Riebeeck Kasteel: A Hidden Gem in the Western Cape

After a hectic few weeks my wife and I decided it was time to go for a weekend away. With two small children and a third on the way, it needed to be close enough to Cape Town to be able to drive to for a short two-night stay, yet far away to make it feel like the little get-away we needed.

Riebeeck Kasteel ticked all these boxes. At just eighty kilometres from Cape Town, this quaint Western Cape town was just what we were looking for.

Whenever we explore a new destination I love to go to the local food market, as this is where the town’s food producers assemble and their fresh, local products are up for the taking. Back at the accommodation, I will be quick to start a fire and challenge myself to create a new dish inspired by the ingredients we have found locally.

On our last getaway this was no exception. Just by chance we arrived during a weekend of festivities. Post a countdown, the Christmas tree was lit up. The kids were in awe!

Small town markets are unique in that the unsung heroes of the town are sitting behind the tables selling their goods whilst having a fat chat with the community. It differs so much from some of the larger cities where the owners and producers don’t always feature at the market.

We meandered around the local market finding the most incredible produce (including a pannekoek that is a must-have at these small town markets). After gathering up some Lebanese treats, local chorizo, olive, spices and a few bottles of wine we headed home.

This time it wasn’t about me making a specific dish, it was about meeting and getting to know the local legends of the food culture of Riebeek, and oh boy what a treat it was.

Support Small Business in South Africa

When visiting Riebeek Kasteel ensure you find these local foodie destinations;

• The Wine Kollective: Amazing local to the area wines.

• The Olive Boutique: Wide range of innovative olive products (seek out the olive caviar)

About Shawn Godfrey

Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.

Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.

It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.

On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (6), Olivia (4) and Harvey (2).

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