WELCOME TO THE WEEKENDER - Hartiwood food and film show
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THE NORTH WEST’S RISING STAR EXPLORE
THE WEEKENDER
WELCOME TO
FUNVILLE
Everyone’s aware of the dam, but have
you spent time in the namesake village of
Hartbeespoort where it’s not just bread
that’s rising?
M any people are all too
familiar with those
weekends away. The ones
where a shaded veranda and too much
wine is accompanied by ample time to
break musings and subsequently semi-
grated to Hartbeespoort.
Less than an hour’s commute from
both Joburg and Tshwane, this tiny North
West Province town is embraced by the
Once a retirement retreat with
a sprinkling of intrepid artists,
Hartbeespoort is no longer a place
where the words hip and replacement
are automatically associated. These
think ‘Hmm, I could get used to this...’ Witwatersberg and the Magaliesberg days the young and upwardly mobile
All it takes is one too many glasses of mountains. It’s an amiable environment are everywhere apparent. Say what
Pinot and the property section of where kids ride their bikes to school and, you like about yuppies but they almost
a local newspaper for a lingering lunch thanks to a malfunctioning municipality, invariably improve the quality of the
fantasy to become reality. In recent local builders take it upon themselves cuisine in any community that they take
years, increasing numbers of Gauteng to fix potholes. Occasionally they do the a fancy to. Where once Hartbeespoort
professionals have acted on their mini- traffic lights (all three of them) too. was a breakfast at the Wimpy kind of
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FLIEKS AND VETKOEK
Once a year, Pretville becomes
the venue for the Hartiwood
Food and Film Show Night
Market where Charlie Chaplin
movie marathons compete
with stalls selling tasty treats.
Flit from fabulously flaky
chocolate croissants by Tostato
to magnificent macaroons and
glazed fruit tarts from the Prue
Leith Chefs Academy. Those
seeking savoury snacks will adore
the aromatic North African
tagines made by Morocco-born
Hartbeespoort resident Touria
Vally. Georgia-born vegan chef
Ahmeets Israel Rahm will bring
his ebullient Southern charm
and exquisite soul food. Local is
lekker with Tracy Nelwamondo’s
Charlie Chaplin movie marathons blissful baobab ice creams and
compete with stalls selling Persina Monayi’s traditional pap
and morog. Be warned: Persina’s
tasty treats chakalaka relish is startlingly
strong. And, of course, no South
African small-town festival is
complete without roosterkoek
accompanied by lashings of farm
butter, vetkoek with apricot-
rich mince curry and perfect
pannekoeke. Hartbeespoort’s
very own coffee roastery, Bisibean,
will be on hand to serve excellent
espresso and fabulously frothy
cappuccino while the beautiful
beer garden is always an ideal
spot to settle in and start
planning a possible move to
a smaller town, perhaps one with
a dam, a 1950s diner and farms
on its doorstep… 1 September,
hartiwoodfoodandfilmshow.co.za
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THE NORTH WEST’S RISING STAR EXPLORE
Breads at Tostato are the
result of slow fermentation
and long rising
a town, it now boasts a coffee roastery, David. ‘And it can’t be quick – you need once they taste the herb-rubbed, fall-
several craft breweries, three artisan to live with and beside your breads. You off-the-bone lamb. As for the potatoes
distilleries and two American Express can’t hurry a sourdough. Good things roasted in mouthwateringly aromatic
Platinum Fine Dining Award-winning take time. Our breads are the result of meat juices, you may forget you ever
restaurants. slow fermentation and long rising.’ had children.
And then there’s the bread. Oh, Slow but flavoursome growth is Children are welcome at the retro-
the bliss of the bread. Sonel Venter not confined to the bread – as anyone bling glamour of the Silver Orange
and David Hobbs of Tostato bakery who has ever tasted Hartbeesfontein Bistro (silverorangebistro.co.za). Vintage
(facebook.com/Tostato01) arrived in Conservancy (wickedfoodearth.co.za) Venetian chandeliers compete for
2017 having trained and worked at farmer Mike Crewe-Brown’s organic Pedi customer attention with superb salmon,
Knysna’s legendary Île de Païn. ‘We love heritage breed lamb can attest. Every gloriously OTT garnishes, a magnificent
it here,’ says Sonel. ‘We are in easy reach second Sunday, farmer Brown opens his malva pudding and a Diners Club
of all our suppliers – we go to the farm homestead to serve the finest Award-winning wine list. The
and meet the chickens that lay the eggs rustic repasts. Menus adjoining Almost Orange gin
in our enriched doughs. We interact with change according to bar offers a plethora of
the miller so we know the temperature season, booking distilled delights plus
at which he stone-grinds our flour. All is essential and perfect cheese and
these things make a big difference to the children under 12 charcuterie platters.
quality of the end product.’ are not permitted. There will always
In fact, the couple believe that the But even the most be those who insist
Hartbeespoort pace suits bread making. tender-hearted on being active before
‘The thing is that bread is alive,’ says parent won’t care they eat. Dr Bogosi
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EXPLORE THE NORTH WEST’S RISING STAR
Hartbeespoort
has something to
cater for all sorts
of endorphin
and adrenaline
junkies
Moagi works in nearby Rustenburg but
came to live in Hartbeespoort five years
ago because he has what his dietician
wife Mpho Tshukudu calls ‘an unhealthy
obsession with mountain biking’.
‘This is truly superb mountain biking
country,’ he says, in his defence. ‘We
have arguably the second-highest per
capita mountain biking community in
South Africa (after Stellenbosch) and
once you have seen these trails, you
really understand why so many bike endorphin and adrenaline junkies.’ undertaken (mountainadventures.co.za).
people have become residents. Here we Where there are junkies, there will Those seeking safer ways of passing
have high altitude so it makes for good be pushers. The Van Gaalen Cheese the time may prefer Pretville (pretville.
training and we have trails that can Farm (vangaalen.co.za) not only boasts co.za). This former film set and now
accommodate MTB riders of all levels one of the best cycle trails in the district tourist attraction was created by local
and expertise. There are gravel-surfaced but also has an onsite high-end bike production company Hartiwood Films.
district roads, Jeep tracks, single tracks, shop (cycle2u.co.za) which sells new and Hartbeespoort resident and film director
ascents and descents, sand, river second-hand vehicles. Bespoke bikes are Paul Kruger set his 2012 movie Pretville
crossings, pebbles, grass – you name it, designed for a lucky and affluent few. in a mythical 1950s world for which
we’ve got it. Here in Hartbeespoort there Great Gouda and accommodation for he created ye olde cinematic streets
is something to cater for all sorts of overnight visitors too. complete with a milkshake-serving
Recent modifications to the diner plus a bioscope with velvet chairs
Hartbeespoort aerial cable cars (which and a fully functional vintage projector.
allow bikes to be hooked on and hauled There is a teeny tiny sweet shop where
Words: Anna Trapido, Pictures: Supplied.
up on the longest mono-cableway in the shelves are lined with glass jars
Africa; hartiescableway.co.za) are also of sherbet lemons and gobstoppers.
causing great excitement in the biking The pharmacy stocks Dutch medicines
fraternity. Mad bikers cable up in comfort galore. And happy children on skates
and then zoom down the mountain on (available for hire) glide past restored
two wheels. Those who prefer zip-lining, antique cars at the roller rink. It really is
paragliding or abseiling should know a portal to another world, and we haven’t
that these forms of insanity can also be even mentioned the dam…
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