De Oude Kraal, Bloemfontein

If listening to Angus Buchan makes visions of potatoes swim before your eyes, head to De Oude Kraal for real farm fare, writes Mart-Marié du Toit

Farmer-evangelist Angus Buchan is expecting one million people to come together in prayer in Bloemfontein on Saturday. Volunteers from across South Africa have helped to make this a reality, but is the city ready? There are many doubts as to whether the municipal services will be able to handle a million extra people. Every hotel, bed and breakfast and guesthouse is fully booked and the people of Bloemfontein have opened their homes and farms for those still in need of accommodation.

If you are headed to Bloemfontein, you should book yourself a table at De Oude Kraal Country Estate and Spa. It is about 35km from Bloemfontein, just far enough to leave the hustle and bustle of the multitudes behind.

De Oude Kraal is on a 2 000ha sheep farm. The original property, Wilhelmshöhe, was part of a farm called Bruidegomspruit, which belonged to the Griqua tribe. A missionary, Friedrich Wilhelm Salzmann, bought Bruidegomspruit and divided it between his sons, Carel and Martin. The original house was built in 1885 by Martin Salzmann. The farm has been passed from mother to daughter: Salzmann to Smit to Bührmann to Lombard.

Gerhard and Anne-Marie Lombard decided to convert the house, and people from all over the country flock to her guesthouse and restaurant. The menu changes daily and they focus on fresh produce that they can get from local farmers.

We were lucky enough to have a selection of venison on our five-course menu which included pork belly with dill mash as an amuse-bouche; butternut soup with mussels; and a starter of blesbok loin carpaccio with pomegranates, blue cheese tart, guacamole and feta mousse.

The main course was a combination of springbok loin wrapped in caul fat and chicken breast with a herbed cream sauce. The dish is complemented by farmstyle vegetables served from large dishes that look like they belonged to your gran.

The dessert, consisting of lime jelly, lemon tart and lemon ice cream with Italian and Swiss meringues, was the perfect mix of sweet and sour and textures that pop.

De Oude Kraal recently opened its Feast restaurant where you can eat à la carte from Wednesday to Saturday, with a buffet lunch on Sundays.

One of the Lombard’s daughters, MarieLouise, is a qualified attorney and started the restaurant last year with the focus on gourmet country food. Most of her dishes are inspired by the farm’s main purpose: sheep farming. The gourmet lamb burgers with parmesan, coriander and stuffed mozzarella patties will have you going back every week. Her culinary skills come straight from her mother, Anne-Marie, and her knowledge of food and wine is extensive. If you are so inclined, you will be able to nourish your soul with prayer before or after nourishing your body with farm-to-table fare at De Oude Kraal.