I have a confession to make – I am a closet pie addict. I adore pies, especially good ones. That may sound stupid, like duh, of course you like good ones. But pie addicts like me will also eat bad ones in the hope that they might be good. But no fear when Nanaga is near, as their pies are awesome!

My lovely Aunty Ann recommended that we stop at this farmstall on our way to Port Elizabeth to try these famous pies. Truthfully speaking, I would have driven an extra couple of hundred kilometres just to have their pies, they’re that good. If your biggest complaint is that they have TOO MUCH meat in them, you know you can’t go wrong.

I read an article about their rise (see the pun? Come on, get with the programme here! Dough rising…yes, thank you!) and it’s a lovely story. The farmstall was started by Lynn Lake 45 years ago when she would sit at the side of the road and sell cabbages. Originally a city girl, she had the “misfortune” of falling in love with a farmer so instead of going to study in America, they moved to the family farm which didn’t even have electricity. Lynn had the 70’s typical beehive hairdo and used to dry her hair in the wood fired Aga oven! Now that’s what I call style!

The business has grown tremendously over the last 45 years and they have gone from a small farm stand to a major farmstall come restaurant, gift shop, kiddies play area, etc. It’s a lovely place to stop and enjoy a meal or a takeaway. There was a big selection of things to eat, but I was only interested in the Pies.

I personally would have eaten one of each kind that they had, and there were at least 20 different ones, but The Husband was not amused by the idea. Spoil sport. So I chose the most exotic one I could see, Wild Boar Pie. There was also Lamb and mint, Pepper Steak, Chicken, Venison, Cornish, Savoury, Spinach & Feta, Cheese & Bacon, Lamb Curry, Sausage Roll, Bobotie and possibly others, but I have never seen a Wild Boar Pie before.

The pie was chocka blocka full of meat. For anyone who has ever eaten a pie before, you will know that most pies have about 30% meat at best and the rest is sauce and vegetables. I must admit that I would have liked a dash more sauce in my pie (I am also a closet gravy addict…), but that’s a really personal issue. Their motto is not to have people disappointed by the lack of meat in their pies, so ZERO disappointment here.

The Farmstall is a beautiful place with some lovely features, like this lamp made with Mason jars! They also have GREAT biltong – that’s beef jerky for my American friends. It was an excellent quality and I can recommend it as much as the pies. They are also renowned for their Roosterkoek (griddle cakes) which I didn’t try, but just maybe, I’ll post a recipe for you if you’re very nice and then you can try for yourselves!

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and I can really recommend you stopping by Nanaga Farmstall. I’ll be jealous, but if you’re happy, then I’m happy, sigh. And hungry…
Nanaga Farmstall
50km outside Port Elizabeth on the N2.
Tel: 041 468 0353
Nanaga.co.za