We’ve been featured!
The Old Mushroom Farm was featured in Getaway Magazine, as one of four ‘stylish farm stays in South Africa’. Oh yes! We’re stylish. The Old Mushroom Farm is great for day visits but gets better when you stay over. Choose from one of our ‘stylish’ BnB holiday apartments and make The Old Mushroom Farm your home during your next Midlands countryside getaway.
Here’s the piece from Getaway Magazine.
4 Stylish Farm Stays in South Africa
Words and Photography by Melanie van Zyl
The Old Mushroom Farm, Howick
Set in the prime farmland of the Karkloof Valley, boasting gorgeous views, I was disappointed at first to discover that the mushrooms are no more. However, The Old Mushroom Farm just outside Howick is still cultivating something special.
Architect and ex-mushroom farmer Nicholas Crooks says he swapped fungi (‘It was flipping hectic!’) for artful fabrication. ‘I want people to use their hands and get off the screens,’ he said when I caught him in the community food garden.
It’s more of a food forest, really, given all the rain. The pumpkins and sunflowers, in particular, are running rampant. ‘We created The Old Mushroom Farm for our guests, to give them something to do, but I am an architect first,’ Nick said, then, grinning at the unfinished site behind me, added, ‘and I have a building problem.’
Nick’s vision is to recapture the Midlands Meander of old. He remembered it as a route, he said, where you could walk straight into a workshop and admire the artisans crafting their wares. The Old Mushroom Farm is dedicated to this dream.
On the same grounds as The Old Mushroom Farm is 11 Karkloof, self-catering quarters that were once accommodations for farm staff. The five cottage-core style units are cosy and uncomplicated with vintage touches, but the pièce de résistance has to be The Tunnel Apartment. A converted mushroom-growing tunnel, the unique two-bedroom cylinder now houses an elegant open-plan lounge and kitchen with a fireplace for when the mist comes rolling in. The remaining tunnels are connected via a pedestrian arcade, linking a coffee roastery, bakery, bistro, Maker’s Market and gym into one highly attractive artisanal hub.
This “hub” feels a lot like Braamfontein’s Neighbourgoods Market in Joburg, as though the in-vogue vibes of places such as Maboneng or Victoria Yards have been given a rural outpost – the latest inclusion is First Thursdays. Yes, even out here, in the sticks.
I’ve yet to attend a Karkloof First Thursday, but the sense of community was apparent even on a weekday morning. At Bluebird Coffee Roastery, the barista asked about a customer’s regular coffee bean subscription, and the gym instructor shared a baked treat from Home Slice Cafe with a client after class. The human buzz of mornings taken together made me realise that the modern farm stay is not just about reconnecting with the land but reconnecting with others, too.
Meet the locals at 11 Karkloof, Howick
The Tunnel Apartment at The Old Mushroom Farm might be the most popular stay, but the five cottages are just as lovely and share the same environment. The shops at the artisan hub are open from Thursday to Sunday and there is even a gym that offers classes. Hot tip: order bread (there’s potato and rosemary or even snacky cheese sticks) in advance from Home Slice Cafe.
Published on getaway.co.za on 13 March 2024, with a previous version of this article originally appearing in the June 2022 print issue of Getaway.
Thanks, Melanie and Getaway for identifying us as a stylish farm stay in the KZN Midlands, and South Africa. We love hearing The Old Mushroom Farm’s story from a fresh perspective. Since Melanie visited, ‘11 Karkloof’ self-catering accommodation and The Old Mushroom Farm are now under the same umbrella. Now simply known as The Old Mushroom Farm accommodation. Additionally, there are new Boutique Apartments for holidaymakers to stay in during their countryside escape (yes, Nick still has the building bug). The Boutique apartments are ex-mushroom growing rooms, artfully converted into modern, spacious accommodation suites. They have an eclectic charm, styled with vintage statement pieces and custom-made cabinets and light fittings. What a pleasure! Come and stay at The Old Mushroom Farm, Howick- a Getaway recommended, ‘stylish farm stay in South Africa’.
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