Five o’clock on a Saturday afternoon in February in Riebeek Kasteel in the Swartland is not normally a pretty sight. The streets are ominously quiet, the shop doors tightly shut, and the heat beyond sweltering.

But this past Saturday I barely noticed; I was surrounded by love, laughter, great food and wine at the wedding of my friends Riana and Jaco.

Their jolly reception was at Bar Bar Black Sheep, a quirky eatery in the centre of town that offers upmarket country cooking with loads of flavour. Owner and chef Mynhardt Joubert is a magician with fresh herbs, and very innovative with his presentation.

When we arrived from the church – parched and perspiring – we were met with buckets of icy facecloths, ice-cold drinks and a small food market. Yes, a food market! How clever. Instead of trying to flag down canapé-bearing waiters in a busy crowd, we could march up to any of a number of stands handing out a variety of snacks and drinks. There were deep-fried courgette flowers; flat bread with slow-roasted brinjal and thyme; crayfish tails; bubbly and beer; and a selection of charcuterie decorated with caperberries.

My favourite was the enormous dish – more like a bath – filled to the brim with almost equally enormous oysters on ice. They were served with a delicious dressing that Mynhardt divulged to me consisted of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, basil, coriander and soft brown sugar. Absolutely delectable. I bet the dressing will be delicious with anything fishy.

As with all food markets, we found ourselves milling around the stalls for ages, chatting, snacking, sipping and catching up with long-lost friends. When we finally sat down and the rest of the proceedings kicked off, we were not sorry. The gorgeous food continued.

The main course was understated but delicious: perfectly cooked lamb skewers alongside tomatoey curry chicken and potato, and a crisp green salad. Dessert was another highlight (with a trick worth remembering): cheesecake with a berry coulis, served in a marmalade glass jar with a lid! The lid even had a lappie and a ribbon on it, just like you would find at a market. Here’s hoping that Riana and Jaco’s life together will be one long, jolly market-like celebration!

Anelde

P.S. While I’m on markets, don’t forget to diarise 24 March, when we’ll reveal the winners of the 2012 Eat In DStv Food Network Produce Awards at our second annual food market, held in conjunction with the Stellenbosch Slowmarket.