In case you didn’t know; spring has sprung in Cape Town. The Western Cape is exponentially biodiverse in terms of native wildflowers – or “fynbos” as they are locally known – which translates to “fine bush” in Afrikaans.
On my recent trip to Cape Town, I went in search of some of the cities most unique activities that could be described as classically Cape Tonian – and so it didn’t take long for me to come across the magical world of . Operating out of a cute af plant nursery, Veld and Sea offer a host of workshops themed around the flora and fauna of the Western Cape. They host coastal forages, natural dying workshops, and more! But I stopped by specifically to attend one of their totally Instagramable spring flower workshops.
is a truly urethral place bursting with diddy intricate bottles, shells, curiosities, finicky little drawers filled with trinkets and of course lots (and lots) of flowers. It’s a moody Saturday morning in late September and we are a group of 10 gathered around a welcoming table filled with fresh fruits, crudités and the most luminescent bright yellow turmeric-laced hummus. All guests have brought a small bouquet to contribute in addition to the wealth of flowers onsite.
Moseying across the courtyard with our saucers of floral tea, we enter the enchanting glass house filled with candles, furry rugs and centre of place – a huge banqueting table. Atop of which are all number of florals, vines and cutting sheers laid out, waiting patiently for the day to begin. Firstly, we go about constructing our fresh flower crowns to wear throughout the day, paired with a hand-tied bouquet to take home. The electric group is a mixture of Cape Tonian locals and visitors to boot, and makes for an energetic environment as ladies rush around the table collecting the perfect flower to fit their creation.
Veld and Sea is the brainchild of whimsical wild woman Roushanna Gray, who runs the nursery and hosts the flower workshops as well as specific others, but also welcomes a range of knowledgable hosts to run their own niche with Veld and Sea. On that note I should add – you don’t have to be an eco-warrior to enjoy one of Veld and Sea’s classes – but (naturally, ahem) the workshops are geared towards sustainability, using natural elements and a strong focus on all thing botanical and fresh – so ideal for anyone keen to learn more about eco-cooking, foraging and sustainable living practises, moreso. Just leave your plastic straws at home!
Now, rather festively dressed in our flower crowns it’s time to start the main event – rustling up a beautiful lunch of super fresh edible flower-based delights – but not before a quick rundown in edible florals from Roushanna herself. Then on to the gardens! The nursery has two gardens of perfectly composed edible flowers; our guests split into small teams to select just the right arrangement to make each dish! Inside the dinky dark-wood kitchen, there’s organised chaos as stems crunch, pastry is pounded and salads tossed. Meanwhile, just outside at the quirky garden bar botanical syrups are mixed with gin, fruit and more edible flowers – washed down with the help of a delightful dandelion-stem straw!
Lunch is ready; and the Veld and Sea ladies set up the huge conservatory table with a veritable feast! Herby potato salad, Vietnamese rice rolls, fresh local bread with yummy herby butter alongside some truly show-stopping rainbow sushi! With our bouquets decorating the table, long ivory candles flickering and fairy lights aglow its an extremely magical experience to say the least. Floral scents linger and the table is engulfed with chatter as everyone tucks into lunch, followed by intricate floral sugar cookies for dessert.
The flower workshop is seasonal running in spring only and lasts around three hours. If you are staying in Cape Town long term the nursery is also a great place to pick up some plants for your place, as well as to try out a host of different workshops. Even though we were partly unlucky with a of rarely seen gloomy spring day in Cape Town, but even with this, the day was so colourful and fresh with extremely thoughtful touches from the V&S team that it felt warm and cosy inside and out.
Full Deets:
Location: Cape Point
Cost: 680 Rand / £36 / $45 / 40 Euro
Various workshops are available throughout the year – some are seasonal only – check out all the different workshops available from Veld & Sea on their . The nursery is based around one hour drive from Cape Town proper towards Cape Point, but easily accessible via Uber (around 400 Rand each way) and has plenty of space for parking if you are self-driving from the city. You can even take the extremely scenic Chapman’s Peak drive to make an extra special day of it. I chose to stay for the weekend in Muizenberg.- a cute little surfer town just 20 mins drive away. It is also a short drive to the Boulder’s Beach penguin colony which is a must-see for most Cape Town visitors.
**Thanks to Roushanna and the Veld & Sea team for having me, it was a magical day! Although I was hosted on this occasion all thoughts expressed are, of course, my own.**
