Our weekly Saturday morning highlight is the Hazel Food Market, Pretoria which takes place at the Greenlyn Village Centre in Menlyn.  And luckily for us, it is very close to where we’re living whilst here:  about 20 minutes on foot or 5 minutes by car.

It isn’t a very big site, but all the stalls are arranged around a central seating area under the trees.  As you can see from this picture, space is at a premium and if you can find a spot, you need to grab hold of it!  The Hazel Food Market is very popular, and gaining popularity each week, especially since it made it into the national media.

One of the things I really love, is that you end up sharing tables with strangers, so it can end up quite a social affair.  Sharing tables is not something that South Africans generally do.  It’s uncommon for someone to ask to share you table at an outdoor seating area, so it makes for an interesting change.

The stalls are inviting and varied.  From traditional South African food, to exotic imports from Mozambique, Morocco, Greece, China and more.

One of my favourite South African treats remains ‘pannekoek’ (pancake) .  I know that what we call pancakes, are not what the British or Americans call pancake … but the South African version is similar to a French crêpe, generally served with cinnamon sugar.  They are commonly found at the annual church bazaar (fete), and the Afrikaans ladies remain masters of the pannekoek!

One of these will set you back R5.00 (about 35p).  And be warned: they are incredibly more-ish!  I could easily gorge on these … so I generally allow myself to only buy one at a time!

I love Dim Sum, so I was pleased to find a stall with the following menu: