Irene Dairy Farm, Irene (Pretoria)

Call me biased, but I am already smiling as I type this intro...

Irene Dairy Farm just has a way of doing that - bringing a broad grin to faces young and old.

Date last visited

July 2013

Location and Setting

Getting out of the concrete jungle always scores high up on my list - after a week of traffic, stress and general JHB-craziness, a spot of trekking out of town really works wonders for the soul.

Irene is not that far off - about 25 minutes on the R21 gets you there.
From JHB - hop off at Nellmapius Drive, hang a left and continue for a few km's. Go under the railway bridge, continue through the 4-way stop street, take a left at the 2nd traffic circle and you are there.

The nice thing about Irene is that it still has that small country town feel to it - the first time I visited, it reminded me a bit of Pilgrim's Rest - it feels like it is stuck in a time warp of some sort, which is a good thing :)

For the kids...

The farmyard environment is a winner with the kids - all the sights, smells and sounds of a working dairy farm surround you as you make your way through Irene Dairy Farm.

There are cows all over the place, some grazing, some being milked and some just meandering about mooing occasionally... as cows are expected to do :)

The calves are also a hit with the kids, who just love to pat them and generally fuss over them like their very own teddies back at home.

Cows not their thing? Then pop the kids onto the old tractor that now fills its days watching over the restaurant, or if you prefer, the wooden jungle gym is another option to help spend all that youthful energy :)

Speaking of kids - changing nappies and such is always a biggie when taking the little ones anywhere.

On our first visit to Irene Dairy Farm, the restrooms did not specifically cater for tiny tots in terms of changing tables etc.

Most recently, however, we were pleased to notice that there is now a dedicated changing facility within the ladies restrooms. Clearly the management here like to keep up with the needs of their customers.

Good job guys!

For the adults...

Breaking away (albeit briefly)  from the grind of city living is one of the main attractions here.

Even though the Irene Dairy Farm is tucked between more modern establishments such as the Irene Country Lodge etc., it retains the country feel of a dairy farm somewhere far out of town.

The establishment includes 2 restaurants - one up on the Deck, and one in the Barn (which was one of the original barns).
Both serve scrumptious breakfasts and lunches, while the barn also serves breakfast and lunch buffets every weekend.

Tucked away behind the deck restaurant you will also find a well-stocked farm store, complete with the freshest milk that money can buy - ready to be bottled as you wait. They also stock a wide variety of other dairy products, savoury treats, desserts, chocolates, cakes, coffees and all kinds of confectionery.

Upstairs you will find Nest Home Decor and Gifts - you can read more about this here.

Anything else?

NB NB - For security reasons, Irene Dairy Farm is a cashless establishment, so bring those credit and debit cards with you!

Final words

Irene Dairy Farm is one of those places that is just a safe bet, anytime.

You can be sure that you will come back time and time again - it's that good.

Free admission.

Getting in touch

They sport a decent website at http://www.irenefarm.co.za - head on over there RIGHT now! :)

Alternatively, you can use these contact details to get in touch:

Telephone:

Shop: 012 667 2326

Barn: 012 667 4822

E-mail:

shop@ireneestate.co.za

barn@ireneestate.co.za

Fax:

Barn: 012 667 5485

Dairy: 012 667 2634