Local food and drink directory

A Little Baker St Andrews produces traditional handmade organic sourdough breads plus a range of artisan croissants, cakes and savouries, all baked in a wood-fired oven. The process includes resting the dough for a minimum of 6 hours from mixing to baking, with this resting time giving the bread a unique flavour and texture and making it easily digestible. All the breads are both yeast and preservative free, using the Lactobacillus bacteria for fermentation. Local ingredients are used where possible, including: berries from Kinglake, honey from Hurstbridge, citrus fruits, mushrooms and olive oil.

Now a cafe as well as a bakery.

This garden is membership-based but membership is free.

What: Darebin Council collaborated with members of the Northcote Library Food Garden and the local communuity to develop this visible and accessible urban food demonstration site. The All Nation Kitchen Garden design incorporates permaculture principles and is based on a multi-layered garden of fruit trees, edible understory and ground cover.

Who: A group of local residents care for and manage the site in partnership with Council. The goal is to sustainably produce local food and to provide opportunities for education and community building.

When: Community gardening days are held on the first Saturday of each month, from 10am.

Alot of Good Stuff's preserves and biscuits are all made from locally-sourced produce and high quality ingredients. They are handmade in small batches in their shop to assure peak freshness and to maintain quality. They include gluten-free options.

Alpine Walnuts sell walnuts, hazelnuts and chestnuts. The walnuts are sold in their shells, shelled, green, as oil and as flour. The hazelnuts are sold in their shells and shelled. The walnuts, hazelnuts and chestnuts are all harvested around April and are then available until sold out; typically, this means that the walnuts and hazelnuts are available for most of the year, whilst the chestnuts are available until early Autumn.

Available February to November. Apted's Orchards is a family owned company. It operates an orchard and grazing enterprise from Arthurs Creek and Kinglake West north east of Melbourne that has spanned 5 generations. The farm gate sales at 864 Cottlesbridge-Strathewen Road Arthurs Creek are proving very popular, with 2kg bags of apples straight from the bin - that is, unwaxed and unsorted. Farm gate sales also operate from 1105 Whittlesea-Kinglake Road, Kinglake West. Wholesale marketing is done through the associated Melbourne Pear Company which operates out of the Footscray Wholesale Market.

AVS Organic Foods (formally A Vegan Smiles) aims to create and provide tasty foods that are free from animal cruelty.

AVS focuses on non-dairy cheeses using different techniques that include culturing, ageing and fermenting. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy vegan cheese.

AVS is a strong advocate for animal welfare and was founded on a desire to educate non-vegans that foods can taste great (even better without animal products), coupled with the frustration of the limitation in purchasing vegan-friendly or dairy-free products when out with family and friends.