Background

In 2009 Mike and Cilla (his wife and business partner) decided that they wanted to fully understand the food chain, from the soil up, and moved onto a bare piece of land in the countryside in the Magalies Valley. Over the years, they developed Wickedfood Earth Farm, a community upliftment, self-sustainable lifestyle project subscribing to the ethos of “Responsible use of sustainable resources“.

The farm follows the permaculture principles and has extensive herb and vegetable gardens, a large fruit and berry orchard, and over the years has run a variety of livestock, including a small herd of Indigenous sheep, milk goats, a veld-raised drove of pigs, cattle, chickens, ducks and geese. All excess fruit and vegetables are processed into a range of preserves, jams and pickles, or dried, sold direct to visiters to the farm, or on-line.

The object of the setting up of Wickedfood Earth Farm, from the beginning, was to conduct ongoing research and share the knowledge gained with surrounding communities and small-scale food producers, through the media and workshops.

Since day one, Wickedfood Earth Farm has had a non-compromising approach to food sustainability. Accurate records have been kept of the process of building Wickedfood Earth Farm, including a photographic record. The main focus has been on sustainable farming, food production and processing. 

Food preservation

A large part of being sustainable is food preservation. In days gone by every farm had a large pantry where excess food was stored for the leaner months. Much of this preservation was in the form of bottled preserves, dried fruits and vegetables, and cured meats. And it didn’t stop there, everyone baked there own bread, made sweet treats and even made their own soaps.

From the outset of the Wickedfood Earth project, it was our mission to add value to everything produced on the farm. Extensive research has been done to understand many of these forgotten skills and Wickedfood Earth Farm now boasts an extensive range of preserves and cured meats.

Forgotten Skills workshops

During 2025 Wickedfood Earth Country Cooking School have planned a series of workshops to reintroduce you to these Forgotten Skills including:

Pork, Beef and venison curing and preserving or Charcuterie – 2 to 3 day workshops.

Wickedfood Earth Farm Country cooking School has become synonymous with free-range pork, veld-raised beef and mutton, and top quality charcuterie, including our range of sausage, coppa, pancetta, bacon and ham, as well as our own South African cured meats – droewors, boerewors and biltong. We pass on the skills learned over the last 15 years at these workshops.

All you need to know about Bread Baking

2-day workshop – We’ve been baking bread since 10 000BC. It’s been a staple in one form or another through time. Unfurtunatly, through industrilisation, we’ve moved away from the daily joys of bread baking, that yeasty, saltlness that wafts through the kitchen, draws your tastbuds as the bread comes out of the oven. In our Bread Baking Workshop we’ll restore your confidance. You’ll never buy bread again. We take the mystique out of baking bread and show you fool proof techniques for producing the perfect bread every time, from everyday country loves to celebration loves for special occasions:

  • Day 1 – basic bread dough and how to use and shape it into a variety of breads from the perfect pitta, ciabatta and chunky farmhouse loaves, to flavoured breads including savory focaccia, sweet Chelsea buns and Lebanese bread pies.
  • Day 2 – we work on more complicated breads from slow-rise sourdough to brioche, sweet hot-cross buns, Challah, health wholewheat and classic rye.

Preserves

1 to 2 day workshop – At Wickedfood Earth Farm we believe in the age-old art of preserving, locking all that summer goodness enjoy at a later date. There are a number of ways to do this, from locking the goodness up in a bottle, to curing in salt, fermenting and drying. For this workshop concentrate on bottling. Techniques covered in this workshop include:

  • General principles of preserving and preparing fruit for processing, including some secrets on easy pealing difficult fruit;
  • Working with sugar, vinegar, spices and herbs;
  • Bottling of whole fruit in syrup and alcohol;
  • Jam making;
  • Interesting fruit and vegetable combinations for chutneys, pickles and relishes;
  • How to make delicious fruit sauces, easy vinegars and syrups.

The art of Pasta and noodles

Series of 1 to 2 day workshops – When we think of Italian food, we think of pasta. Yet there’s so much more to the art of pasta making and the sauces that accompany them. In this series of workshops, we explore the skills of using different pasta shapes and of making a variety of pasta from scratch. We teach you how to use an electric pasta-making machine, how to roll pasta by hand, as well as using a pasta dough hand rolling machine, and the secrets of cooking different kinds of pasta. We also teach you how to flavour, fill and sauce different pasta shapes. From penne in a tomato, vodka, cream sauce to Pepper fettuccini, Cappellacci filled with sweet potatoes or pumpkin, Cheese and tomato filled cannelloni, and even how to make a sweet ravioli. Walk away with an in-depth knowledge of pasta making.

Soap making

1 Day Workshop – At Wickedfood Earth Farm when slaughtering we often sit with an excess of fat. It’s the perfect ingredient for making soap. Handmade soaps offer numerous benefits over commercially produced ones. They contain natural ingredients, are gentle on the skin, and can be customized to suit your preferences. By making your own soaps, you have control over the ingredients, ensuring that no harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrances are used. Handmade soaps also allow you to create unique blends, adding a personal touch to your bathing experience. In this workshop we’ll give you a solid grounding to make your own soaps as well as show you how to add unique properties.

What guests are saying on Tripadvisor

  • ” ……we learnt about loads of different flavours and techniques…..really worth it!! We absolutely loved our hosts, Mike and Cilla, they really went out of their way to make sure we had a great time…..” – Jesse;
  • “….awesome day with Mike and Cilla. Great variety of recipes and homegrown produce and really enjoyed getting the chance to taste everything…..” – Kerry;
  • “….Fantastic day, fantastic food, fantastic people. Mike and Cilla bring out the best of there homegrown produce and livestock….” – Jude;
  • “…. awesome weekend to just enjoy the quietness of the countryside, good food and good company! I learned a lot, our room was comfy and the garden so inspiring. Thank you for making us feel so welcome…..”
  • “….. Our Lebanese food experience over the weekend was unique and special … Mike and Cilla are great hosts and the farm is a lovely setting to rest and unwind..…” – Petronel.

For more information or to register on our mailing-list up date please email cilla@wickedfood.co.za