Today we’re heading north from Cape Town through the Hemel en Aarde valley (it means heaven and earth in Afrikaans) to the Overberg. It’s a relatively newly established wine region with the first farms being developed here in the 1980s. Less than a two-hour drive from the Mother City to another beautiful region of this amazing country with undiscovered vineyards (by me anyway) to visit along the winding roads. How I love discovering new places. Our destination for the night? The Stanford Valley Guest Farm.
Nestling on the Eastern slopes of the Klein Rivier Valley, 10kms outside the quaint little town of Stanford, the farm is home to charming, whitewashed cottages, sweeping lawns, paddocks and incredible mountain views. The perfect base for a get-away-from-it-all escape. Here’s what I loved about it.
The picture-perfect setting
The whitewashed rooms and cottages are surrounded by mountains and forests with flowers and herbs growing profusely. Endless valley vistas and an incredible peace and serenity complete the picture.
There’s also plenty to grab the attention with interesting sculptures, horses and plant life dotted around the landscape. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
The spacious, comfortable accommodation
We stayed in Fynbos No 3, a large suite with views through blossoming white roses towards the lush green valley and the Akkedisberg mountains beyond.
Our huge room, Fynbos 3, after the indigenous shrubs that grow here in abundance, had high ceilings, wooden floors and a mix of whitewashed walls and exposed brick. All creating a beautiful farmhouse feel.
The desk in the corner housed a fridge and tea and coffee-making facilities with ground coffee, a cafetiere and tea bags as well as a tasty jar of rusks. And a wood-burning stove on the wall. Sadly it wasn’t cold enough to light it…
And then there was the luxury bathroom with a huge bath and enormous separate shower. And lovely customised toiletries. Also loved the lavender flowers laid across our towels – those little touches make such a difference. We soon settled in for a spot of rest. It’s hard work all that wine tasting!
When it’s time for dinner it’s only a short walk across the lawns to The Manor House – the farm’s incredible restaurant.
Stunning food at The Manor House
The stylish country-style restaurant sits just off reception. Windows all along one side make the most of the gorgeous view.
Personal service is the name of the game at the Manor House. We soon felt at home once our waiters introduced themselves and we’d exchanged names. Ready to peruse the menu with its selections described as contemporary country cooking.
Chef Janine van der Nest is a local lady and makes the  most of local, seasonal produce as well as her considerable cooking skills. As it says on the website, the dishes are created from “what’s close to their heart and close to their doorstep”. Love that! Dishes are certainly cooked with love and with the freshest of ingredients – the perfect combo.
First up this delicious still-warm pot-bread with some spiced butter. If bread always tasted as good as this I’d be eating it by the potful!
My beef carpaccio starter was, quite simply, magnificent. Served with a Fraser’s Folly berry reduction, popped capers and a pink peppercorn mousse – an incredible combination of flavours and textures. Fraser’s Folly is one of the local beers and the reduction added a surprising sweetness which perfectly complemented the creamy peppery  mousse and saltiness of the capers. A dish with such substance and such tender, fresh meat. Possibly the best beef carpaccio I’ve ever eaten….seriously.
The heritage beet salad was served on cashew cream with orange dressing, toasted cashews and cinnamon dust. A plate of nuttiness and sweetness with a citrussy, cinnamon finish.
Marvellous main coursesÂ
For mains I opted for some of the local lamb – there’s a lot of it around and it’s highly delicious. Cooked pink and with a herb crust, the lamb rack comes with a creamy aubergine puree, blatjang (chutney), vine tomatoes and courgettes. A substantial plate of food with beautifully tender lamb and the sweetest of cherry tomatoes bursting with flavour.
Today’s line fish was Kabeljou (or Kob), a freshly, sweet local fish only caught at lunchtime. Served on a fennel cream with wilted spinach, broccoli and a dill sabayon. Such delicate, light flavours.
There’s no doubt portions are substantial at The Manor House. But even though we’d already over-enjoyed I couldn’t resist ordering this dessert. Regular readers will know I’m not much of a pudding person, but I just loved the sound of the blushing poached peaches with rooibos and fynbos honey ice cream. Wow! Such incredibly sweet and tart (I know – at the same time) peaches with a touch of basil, paired with honey ice cream – the food of the gods indeed.
After dinner we retired to the lounge for coffee and a glass of the local brandy. What can I say? We just didn’t want the night to end. The comfy lounge is packed with books and magazines – I could hole up in there for weeks. Including a pile of National Geographics – this one dating back to 1959. Awesome.
The beautiful breakfast
After a snug night’s sleep in our enormous bed punctuated by the pitter-patter of rain we awoke to the freshness of a newly watered country. Beautiful.
Time for breakfast – and a selection to dream of. Especially when we were told by the lovely Elsabe that we really didn’t have to worry about the menu but could have anything we wanted. As she said, sometimes you just feel like a plate of sausages – yes, actually, sometimes I really do.
Having said that, their selections sounded so good we swerved the sausages! The creamy mushrooms were served on farm toasted and topped with perfectly soft poached eggs. As I said before, there’s no issue with getting a satisfying portion here – not sure I’ve ever seen so many mushrooms on one plate!
The freshly squeezed pineapple and mint juice added a real zingy start to our day – and matches the view too!
My choice? A contemporary take on a BLT with crispy bacon, rocket, fresh tomatoes and aioli on toasted farm bread. I have to say an even better combination than the original – love it when a classic is improved upon. I’m still dreaming about the bacon.
Of course no breakfast is complete (for me at least) without a frothy coffee.
I loved the protea display in the dining room fireplace. Yes, they are all real flowers, I had to double check! Another lovely touch.
Explore the area
As well as wine tasting and enjoying great food which was the focus of our trip (more of which later), there are plenty of other things to do in the area. So enjoy lovely hiking trails or go whale watching in nearby De Kelders or Hermanus (in season of course). Visit the nearby Klein River cheese factory or go shopping in historic Stanford village.
Or just chill out, inhale that fabulous Hemel en Aarde air and take in the majestic scenery. You’ll feel instantly better for it.
And finally.
Stanford Valley Guest Farm is at just off the R326 near Stanford village. Take the Caladon exit off the N2.
Thanks a great review!. Its great that a visitor finds such hidden gems we do not know about as long time residents
You really should go and visit. It’s so lovely. And please, when you do, tell them I sent you!