If the past two years of living between curfews and quarantines have taught us anything it is the value of sharing tangible moments.
With restrictions relaxed and more of our freedoms slowly restored, thanks largely to the advent of vaccines, we have compiled a list of seven experience-based gifts, for people based in the Cape Town region, that will ensure you beat the plastic packaging and synthetic toy frenzy and ultimately spread love and not waste this Valentine’s month.
1. Coastal Foraging Experience with Veld and Sea
Immerse yourself and a partner in a five-hour educational coastal foraging workshop, facilitated by foodie, forager and founder of Veld and Sea, Roushanna Gray.
Engage all your senses in this unique outdoor experience as you comb through the Scarborough beach rock pools. You’ll learn how to identify, harvest and prepare local seaweeds and shellfish, sustainably.
Roushanna highlights the importance of sustainable, responsible food foraging skills saying that it connects us, as well as opens our eyes, to the value of our natural surroundings. Responsible foraging also inspires curiosity about the ecology of the intertidal zone and edible landscape, which contributes to a greater respect for, and will to protect, these important places and spaces.
From the tidal pools, you’ll move to the Veld and Sea HQ located at the Good Hope Gardens Nursery in Cape Point where the chefs will teach you different ways to prepare and preserve your foraged treasure. To end off, enjoy a three-course meal based on the ingredients collected from the tidal pools.
“We go through all the different culinary applications and preservation techniques for each foraged species gathered, as well as cooking demos,” says Roushanna. “Follow up notes include a 48-page coastal foraging PDF, identification, recipes, moon phase, tide charts, recommended book list and a Spotify podcast playlist so participants are supported on future coastal explorations and foraged food creations”.
Bring along beach gear, a mollusc permit (available at a post office near you), and a cooler box to transport your edible delights!
- Date: 16 February 2022
- Cost: R1200 per person. R600 for children under 16 years. FREE for children under two years
- For more information and to book, click here
2. Make a trip to Tapi Tapi Ice Cream Cafe
Recognising food as a powerful tool to connect people, Tapi Tapi – meaning “sweet sweet” or “yum yum” – was founded by microbiologist-turned-chef, Tapiwa Guzha in 2018 as an online, ice cream delivery service. Tapiwa embarked on this journey with the hope of sparking conversation around politics and culture, and to bring people from all walks of life together to learn, embrace and celebrate different identities in a safe, inclusive space.
In 2020, Tapi Tapi transformed into an ice cream café, located at 76 Lower Main Road in Observatory, where Tapiwa is ready to welcome and walk you through his authentic, colourant-free, natural ice creams which are inspired by flavours and ingredients from all corners of the African continent. A few of the flavours include mieliepap, millet, sorghum, maize, tamarind, coconut and rooibos – all served in recyclable paper cups.
What’s even more special is that the flavours are constantly changing. Tapiwa explains that because he does not focus on favourites and hierarchies but rather on what’s available and what he can do with what’s available, on average, one new flavour comes out every four to seven days. “There’s only one five-litre tub made for each flavour so when it runs out, that’s it. No repeats,” says Tapiwa.
Tapi Tapi is also available on UberEats if you’re kicking it old school with a romantic candlelit dinner a casa this Valentine’s day and need a delicious, locally-sourced and handmade dessert.
- Opening hours: Tuesdays – Sundays: 12 pm – 6 pm. Public Holidays: 12 pm – 6 pm. Mondays: Closed
- Cost: R35 for single scoops. R65 for double scoops. R115 for a 500ml tub
- Digital vouchers are available for gifting
- For more information click here
https://youtu.be/0c6A5WBVIU0
3. Pick roses at Chart Farm
While they may be the easiest and cheapest gift to give, did you know that the cut flower industry has a massive carbon footprint? This is because most cut flowers are usually shipped from other countries like Colombia, Ecuador and the Netherlands and land up as waste within a week or two. So, before you make a last-minute dash to your local grocery store for a bouquet, why not plan a sustainable, responsible outing and pick your own locally-grown roses at Chart Farm in Wynberg, Cape Town.
Bring your own bucket and meander through the rose garden which boasts over 6,000 perennial rose bushes and pick as many as you like! Lucy from admin at Chart Farm says it is the perfect day’s outing for couples or friends. “It’s healthy, you’re out in the fresh air, the views are spectacular and you cannot help but be happy when you are at Chart Farm cutting your own flowers to take home and display in your home,” she adds.
- Opening hours: Mondays – Sundays: 9am – 4pm
- Cost: R7 per stem (pick-your-own)
- For more information click here
4. Notting Hill open-air screening at Nooitgedacht Wine Estate
For all the die-hard romantics out there, this one’s for you – a screening of a classic 90s rom-com under the stars surrounded by vineyards. While this Valentine’s special includes a drink and something sweet, you can also stock up on snacks from local mini-market vendors which will be available on-site.
If you can’t make the Valentine’s Day Notting Hill special screening, fear not because The Galileo Open Air Cinema has got all your romcom needs covered for four days leading up to Valentine’s Day. From 10 to 13 February, enjoy Valentine film favourites from Love Actually to The Proposal and The Notebook.
- Date: 14 February 2022 | 5pm (doors open) 8pm (movie starts)
- Cost: R250 per person for entry, backrest, sweet treat, welcome drink, and live entertainment
- For more information and to book, click here
5. A decadent date at Honest Chocolate Café
If you are a Valentine’s Day traditionalist and simply cannot let the month of love pass by without a bite of chocolate, wander over to the ethical chocolate café, Honest Chocolate near he corner of the ever-bustling streets of Bree and Loop, in the Cape Town CBD.
As part of their “positive chain of production” ethos which means having “ethical consideration for people and the environment by sourcing locally, organically, and fairly”, Honest Chocolate uses organically produced Tanzanian cacao beans which they roast, grind, and temper themselves in their production kitchen located in Woodstock.
If it is your first time at the Honest Chocolate Café, social media and marketing manager Aa’ishah Satchipia suggests trying the chocolate tasting board which is available for R40 and includes a block of each of their slabs with an explanation of the chocolate making process.
If it is cake you’re after, Aa’ishah recommends the banana bread bunny chow – a mini banana bread, filled with vanilla pod ice cream, topped with chocolate spread and roasted nuts on the side (vegan and gluten free options available). Or, their level-up brownies where you get to choose a brownie base and three toppings (ice cream, sauce and crunchy toppings).
Most of their sweet treats are vegan-friendly and if you like tea or coffee with your chocolate, milk alternatives are available.
- Opening hours: Mondays – Friday: 10am – 6pm. Saturdays: 9am – 5pm. Sundays: 9am – 4pm
- Valentine’s Day chocolate assortment box available from R250
- For more information click here
6. Graham Beck gourmet popcorn and Cap Classique pairing
Located in South Africa’s Robertson region, over decades, the Graham Beck Estate has gained notoriety not only for their top sparkling and table wines but also for their philanthropic endeavours and environmental conservation initiatives.
Pop into the Graham Beck tasting room and try their most recent addition to their tasting menu, the ‘Sparkle and Pop’ gourmet popcorn and Cap Classique pairing. This includes a sampling of four sparkling wines from their vintage and non-vintage collections partnered with various popcorn infusions. Chin chin!
- Opening hours: Mondays – Friday: 9am – 5pm. Saturdays & Sundays: 10am – 4pm
- Cost: R150 per person
- For more information click here
7. Underwater Love Pop Up Dinner
This interactive dinner experience, facilitated by award-winning, environmentally conscious British guest chef, Tom Hunt, is the ideal date for the environmentally-conscious couple. The dinner will be hosted by Veld and Sea at their glasshouse in Cape Point, which will be decorated to the theme with a sea-inspired tablescape.
Paired with local wines, botanical drinks and kombuchas, you can expect a four-course menu each with an interactive element consisting of seasonal vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, all locally-produced and freshly plucked from Veld and Seas’s organic gardens.
The courses will also include wild herbs gathered from the mountainside and seaweeds foraged from the nearby coastline which will all be curated into colourful shellfish and seaweed dishes to be revealed on the day.
Roushanna adds that, “Guests are encouraged to dress up or down in something a little extra special: a dive mask, floating florals, a pirate hat, sequins or dungarees – something that has been hanging in the back of your cupboard just waiting for a celebratory occasion, like this magical wildly delicious adventure!”
- Date: 12 February 2022 | 4pm – 7pm
- Cost: R1200 per person
- For more information and to book, click here
If you’re set on a tangible one, remember to support small, local, low-impact businesses where possible.
- Images supplied by Veld and Sea, Chart Farm, The Galileo, and Honest Chocolate
