Peregrine Farm Stall, situated on the N2 highway just outside Cape Town, is a legend in its own right. This could be because of its family-friendly atmosphere, it’s respite from a long day of travelling, or simply because of its world-famous pies. Okay, who am I kidding? It’s the pies. Always the pies.
Address: N2 Highway, Grabouw
Hours: 7:30am-6pm Mon-Sun
Peregrine Farm Stall is permanently “pumping” – crammed with people wanting to get their “padkos” before heading on the road again. Some folks simply take a drive to buy one (or more) of their aforementioned pies. But more about those later!
Having been around since 1964, it is now run by the second generation of the Burls family, Justin and Elodie, whose family purchased the farmstall in 1997.
Bae and I were heading to Swellendam for the weekend and were invited by the team at Peregrine to come sample some of their new vegan menu options. These menu options have been labelled as plant-based (not by the Woolworths definition FYI!), but by vegan chef, Norah Hudson. Norah is most well known for her ELL restaurant in Spookfontein, that then moved to Hermanus under a similar name, ELL 269. Norah has since gone on to move into catering and consulting and recently joined the team at Peregrine to help make their existing menu far more vegan-friendly.
The results have been simply astounding. And the feedback and support have proven that this is going to be a worthwhile venture. Upon entering the “padstal” and veering to the restaurant side, one could see the chalkboards advertising a plant-based “Boerie Roll” with all the trimmings as well as one explaining the breakfast option. It’s clear that they know what they are doing in terms of marketing to what may be an otherwise sceptical crowd.
I’m going to cut straight to the chase – onto the food. We were invited for two reasons: to sample some of the new dishes as well as provide some feedback. There were some dishes I won’t (and can’t) mention as they were in development, but I will say that their current offering is going to be expanding rather rapidly soon and this will include some very naughty dessert options that are going to be sure-fire hits!
The Peregrine vegan pies are the absolute winner, available in three assortments (for now): Chickless Pie, Lentil Cornish Pie, Sausage Roll.
They are SO GOOD that they have confused militant vegans who cannot believe that these pies are the “real deal”. The Sausage Roll “meat” is made by a local strictly-vegan company in Cape Town (that I happen to know personally) and is specially manufactured for Peregrine. All of their pies have a special vegan glaze (that has been specifically sourced) and is (wait for it….) used on all the bread in Peregrine instead of butter.
If I had to choose one of the three, it would have to be the Sausage Roll, not because the other two options aren’t great, but because this one is unbelievably good!
The Veggie Burger (with a patty that Norah has crafted herself) is covered in veg hummus, and served with a side of sweet potato fries.
The Boerie Roll is outstanding and again – will fool even the most stubborn meat-eaters.
The rest of their current offering looks something like this:
Breakfast
- The Harvester – plant-based sausage, chickpea chakalaka, mushrooms, sautéed spinach, avo, toast & jam (R79)
Salad
- Falafel Salad – homemade falafel balls on a bed of lettuce w/roast veg, tomato and cucumber, dressed w/hummus & Peregrine pickle (R70)
Lunch
- Boerie Roll – plant-based boerie roll w/sriracha mayo, caramelized onions, chakalaka, mustard & fresh coriander, served w/fries or side salad (R79)
- Falafel Pita – w/tomato salsa, shredded lettuce, grilled peppers & hummus (R69)
- Open Sandwich – hummus, roast veg, sun-dried tomatoes & rocket on sourdough (R62)
- Vegan Plate – falafel, hummus (beetroot or normal), roast veg, tabbouleh, olives & avo (seasonal), w/a slice of toasted sourdough (R69)
Burgers
- Veggie Burger – a patty of chickpea, lentil & black-eyed beans, combined w/herbs & spices, w/lettuce, tomato, roast veg & hummus, served w/fries (R75)
Peregrine also serves a variety of cold-pressed juices which are a steal at R29 each. If I had to recommend one, I’d say grab the Elgin Sunshine (carrot, pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, rooibos, lemon).
Soy or almond milk can be requested at an extra cost of R6 for each (if dining in) or R5 is ordering to go.
The BEST NEWS is that their vegan pies are available frozen (and uncooked). This means you can take them home (or on holiday) and bake them for 30min at 180 degrees. Needless to say, we went home with six! Just a word of warning: these vegan pies are so incredibly popular that I would definitely phone ahead to make sure they are available before you drive all the way out.
Upon quick perusal of the “shop” side of Peregrine Farm Stall, I noticed a fridge stocked with our local favourite, Urban Vegan SA products as well as a few vegan-friendly chocolates and bars.
Norah’s idea is to gradually “veganise” many of the existing options at Peregrine without any compromise of taste, texture, or quality. After all, if one can have the same experience, without the use of an animal product, why the hell not!?
I am impressed by this venture and cannot wait to see what these forward-thinkers come up with in the future.
Phone: 021 848 9011
Peace xx
I’m so excited about these pies. It’s wonderful to have some “on-the-go” vegan options. I can’t decide which one is my favourite. I’m definitely going to ask about the frozen pies next time we’re there.
Yes! You must. Just makes sure you phone ahead as they sell out quickly! The demand is so great.
I hope we could soon drive out to Grabouw and try out all those amazing Vegan goodies. This is so exciting – those pies and sausage rolls and hamburgers look delectable!!