Country Lunches - Wickedfood Earth

These aren’t just any lunches – they are a celebration of sustainable farming and ethical eating.

Twice a month, on a Sunday, Wickedfood Earth Farm opens its processing and teaching kitchen, offering two very different lunchtime dining experiences. Continuing on our sustainable quest our pledge is that 80% of the ingredients for each Sunday banquet will be made up of produce either grown organically on the Wickedfood Earth Farm, or on one of the local surrounding farms within a 20km radius of the farm. In addition, patrons are able to pre-order and purchase fresh frozen pork, a selection of charcuterie, and preserves, to take home with them after the lunch. The two lunches each month are themed as follows:

3-course Roast Pork Banquet – To ensure that our Pig breeding programme continues to be sustainable, each month Wickedfood Earth farm hosts a unique 3-course pork banquet lunch. The highlight of the meal is roasted pork, either a whole pig or a selection of cuts, together with a starter charcuterie platter of farm cured meats, preserves, farm baked bread, and a dessert.

Background – Over the last few years, Wickedfood Earth Farm has been cross-breeding indigenous Kolbroek pigs with Duroc and European Boar in an effort to breed the perfect free-range pig for South African conditions. Our pigs are totally free-range, receiving no growth stimulants or antibiotics. They take more than 3 times as long to reach slaughter weight compared to intensively-farmed animals. Not only do they have a much better quality of life, but we get a superior meat quality when slaughtered. Now for the first time we have enough cross-breeds to be able to serve the meat from this very unique free-range South African pig to a select public. More…..

Themed Lunches – We take our inspiration from Foods-of-the-World and re-interpret the dishes, showcasing local ingredients. Meals are a shared event at our long table, seating a maximum of 12 people, or at individual tables for groups of 4 to 8.

We usually publish the programme for a 2-month cycle at a time. As we are not licensed you are welcome to bring your own drinks and ice (we supply glasses and jugs of water on the table).

“….We had an awesome meal, a delicious lunch and amazing company …. thank you so much. Looking forward to many more…” – Angie.

“….. thank you Mike and Cilla for a most delicious lunch and a great arvie. Such great food and very generous …..” – Michael.

” ……Thank you Mike & Cilla for the most wonderful lunch. A fabulous and memorable feast with delicious food, brilliant hosts and awesome company. Can’t think of any more superlatives…..” – Janine.

To book Contact Cilla on 076 236-2345 or cilla@wickedfood.co.za

Planned events for 2024/25:

Comment from one of our previous lunches:

“…. What a feast, such fabulous REAL food is a rare treat! I admire and respect your ethics about sustainability, care for the environment, and most of all the kindness and true respect for your animals.Quite simply, one tastes the respect and happiness!! Thank you – a memorable feast. The pork was sublime…..” – Bev.

A True Farm-to-Table Feast at Wickedfood Earth Farm

15 December – @12:00 – Sunday Lunch – 3-course Pork Spit-roast (R295pp).- our annual end of year celebration enjoying the abundance of summer with friends old and new. This isn’t just a meal; it’s a celebration of sustainable farming, ethical eating, and the hard work that goes into raising exceptional, free-range pork.

The highlight – our slow-cooked pork, roasted whole over coals for hours to achieve a perfect, melt-in-your-mouth texture, and crispy skin.

And as always, we’ll start with a charcuterie platter featuring our farm-cured meats, homemade preserves, and freshly baked bread.

To end a refreshing dessert, featuring our seasonal Fruit.

We’re proud to share meat from our unique cross-bred pigs

And an opportunity to pick up last minute hand-crafted gifts from Wickedfood Earth. More….

To ensure that our Pig breeding programme continues to be sustainable, each month Wickedfood Earth farm hosts a unique 3-course pork banquet lunch. The highlight of the meal is roasted pork, either a whole pig or a selection of cuts, together with a starter charcuterie platter of farm cured meats, preserves, farm baked bread, and a dessert. Over the last few years, Wickedfood Earth Farm has been cross-breeding indigenous Kolbroek pigs with Duroc and European Boar in an effort to breed the perfect free-range pig for South African conditions. Our pigs are totally free-range, receiving no growth stimulants or antibiotics. They take more than 3 times as long to reach slaughter weight compared to intensively-farmed animals. Not only do they have a much better quality of life, but we get a superior meat quality when slaughtered. Now for the first time we have enough cross-breeds to be able to serve the meat from this very unique free-range South African pig to a select public. More…

A celebration of Summers bounty

12 January 2025 – @12:00 – Sunday Lunch – 3-course Roast Pork Banquet (R295pp). The highlight of this lunch is roasted whole pig, together with a starter charcuterie platter of farm cured meats, preserves, farm baked bread and seasonal vegetables, and fruit based pudding.

2 February 2025 – @12:00 – Sunday Lunch – Mexican Tacos – tortillas, salsas and toppings (R350pp) – Mexican cuisine is one of the 5 truly distinctive world cuisines. Corn has always been central to the cuisine with the tortilla as its centre piece – the bread, plate and spoon, all wrapped into one. The assembly of a tacos, a filled tortilla, has become an art-form in itself, just like sushi. At Wickedfood Earth Farm we are fascinated by all ingredients Mexican and have been growing, using and processing the unique fruits and vegetables for over ten years. For this lunch we’ll introduce you to these ingredients, make up a selection of different tortillas, as well as prepare a selection of salsas, cooked vegetables and morsels of melt-in-the-mouth slow -cooked meats. We prepare some classic tacos topping combinations.

16 February 2025 – @12:00 – Sunday Lunch – The Chinese pig (R350pp) – For the next few months, every second month, for our pork lunches, we’ll take inspiration by interoperating classic pork dishes from around the world and applying these cooking techniques and recipes to our delicious free-range pork. In mid November we kicked off with The Italian Pig, see below. Roast baby pig is a renowned traditional Chinese delicacy. During the Qing Dynasty it was one of the dishes frequently featured in banquets at the palace. Today it still appears at grand banquets in China. The traditional way to serve it is first to slice off the crispy skin, together with some of the meat and serve together with plum sauce, spring onion and cucumber wrapped in thin pancakes. Next the remaining meat is cut up and served as a second course in a stir-fry, often including noodles. Lastly the bones are simmered into a broth with ginger and herbs, served at the end of the meal as a sort of soothing cleanser to the rich meal.

To book:

Contact Cilla on 076 236-2345 or cilla@wickedfood.co.za – We are not licensed so you are welcome to bring your own drinks, glasses supplied.

Up-front booking essential, no booking confirmed without payment in full, no refunds, no children under 12 (terms and conditions apply). For your own protection, access to the property is only granted those people with bookings.

Past events

December – @12:00 – Sunday Lunch – Another Bite of Thailand (R350pp) – Thai food has taken the world by storm, with its hot, sweet, sour, salty flavours. The Wickedfood Earth team has spent collectively over two years in South East Asia, visiting the major cooking schools throughout Thailand, as well as spending numerous hours with street food vendors, learning the secrets of this intriguing cuisine. Following on our very successful Thai inspired Street Food lunch earlier in the year, this time round we shared some more of our favourites – vegetable fritters, deep-fried spring rolls and satays with a fiery, spicy dipping sauce, tingling curries and meaty soups, rice or noodles, salad, and to finish, a fruity coconut dessert, an ideal cooling pudding after a fiery curries. More….

November – @12:00 – Sunday Lunch – The Italian Pig (R350pp) – For the next few months, for our pork lunches, we’ll take inspiration by interoperating classic pork dishes from around the world and applying these cooking techniques and recipes to our delicious free-range pork. In mid November we kicked off with a 3-course banquet built around a Classic Italian inspired menu showcasing our free-range pork. To us at Wickedfood, the best cooking in Italy is to be found at home. We reinterpreted some of these classic Italian country cooking recipes for this special Sunday lunch, with a menu along the following lines:

Antipasti – a play bold upon the eye and set the gastronomic juices in motion, usually consists of Italian pork products – prosciutto, mortadella, coppa or salamis, and colourful seasonal vegetable dishes.

Main course – we’ll present two very different dishes:

Braised pork chops in a Nduja, tomato and cream bassed sauce served with polenta; and
Zampone – stuffed pork leg, slow cooked to melting tenderness.

Dessert – one of the classics, semifredo.

November – @12:00 – Sunday Lunch – Unique flavours of North Africa. Our unique interpretation of some of North Africa’s timeless dishes, made using our very own Pedi sheep mutton. For this 4-course Sunday lunch banquet at Wickedfood Earth Farm we took a culinary journey through Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, where rich Berber and Arabic traditions meet.
Starter was a delicious spread of mezza dips and breads, followed by hearty, spicy, flavourful soup perfect for cool desert nights. Our main course featured slow-cooked mutton and vegetable tagines, paired with spicy couscous – North Africa’s most iconic dish. We finished with indulgent sweet pasty and fruit sorbet.

October – Sunday Lunch – 3-course Pork Banquet (R350pp). This was a very special lunch introducing European Wild Boar. At Wickedfood Earth Farm we breed a number of different pigs species. For the first time we were able to taste this unique pig with its lean dark red flesh. For the lunch main course we created mixed roast platters of different cuts cooked in a variety of ways. And as always we served a starter charcuterie platter of farm cured meats, mezze, preserves, farm baked bread, and dessert, a medley of fruit sorbets.

Venison tasting Banquet (R390pp) – In celebration of the end of the hunting season. For this lunch the Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School team pays respect to all the animals hunted over the winter, by showcasing what can be done with various cuts (please note as we are cooking seasonally certain of the side dishes may change depending on availability):

First course – Venison charcuterie platter – a selection of cured venison cuts, from dry aged buffalo brisolo and Kudu loin, to kudu pastrami, liver pâté and salami, served with farm made dips and freshly baked farmhouse bread.

Main course – Roasted meat platter, including Roast kudu leg and venison pie, all served with mealie bread and seasonal vegetables.

Dessert – fruit tart and farm-made fruit sorbet.

4-course Beef tasting Banquet (R390pp) – For this lunch the Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School team pays respect to our cattle’s life by showcasing what can be done with all cuts of beef through very different beef preparation, cooking and presentation techniques.

First course – Beef charcuterie platter – a selection of cuts from cured top-round and sirloin, to pastrami sliders, and beef liver pâté, served with farm made dips and freshly baked farmhouse bread.

Second course – 5^th quarter tasting platter surprise – slow braised beef cheeks, stuffed heart, tripe, steak and kidney pie, and pressed tongue.

Main course – Slow smoked/roasted meat platter, including Beef rib slow smoked, finished on the braai, with our farm made peach BBQ glaze; Steak taste test – free-range v feedlot sirloin; all served with roast potato and seasonal vegetables.

Dessert – Fruit tart and farm-made fruit sorbet.

A taste of Vietnam, (R390pp) August 2024 – Vietnam has one of the richest and most varied cuisines in the world. Being on the crossroads between China in the north and South East Asia to the west, it has a diversity of flavours, influenced by both regions. The food, like most of South East Asia is a balance of salt, sweet, sour, bitter and hot. Bowls of soup are the fast food of Vietnam, whole meals, noodle based, often with shavings of meat and a handful of fresh herbs. Braised meats are also very popular, especially in the colder months, with rice or noodles served with every meal. Our head chef, Mike, has spent over 2 months in Vietnam, cooking with some of the countries’ most innovative chefs as well as street vendors, and spending time at the top cooking schools in the region. For this 4-course banquet the menu we included:

A selection of street food snacks;
Pho bo, a hearty bowl of beef noodle soup, the national dish;
Slow braised caramel pork with pineapple, savoury rice, and vegetables;
A throw back from colonial days, coconut crème caramel, with an Asian twist.

3-course Roast Pork Banquet, July 2024 – The highlight of this monthly lunch was roasted Porchetta (classic Italian dish of rolled pork belly, stuffed with a herby, fruit and nut stuffing), together with a starter, charcuterie platter of farm cured meats, mezze, preserves, farm baked bread, and dessert. More…

A taste of India – winter is a time for hearty stews, and what better than a nice spicy curry? For this special Sunday Lunch we explored the complex intricacies of true Indian curries.

We’ll started off with a selection of little street food morsels and a spicy vegetarian soup.
The hero of the day was 3 different regional meat curries, with all meat sauced from Wickedfood Earth Farm:

- An authentic mutton biryani;
- Sri Lankan red beef and coconut curry; and
- Goan Pork Vindaloo with Tamarind.
In addition we served 3 vegetable curries, as well as sides and Indian inspired bread.
And to finish Indian sweetmeats.

3-course Roast Pork Banquet, June 2024 – The highlight of this lunch was roasted whole pig, together with a starter charcuterie platter of farm cured meats, preserves, farm baked bread, and Baked buttermilk pudding with fruit, and plum base coulis.

A taste of France, June 2024 – French cuisine is one of the 5 classic cuisines of the world, and has carved a niche, with its fundamentals of presentation, quality ingredients and sauces. Since the renaissance, France has been in the forefront of European food trends. As tastes became more refined, quantities characteristic of medieval banquets were succeeded by a sense of elegance. True French cuisine takes the diner directly from the countryside to the table, an ethos we work to at Wickedfood Earth Farm. A typical French meal consists of a first course, main dish and dessert. A salad is often slipped in between the main course and dessert while, for special occasions an additional hors’d’oeuvre dish will be included, consisting of quiches, pâtés, cold meats and farm-baked bread. For this very special lunch we built on these traditions serving up a classic French 4-course banquet built around winter ingredients with cassoulet being the star of the lunch.

A Lebanese Easter Feast (R450pp) – With Cilla being of Lebanese heritage, she shares some of the tastes and traditions she grew up with. This will be a true Middle Eastern Easter feast from:

a substantial selection of mezze – including labne, hummus, baba ganoush, mutton kibbi, fattoush, and spinach pies, all served with traditional farm baked pitta breads; to
traditional roast lamb with m’judra (Lebanese rice pilaf); and
baklava with farm-made ice-cream.

True BBQ (R395pp) – BBQ American style, is much more than grilling a few sausages and meat patties on a flat top, or even sizzling prime steaks over charcoals. It’s not even a mixed grill or Shisa Nyama. True barbecue is prime cuts of meat, smoked low and slow, infused with flavour and melt-in-the-mouth tenderness. It’s also about sauces, mops and marinades. At Wickedfood Earth we take the concept and apply it to our free-range veld-raised beef, pork and mutton, and locally grown chicken, helping us to release the true flavour of the various cuts. And with the platters of meat cuts, don’t forget the sides, the Wickedfood Earth twist on the classics for any BBQ/Braai – spicy baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, corn (mealies), farm baked breads, and a fruit crumble to end it all.

Thai Street Food Feast (R350pp) – Thai food has taken the world by storm, with its hot, sweet, sour, salty flavours. The Wickedfood Earth team has spent collectively over two years in South East Asia, visiting the major cooking schools throughout Thailand, as well as spending numerous hours with street food vendors, learning the secrets of this intriguing cuisine. For this Lunch we will cook some of our favourites, from vegetable fritters, deep-fried spring rolls and satays with a fiery, spicy dipping sauce, to a tingling pork curry, street noodles, and the king of all desserts, sticky rice.

Agri Country Lunches

(Click here for special events and scheduled monthly lunches – pre-booking essential, for your own protection access to the property is only granted to those people with paid-up pre-bookings.)

We now offer our popular gourmet country lunches 7 days a week (subject to a minimum booking of 8 people, booked at least 7 days’ prior to the event and subject to availability of the venue). Wickedfood Earth Farm prepares a mezze country lunch, using the very best local grown, seasonal produce. Our country lunches, cooked by the country cooking school team, are built around the naturally grown ingredients available from Wickedfood Earth Farm and surrounding small scale producers. The Wickedfood Earth Farm food gardens around the lunch area have been internationally recognized by Slow Food. A number of items offered on our lunch platters are also available for sale through our farm deli on the day that we hold events and country lunches on the farm. For certain items it is advisable to pre-order to avoid disappointment.

Wickedfood Earth Farm & Country Cooking School is proud to be a member of Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance, South Africa. The Alliance is an international network of chefs who are committed to promoting small-scale, locally produced “good, clean and fair” foods, safeguarding agricultural biodiversity at risk of extinction and giving visibility and the proper value to their supplying producers.

Our lunches are in the form of a selection of generous mezze dishes to share, all prepared with a strong emphases on our seasonal farm produce including:

Freshly baked farm bread, baked in the country cooking school’s kitchens;
award winning artisanal cured meats and farm-made soft cheeses made at the country cooking school;
farm-made pâtés, pies, and terrines;
homemade pickles all produced in the country cooking school kitchens;
freshly-made dips from organically grown vegetables and herbs (we even make our own tahini sauce) from the country cooking school’s internationally recognized food gardens;
imaginative salads of fruit and vegetables also from the country cooking school’s food gardens;
Farm-made seasonal dessert.

Cost:

Mezze country lunch, served from 12 to 2pm – From R450pp (see separate costings for special lunches), subject to availability and a minimum charge for 8 people;
Please note we are not licensed so you are welcome to bring your own drinks and ice. We supply jugs of chilled water on the tables.

Space for these special exclusive lunch events, at Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School, is limited to a maximum of 40, so book early to avoid disappointment. Guests will have a choice of sitting at our magnificent communal long table, or for parties of 4, 6, 8 or 10 at their own tables (or with enough lead-in time, you can book the venue for an exclusive event). For more information, or to book Contact Cilla on 076 236-2345 or cilla@wickedfood.co.za Up-front booking essential, no booking confirmed without payment in full, no refunds, no children under 12 (terms and conditions apply). For your own protection, access to the property is only granted those people with bookings.

In-depth food experiences

We also now have limited accommodation for up to 4 people, and are offering 1 and 2 day in-depth food experiences tailor-made to your food interests. More…

For more information, or to book Contact Cilla on 076 236-2345 or cilla@wickedfood.co.za Up-front booking essential, no booking confirmed without payment in full, no refunds, no children under 12 (terms and conditions apply). For your own protection, access to the property is only granted those people with bookings.

Wickedfood Earth Farm Country cooking School is pleased to announce that we have joined forces with Oryx Desert Salt as our official supplier of salt. We believe that this is a superior salt to most of the other salts available as it is totally natural – no additives, no anti-clumping agents, and no preservatives. It is unrefined and unprocessed. Dried by the hot African desert sun from an underground brine lake, it takes only 4 weeks for the salt to crystalise.

All activities held at Wickedfood Earth Farm are subject to our standard terms and conditions.

Agri Country Lunches

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