculture.
“And then you’re in the Karoo and these guys are custodians of the land and have to manage their veld, because they can’t farm otherwise. The young farmers are coming back and taking over from their parents, and have a proper holistic approach.
“It’s this new generation we have to foster and support when buying our food. We’ve got to move away from commercial rubbish; industrial food that’s cheap, addictive and poison.”

Karoo Food is published by Struik Lifestyle and retails for R300...