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April 24th, 2026
With autumn’s gentler pace and softening hues, the farm is the perfect place to celebrate mom this Mother’s Day. With options to suit her tastes – from a garden stroll and a farm-fresh scone at the Greenhouse Restaurant, to wine tasting and a scrumptious platter in the Tasting Room, an old-world farmhouse spread at Soetmelkvlei’s Old Stables Restaurant, or a refined feast at Babel.
The farm’s Gift Room is a haven of gifts any mother would love, from beautiful botanical lotions, balms, bath milks, bombs, soaps, scrubs and salts, to shower creamers and steamers, fragrant candles, diffusers and room sprays. Add to those lovely linens, vases, throws and cosy blankets – gifts that are a pleasure to give and receive. If the farm is too far away, we can deliver something special to her door, beautifully wrapped and accompanied by a handwritten note from our online team.
Our delicately hued rosé has set sail for the UK once again, where it will be poured as the official rosé of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the sixth consecutive year. But first, a turn through the verdant English countryside for its official launch at our sister estate, The Newt in Somerset.
To celebrate the inaugural Great Garden Show at The Newt in Somerset from 9–17 May, the 2026 vintage will launch on 14 May 2026. The occasion begins with a Garden Tour and canapés, followed by the first pour and lunch in the Cottage Garden. The 2026 vintage benefited from a dry growing season, which placed the vines under moderate stress and resulted in smaller berries with beautiful concentration.
“There is a growing appreciation for the seasonality and provenance of wine. We’re one of only two RHS Partner Gardens in South Africa and our Mourvèdre Rosé reflects a natural alignment between wine, gardens and outdoor living,” says cellar master Klaas Stoffberg. “It is a wine designed for long lunches, garden celebrations and relaxed summer gatherings, whether in the Cape Winelands, the English countryside or the heart of London.”
The Great Garden Show at The Newt in Somerset is a nine-day celebration of gardens in their spring glory, created for plant lovers, flower enthusiasts and horticultural hedonists alike. Set across the estate, the programme moves from lively festivities to thought-provoking talks, workshops and tours exploring The Story of Gardening.
We love the subtle scent of dewy guava leaves as much as the vitamin C-rich fruit – fresh, stewed, preserved or, if you have the knack, transformed into a jewel-toned clear jelly. Our heart-shaped custard apples are ripening beautifully too – pale green and knobbly on the outside, lush and custardy within. Early ripening citrus such as limes, Nules and grapefruits brings much-needed nutrients and zingy flavour as the season begin to turn, while aromatic immunity-boosting herbs and leafy greens ease us into soup and stew season. (We’re looking at you, kale!)
Also in May, a selection from our extensive succulent collection will be on display in the Puff Adder walkway. Ever seen a pineapple still attached to the plant? (Spoiler – it grows on neither tree nor bush.) Pop into the greenhouse at the Greenhouse Restaurant, where these slow growers take their sweet time to reach maturity.
Each quarter, guests gather at one long table in a hidden corner of the farm. These seasonal harvest feasts unfold in rare spaces seldom opened to guests – among the orchards, beneath the olive trees or inside our historic cellars. Each menu is shaped by the season and written by our gardens, orchards and pastures.
A celebration of earth, abundance and sensory immersion, this is Babylonstoren at its most intimate – and most delicious. Add sparkle to your winter plans and book early for our Winter Harvest Table on 27 June 2026.
The Story of Emily, our sister estate in St Ive, Cornwall, received a Civic Trust Award for Stonewood Design’s architectural work on several of its buildings.
“A beautifully executed fusion of restoration, landscape and contemporary architecture. It transforms a historic domestic setting into an experiential museum of international significance, telling a vital story with grace and sensitivity.”
Civic Trust judges
From the Victorian charm of the rectory where Emily Hobhouse was raised to the riveting War Rooms honouring her role in the Anglo-Boer War, architecture and design are central to illuminating the legacy of this extraordinary humanitarian, pacifist and feminist. A woman for the ages – Emily’s convictions remain as compelling now as when she first voiced them.
Settle into the softer season at our Farm Hotel, where slower rhythms and cosy pleasures await in the Boland. Stay four nights for the price of three until the end of August, or book two nights and enjoy a complimentary dinner for two at Babel, our flagship restaurant.
Hotel guests have exclusive use of the hot spa, where the indoor pool, sauna, salt room and two heated vitality pools invite deep relaxation. It’s the ideal place to unwind between treatments or to while the day away with a good book or podcast between long, lingering soaks.
In the fifth instalment of BabylonSTORIES – where Babylonstoren’s experts share their knowledge and inspiration – we sit down with executive chef Schalk Vlok in the kitchen of the 19th century farmhouse at Soetmelkavlei. It’s the perfect setting for a chef who values time-honoured classics, paired with the innovation needed to create true farm-to-fork fare from the abundant yields of our fields, orchards, gardens and animals. Schalk prefers a slow sunset to the limelight – happiest surrounded by loved ones, with a roosterkoek hot off the coals in hand. BabylonSTORIES is available on the Babylonstoren App, Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
Give yourself or a loved one the gift of time and space to learn a new skill or deepen an existing interest. Slow down to the rhythms of the farm, surrounded by kindred spirits and sustained by farm-fresh fare. It is also a wonderful gift for a mother who loves to explore and learn. From baking to blacksmithing, soapmaking to beekeeping, there is a workshop to suit every kind of curious mind.
Babylonstoren
5 May – Baking with honey at the Byzantium
6 May – Create table decor from our autumn garden
12 May – Compost 101: the art of cycling nutrients through your garden
13 May – The art of pressing and preserving olives
19 May – Natural soapmaking with our olive and essential oils
20 May – Learn to keep bees on International Bee Day
26 May – Break bread with our master baker
27 May – Inside scoop: secrets to water buffalo mozzarella & gelato
Soetmelksvlei
2 May – Blacksmithing: make your own braai fork
7 May – Magic with milk: make butter, soft cheese and yoghurt
8 May – Go nuts! Bake a pecan pie and carrot cake
9 May – Floral cake decorating with Martjie Malan
9 May – Leathercraft: craft a traditional wood & riempie stool
14 May – Master meat: make your own salami
15 May – Master meringues and macarons
16 May – Blacksmithing: make your own soup ladle
21 May – Chocolate & cake: make celebratory treats
22 May – Cape cookery: melktert, melkkos & koesisters
23 May – Leathercraft: make your own apron
29 May – Bake four traditional pies with butter pastry
30 May – Make a wooden milk stool