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I grew up with three brothers so it was inevitable that there would be a smidge of tom boy in me – when I was younger I would go on all sorts of adventures with my brothers and join them for games of cricket and baseball in the back yard, and for a while I wasn’t too interested in anything girly at all. But one day that all changed and I began to be more and more interested in all things cute and pretty; today I’m proud to say that although the tom boy in me still remains there’s a generous dash of girliness in there as well. And thank goodness for that dash because it allows me to appreciate things like Just Darling – today’s oh-so-girly find!
The little spot out in Walkerville has many personalities and offers adventurous types everything from fabulous eats and treats to shopping and I love them for it. Just Darling is a creative workshop and decor boutique, coffee shop and berry picking farm and trust me when I say it’s worth driving out there to experience even just one of their many personalities. The little eatery-come-creative workshop space can be found on a private berry farm in Walkerville and is the perfect place to spend the day munching on yummy treats with the family or enjoying a cup of tea with your girlfriends.
One of my favourite things about Just Darling is that it’s chockfull of cute – everything from the white wrought iron tables and chairs and vintage-inspired decor to the unique decor items for sale on their shelves just screams Pretty in Pink. Not knowing any of this before I went, I naturally decided to take my brother along to explore Just Darling with me – my rugby and beer loving brother. Luckily there was lots of cake so that kept him well satisfied the whole time.
We arrived at the farm on a scorching hot Saturday afternoon and were greeted by the incredibly friendly staff and shown to our table – a rather pretty oasis of shade under the trees just outside the shop. We decided to tuck into the high tea offering and I must say I was super impressed! Shortly after we sat down our waiter took our tea order and then popped back with my Cranberry and Apple tea and my brother’s Lemon Rooibos tea. The teas were extremely delicious and I was beyond delighted when they served it to us in old-fashioned Delft-style tea cups and tea pots. If you love tea then you will be glad to hear that they have an extensive range of teas available at R12 for regular teas and R15 for herbal teas. They also offer really delicious coffee from Bean There for those of you who prefer the heavy caffeine fix.
After a little while our waiter returned with a two-tiered tray of baked delights and then a few seconds later another waiter arrived with a second two-tiered tray of treats for us to enjoy! The trays were piled high with mini pies, mini quiches, scones with strawberries and cream, whole strawberries, cupcakes, macaroons, chocolate brownies and fresh raspberries. I’m not one to let anything delicious go to waste so I sampled a little bit of everything on offer and loved it all. But, special mention must go to the mini pies, the chocolate brownies and the scones which were simply delicious! The Just Darling high tea is also extremely well priced at R120 per person and can be booked for groups of four or more people. If you don’t know four people who want to go to high tea with you then you can also join them for their high tea days on the last Sunday of the month where you can enjoy it on your own or with just one other person.
Once we were full to the brim of cake and pies it was time for the second adventure of the day – raspberry picking! We were given two super cute aluminium buckets with red ribbons and escorted to the raspberry fields where we spent a good hour picking the most delicious raspberries. It was such fun and I was extra excited to hear that you only pay for what you put in your bucket, and that you are welcome to munch on berries in the fields as you go! The berry picking is priced at R100 per Kg (which is amazing as bigger retailers sell them for as much as R170 per Kg!) and there is an entrance fee of R30 for adults and R20 for children over three years old.
By Crystal Espin
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