What’s on in June?
May 24th, 2026June has big dad energy, as we honour our beloved father figures – those who lead by example, guide and protect and, most of all, give so generously of their time, energy and hard-earned knowledge.
Fruit-bearing art
A fine example is Oom Anton Roux, master pomologist, arbour artist and, at a sprightly 86, our oldest team member. Over the years, Anton has poured thousands of hours into training fruit trees into patterned trellises and enchanting sculptural forms, all the while passing on his deep understanding of trees to generations of young gardeners.
These miniature trees, with boughs bent into hearts or woven into careful grids, still bear regular-sized fruit – proof that beauty and abundance can be coaxed from the same branch. For the first time ever, Oom Anton’s arbour art will be displayed in the Puff Adder walkway in June. Look out for his miniature fruit trees at the Farm Shop. What better gift for a tree lover than a living, fruit-bearing sculpture?
So many ways to care
What do you get the dad who doesn’t “need anything”? The supposedly hard-to-shop-for sort is, in truth, often the simplest to please: something excellent to drink, something delicious to eat or something satisfying to tinker with, right?
Of course, nothing beats time spent here on the farm – over Sunday lunch at one of our farm restaurants, in the cosy cheer of the Tasting Room or, for a spot of time travel, an old-fashioned farm feast at Soetmelksvlei.
For those raising the braai bar at home, choose an exceptional cut recommended by our meat master, Jaco Koegelenberg. The Chianina butcher steak offers remarkable tenderness and farm-reared flavour. Find it in our Farm Shop and online in Cape Town, Johannesburg and surrounds.
For the DIY whisky connoisseur
For the coffee lover, sweet tooth, garden guru, bookworm, wine geek or tool collector – from stand-alone items to bespoke or hand-picked hampers – there’s something delightful for every type of dad.
And then there’s the age-your-own whisky barrel. Limited to just 50 units, this handcrafted American oak barrel is fitted with a stainless steel tap and filled with 3 litres of double-distilled, single-grain spirit. Charred on the inside, it lends deep, warm notes of vanilla, caramel and soft spice. Enjoy after three to six months, then top up again and again. A gift with gravitas and heirloom potential. Only available online in Cape Town, Johannesburg and surrounds.
Garden gems and tunnel treasures
While the garden team is hard at work with pruning shears, revealing the structural beauty beneath, our lemon orchards are offering up an abundance of immunity-boosting, flavour-brightening fruit.
June can be a trying time for true tomato lovers. But not this year. All eyes are on our tunnels, where Elzé Bresler and her team have been cultivating – a first for us – several varieties of winter heirloom tomatoes. We’re expecting a riot of colour: purple, yellow, orange and green, though not red. Firm, juicy and full of flavour, these tomatoes mean you can now feast on our tried-and-tested heirloom cultivars all year round, thanks to our intrepid tunnel team. Available in the Farm Shop and online.
Happy horsey birthday!
Cascade, Soetmelksvlei’s Percheron colt, has turned one. Born on a dark and stormy night to his pristine white parents, Samson and Delila, Cascade arrived in a jet-black birth coat that is now slowly turning grey. His current salt-and-pepper look is typical of a Percheron of his age. Less typical, however, is his habit of nodding off mid-stride, mid-graze or, frankly, wherever sleep happens to find him.
This has caused no small amount of concern among staff and visitors unfamiliar with his generous napping schedule. Thankfully, Cascade is simply a growing boy with a gift for rest and a finely tuned understanding of farm life’s slower rhythms.
Spirited seasonal soirées
Slip into your cosiest winter finery and join us for the Babylonstoren Seasonal Harvest Dinner on 27 June – our quarterly celebration of the farm at its finest. Wonderful wines, delectable farm produce and impeccable service come together in a secret location on the farm for an evening that nourishes more than the appetite. This is Babylonstoren at its most intimate and most delicious.
Our autumn seasonal collaboration dinner with Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff in Johannesburg was a roaring success, and the winter dinner on 25 June sold out instantly. Don’t miss the spring collaboration dinner on 23 September – a celebration of our delicious honey.
Longer farm stays & more beach days
At Babylonstoren, time stretches beautifully. Stay four nights at our Farm Hotel and pay for three, with an extra day to meet the water buffalo, bake sourdough with master baker Peachy, unwind at the Garden Spa or settle into a fireside corner with nowhere else to be. Valid until the end of August.
For a shorter reset, stay two nights and enjoy either dinner at Babel Restaurant or a 30-minute spa treatment on us. Because two days on the farm can feel like a week away.
Our seaside sister estate, BLOU in Keurbooms, exclusively available to guests who have stayed at Babylonstoren or The Newt, also offers a complimentary fourth night. More time for whale-watching, dolphin-spotting and crisp, salt-bright days beside the bay.
Or experience both landscapes with our Berg to Beach package – a five-night escape for two, combining two nights at Babylonstoren with three nights at BLOU in Keurbooms. Begin with farm-style hospitality beneath the Cape Winelands mountains, then retreat to the rugged Garden Route coastline for sea air, stillness and deep rest. Seasonal rates apply.
Heading to Holland?
Take in the charms of polder life at Over-Amstel Boerderij, Babylonstoren’s sister estate on the Amstel River near Amsterdam. Lovingly restored with respect for nature, history and gastronomy, this working farm is home to cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, a productive garden, a cheesery and a farm-to-table restaurant. Arrive on foot, by bicycle or by boat, meet the animals, watch the cheesemaker at work and settle in for a beautiful meal shaped by the garden, the season and the goodness of the surrounding polder.
Workshops in June
“We look at the world once, in childhood.
The rest is memory.”
Louise Glück
Much as we appreciate the poet’s sentiment, new places and experiences can reopen our eyes – at any age – almost like a factory reset. Play like a child and you learn like one too, seeing the world again with fresh curiosity.
So, come out to play with us. Learn a new skill or hone an old love. Our carpentry workshops in June are ideal for a father-and-child duo keen to make their own milk stool together – a beautiful bonding experience, with a handsome stool to take home at the end.
Babylonstoren
2 June – Natural soapmaking with our olive and essential oils
3 June – The art of pressing and preserving olives
9 June – Break bread with our master baker
10 June – Winter gems: citrus in the garden
11 June – Pasta from scratch
17 June – Inside scoop: secrets to water buffalo mozzarella and gelato
23 June – Broaden your gardening horizons with indigenous trees
24 June – Compost 101: the art of cycling nutrients through your garden
25 June – Indoor gardening: bringing succulents into your home
30 June – Break bread with our master baker
Soetmelksvlei
4 June – Pickle and preserve the season’s abundance
5 June – Bake teatime treats with choux pastry and almonds
6 June – Cape food: make traditional bobotie with seasonal chutney
6 June – Blacksmithing: make your own braai fork
12 June – Make butter and bake buttermilk scones
13 June – Woodwork: make your own wooden milk stool
14 June – Woodwork: make your own wooden milk stool
18 June – Master meat: make boerewors and biltong
19 June – Bake with citrus and spice
21 June – Woodwork: make your own wooden milk stool
26 June – Celebrate with chocolate and cake: bake your own treats
27 June – Advanced leathercraft: make a leather handbag
30 June – Hands-on kids: bake and ice your own farm animal biscuits
