Stepping into Veld at Spier feels like returning to somewhere familiar, writes KARLA DE BOD. The large, greenery-filled baskets hanging from the ceiling are reminiscent of a family garden, the contemporary art on the walls recalls your favourite gallery, the soulful food hints at your mother’s cooking. At Veld, you’re invited to come home.
Veld at Spier Wine Farm brings the farm’s regenerative philosophy to the table, preserving heritage while embracing a more sustainable way of eating in an intimate space. Yet although intimate dining often suggests closely set tables and an enclosed setting, Veld reimagines the idea entirely.
The restaurant opens out into an airy room layered with natural textures – rattan chairs, wooden tables and handcrafted baskets – softened by deep orange and fresh green banquettes. Together, these elements create a space that echoes the restaurant’s name and concept: an indoor veld during the warmth of sunset.
Before arriving at the restaurant, guests may have walked through Spier’s food garden, crossed the bridge to the Wilds, explored the regenerative farm or spent an afternoon in the spa. At Veld, all of these spaces connect on a plate, says Annebelle Schreuders, the managing director of Spier Wine Farm Hospitality.
“Veld’s menu reads like a love letter to South African terroir, generous and full of integrity, with a depth of flavour that comes from seasonal goodness, deftly cooked,” says Annebelle. “It is also the natural home for our time-crafted wines. Dining at Veld is always connected to the ritual of a well-chosen glass, and there is no better place on the farm to experience what our winemakers have built over decades.”
Using the seasons as a guide to tell a story of heritage and flavour through each dish, an evening at Veld is characterised by the restaurant’s caring and unrushed rhythm. It invites you to slow down, to taste properly and to sit a little longer than you intended. In winter, seasonality naturally brings a sense of comfort to the menu.
“As chefs, our role is to enhance what nature provides. Respect and appreciation for the ingredient should always lead us when conceptualising a dish,” says Veld’s chef Craig Paterson. “We do not want to overcomplicate or transform an ingredient into something unrecognisable. That is where both simplicity and refinement come from.”
Spier’s regenerative farming philosophy inspires Veld’s rooted approach to creating dishes from ingredients grown in the estate’s gardens, raised on its pastures and sourced from local farmers with a mutual love for nutrient-rich produce. Every element on every dish brings guests closer to the farm.
Spier’s food garden was started by the farm’s resident agro-ecologist in a repurposed horse paddock. Everything produced by farmer Angus McIntosh – who started farming at Spier in 2008 using biodynamic farming principles – is free of antibiotics, hormones and pesticides.
“What I have learnt from regenerative farming at Spier is the importance of caring for the soil and our surroundings, not just taking from the land but giving back to it. The ingredients we grow carry that care with them,” says Craig. “On the plate, that translates into a lighter touch. We do not overwork the food; we honour it.”
No matter their order, guests don’t have to wonder what is on their plate. Each dish is real food made from real ingredients, and it’s not trying to be something it is not – this is farm-to-table dining. Perfectly cooked and thickly sliced, Veld’s recommended springbok loin is beautifully charred to contrast with the vibrant bed of carrot purée. Alongside orange hues of rainbow carrots and citrus jus, the dish is presented as sunset on a plate. To elevate it even further, Veld’s triple-cooked hand-cut chips with parmesan and truffle oil are the perfect in-between, salty bite.
For those who prefer a meal from the garden, Veld offers a Kashmiri masala cauliflower steak. The charred vegetable is celebrated in its whole form on top of a generous bed of hummus. Decorated with toasted almonds, curry leaves and coriander yoghurt, the dish is Veld’s reminder that comfort can be found in simplicity.
At Veld, guests are brought closer to the farmers, the chefs, the winemakers and the land that produced what is on their plate, says Annebelle. This defines luxury at Spier – heart, soul and a genuine connection to place.
“Luxury at Spier feels like a well-loved home. In winter, Veld distils that beautifully,” says Annebelle. “The kitchen cooks what the farm and its trusted producers offer at that moment. And the wines tell their own story. For us, that is the truest form of luxury: a meal and a wine, connected to this farm, these people, in this season,” she says.
Each dish comes with a recommendation of a thoughtfully chosen wine. Pairing Spier Creative Block 5 with grilled Karoo lamb cutlets, or Spier Seaward Chardonnay with roasted squash arancini, enhances the taste and experience, drawing out nuances in both the dish and the glass.
“Our cellar master, Johan Jordaan, recently took top honours again as Chenin Blanc Master Winemaker at the prestigious Master Winemaker 100 awards in Paris for Spier’s 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2023, and there is no better place to raise a glass to that than at Veld, on the farm where that wine was made,” says Annebelle.
For Craig, a meal at Veld becomes more than just nourishment. It’s about connection, sharing and restoring both body and spirit. If winter at Veld had to be experienced in one dish, it would be something soulful, honest, uncomplicated and comforting, he says. “When guests join us at Spier and at Veld, there is a sense of calm, of coming home. That is exactly what we aim to reflect in the food.”
As the restaurant evolves, Veld will continue to follow the farm. And as Spier’s regenerative practices deepen, the farming expands and the land continues to recover and diversify, the kitchen will have a broader palette of ingredients and inspiration to draw from.
“Veld’s style is simple and generous,” says Annebelle. “Its ambition is not to become something grander, but to become more full of what it already is: a restaurant that is, in every sense, of this place.”