Relax with a Middelvlei Boerebraai on a Lazy Sunday Afternoon

Relax with a Middelvlei Boerebraai on a Lazy Sunday Afternoon

“Tell me… you’re South African… without telling me, you’re South African?” “Ons gaan nou Braai” would totally be my answer! Having a braai is not a way of just cooking your meat on open flames. It is a culture; enjoyed by all South Africans from all walks of life. A braai is a South African Social Event which is enjoyed with family and friends gathered together sitting around the fire, sharing stories, a glass or two or most cases a bottle of wine, just making happy memories.

HOWEVER!!!! When you are told: “Hey Babes, you have the night off, ”Vanaand ons gaan braai!” In fact you know you don’t have the night off.

Just think about it for a moment: Who goes to the grocery store and purchases all the ingredients, snacks and dop? Who prepares the side dishes, be it salads, pap en sous, braaibroodtjies or garlic bread? Who does the marinading of the meats or par-cooking the chicken? Who makes the potato dishes? Who gets all the braai utensils together? Who prepares dessert? Us – Us ladies of the house.

Not that we actually mind doing it – but lets be real for a moment is it actually a “night off?” No not really. I don’t know about you – but I actually prefer to do all the prep work before the fire is lit – So that one can also sit and relax.

If you REALLY want to spoil the lady of the house, then treat her to a day out in the beautiful Stellenbosch for a traditional Boerebraai at Middlevlei.

I really do love this idea and honest I am actually super surprised that you don’t find many farms offering a braai fest. What more of a better way for you to get International guest having a sneak peak into the South African Culture?

The Middelvlei Boerebraai Experience

The Middelvlei Estate has been owned and run by the Momberg family since 1919. The estate covers 160 ha of which 130 are all under Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay vines.

As you enter the gates of Middlevlei, you slowly drive towards the old farmhouse on a long drive way. Driving down one can’t help but to soak in the stunning farm views of rolling green lawns, sun-kissed farm dams reflecting the bluest of blue sky, the occasional cattle scattered here and there munching on the sweet grass, and the famous Stellenbosch mountains… just peeking from behind the Devon Valley and Bottelary Hills.

Now just picture yourself with your closest braai buddies or family members, totally relaxing with a bottle of your favourite Middelvlei wine, sharing stories and laughing, all around a large table outside under an old farmhouse wrap around stoep.

The kids are running around and playing on the soft green lawn or admiring the many farm animals. Then every now and then you get that braaivleis aroma of meat sizzling on the fire making your mouth water. (Honestly that aroma needs to be illegal if you are not braaing 藍) You could not get more of a lazy Sunday afternoon than this.

The Middelvlei Boerebraai Menu

The middelvlei boerebraai menu is rustic and very traditional. Your food is served in those yellow enamel dishes. We not going fancy here, we are going for nostalgia.

The Boerebraai menu consists of three options:

A Low Carb Option:

For those who don’t want potatoes or freshly baked potbread. You are given Crunchy seed crackers served with smoked snoek pâté as a starter.

The mains consists of a Lamb chop, Boerewors, a lemon and herb chicken sosatie (kebab), pesto, tomato and cheese pumpkinseed rounds, marinated mushroom and sweet pepper sosatie (kebab) and a green salad.

Ending the meal with a Boeretroos (Moer Coffee brewed on the fire)

A Vegetarian Option:

For non meat eaters, don’t worry the Middelvlei BoereBraai has a delicious option for you as well. For starters you are served Freshly baked Potbrood with olive tapenade and homemade preserve.

The mains you have a Braaibroodjie (An open fire toasted cheese, tomato and onion sandwich), marinated mushroom and sweet pepper sosatie (kebab), grilled feta with roasted tomato and basil
pesto, pampoenkoekies (pumpkin fritters but more of a pumpkin donut coated in cinnamon sugar) and a green salad.

Then the Meat Option: The Middelvlei Boerebraai

This was our option… Obviously, as hubby comes from the Free State where chicken is viewed as a vegetable.

For a starter you have you enjoy a lovely freshly baked potbrood. It is still warm that the fresh farm butter melts and seeps into the bread. You have lovely snoek pâté (fresh snoek not smoked) or homemade apricot jam to enjoy along with your bread.

The mains consists of Lamb tjopie (Lamb Chop)!I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a braaied tjopie.

The taste of a lamb chop on the fire brought back a happy feeling of nostalgia. Way… way back in the good old days of being a kid and having big family gatherings at my grandparents place – the cousins playing outside in the yard along with the entire neighbours kids, chasing each other where some unlucky kid was a “shark” and we all have to “swim” (run) to safety which was our fig tree pirate ship! (Sighs and looks far… far… in the distance)

Boerewors, which I honestly swear is from Joey’s. One of the best wors you can find in the Cape. Which totally makes sense that Middelvlei uses only the best quality ingredients!

Sweet, sticky and succulent – honey mustard chicken sosatie (Kebab). Let’s just say there is nothing dry about this sosatie. You also get a Braaibroodjie.

Pampoenkoekies (which I had to force myself to share very nicely with hubby) These fritters are light and fluffy. They are made like a doughnut but with pumpkin as the key ingredient. Deep fried and coated in cinnamon sugar.

Then obviously what is a braai without a tangy Potato salad? You guess it! Then to make the meal “healthy” a green salad, or what my hubby calls – “Groengoed” (Green stuff)

Last but not least to round the entire meal together a lekker freshly brewed cup of boeretroos served in an enamel cup.

Fun Fact: “Moerkoffie is an Afrikaans word for coffee made from ground coffee in a simple enamel or aluminium coffee pot on a stove or even better, over an open fire. The word ‘moer’ comes from the Dutch noun moer, which means “a layer of sediment” and refers to the coffee granules that you’re likely to find at the bottom of your cup.”

~ FinGlobal

Middelvlei Wines

Obviously there is wine – I mean we are at a wine farm after all. My ultimate option was to have the Middelvlei Cinsaut Rose! Just think a beautiful dry rose wine with delicate summer berries and watermelon. Soft acidity, deliciously fruity and a long lingering finish. How my heart was shattered when I heard they were out of stock. 

Next best option? The Middelvlei Unoaked Chardonnay 2019!

This unoaked Chardonnay is the perfect full-bodied white wine to enjoy on an Lazy Sunday Autumn Afternoon. The Middelvlei unoaked Chardonnay, is perfectly balanced, with hints of minerality and a well-integrated acidity.

  As the wine opens up an abundance of typical citrus and peach fruit flavours, with hints of spice come to the fore. The refreshing mouthfeel holds the promise of a lingering aftertaste, resulting in a crisp wine with an appealing freshness.

Ready to drink now, but will reach its optimal peak if left in ideal cellaring conditions for the next three to four years.

You can actually read my full review of this chardonnay here!

Middelvlei Boerebraai Experience: Rounding up the Review

The Middelvlie Boerebraai experience is all about tradition and nostalgia, getting family and friends together around a table sharing, stories and making new ones. Great food, fantastic wine, wonderful staff and a relaxed atmosphere.

So go on give that special cook in your life the afternoon off and bring them to Middelvlei Wine Estate and enjoy a Boerebraai Experience together.

What more could you ask for a Lazy Sunday Afternoon? Book Now!