Local food and drink directory

 
Salsicce 3rd Generation
Products:
Pure pork sausages
Local outlets:
Boccaccio SUPA IGA, Balwyn
Piedimonte’s Supermarket & Liquor, Fitzroy North
Township/suburb:
Reservoir
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

Salsicce 3rd Generation are a third generation family who make pure pork sausages. They manufacture around 25 different flavours from regions all over the world. Their sausages are free of both preservatives and gluten, with no flour-based fillers. They source their pork from free range producers with a passion for quality and animal welfare sustainability.

They operate under a strict quality HACCP Assurance Program which is regularly audited by an independent third party certification body. This ensures adherence to regulatory requirements.

They have an online store on their website where the public can place orders. They also have a wholesale division that supplies the hospitality industry and supermarkets throughout Victoria.

Schulz Organic Dairy
Products:
Milk and milk products
Certified Organic
Local outlets:
Apples and Sage Organic Wholefoods, Balwyn
Aumanns at Warrandyte
Cannings Free Range Butchers, Hawthorn
Eastfield Organic Natural Food Market, Croydon South
Health Food Thyme, Croydon
Kew Organics, Kew
Renaissance IGA, Hawthorn
Sprout Health Store & Organic Grocer, Hawthorn
Terra Madre, Northcote
Notes (in their own words):

Schulz's products are truly simple and delicious, made from the whole milk of their Friesian and Jersey cows, and with nothing added but natural ingredients. They are processed right on the farm, in small batches, with great care and attention to detail.

They are on 832 acres of fertile land in South West Victoria. Since 1972, they have used biodynamic and organic principles to enhance the vitality of the soil, grasses and animals.

Screaming Waffles
Products:
Dutch stroopwafels (syrup waffles)
Local outlets:
Makers Emporium and Cafe, Ringwood North
Warrandyte Lollies and Treats
Township/suburb:
Park Orchards
Municipality:
Manningham
Notes (in their own words):

Homemade syrup waffles (stroopwafels) and chocolate brownie waffle cookies. The stroopwafel's recipe has been developed over many hours to get the right balance of texture, spices and (of course) taste in the dough and the caramel syrup. The stroopwafels come in different shapes and sizes and are baked fresh on a daily basis. A gluten-free version is also available.

Seasons of Hope Garden
Township/suburb:
Croydon
Municipality:
Maroondah
Notes (in their own words):

This is a charity-owned garden with the express purpose of providing people in financial crisis with fresh produce.

Hope City Mission has partnered with Melbourne Water to construct this vegetable garden, which comprises 84 raised beds (2.4m x 1.2m each). It provides much needed fresh produce for the Hope City Mission foodbank program, which feeds around 80 families per week. In addition, they have a large greenhouse that they use to house their seedling propagation program, growing seeds to seedlings.

The garden also provides a place where the isolated can connect with others and have a sense of purpose and accomplishment. Volunteers are welcome to come and maintain the garden, with the preferred days being Monday, Wednesday, Thursday between the hours of 9am-3pm. Wednesday is the ideal day for volunteers as this is the day where all the action happens with picking produce ready to give out at Hope City Mission emergency food program on the Thursday.

There are regular working bees on most Wednesdays - please contact the office to confirm (9761 6778).

SecondBite Diamond Creek
Township/suburb:
Diamond Creek
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

SecondBite in Diamond Creek is open every Saturday, 9-10am. It provides, at no cost, a wide variety of fresh produce and other edible goods available to those facing food insecurity or challenges. No referral is required; just drop by and collect fruit and vegetables that would otherwise have gone to waste. Any surplus that is left over is then taken to the Food is Free table in Hurstbridge.

The initiative is operated by The Rotary Club of Diamond Creek in partnership with SecondBite. The aims are to lessen waste and reduce hunger by:

  • Giving food producers and retailers the opportunity to reduce surplus and unsold food.
  • Re-distributing high quality surplus food to the community.
  • Diverting nutritious, edible, quality food from entering landfill, thus promoting environmental well-being.
SEEDs Communal Garden
Township/suburb:
Brunswick
Municipality:
Merri-Bek
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is open to the public.

SEEDs is a communal garden where they grow and share together, growing natural networks, skills, mutual opportunities, friendships, organic food and community. There are no individual plots. The food that they grow is used to feed their weekly volunteers as well as a way to connect with our local community. They also donate regular harvests to The Local Kitchen Brunswick and share and cook their excesses. The garden is connected to, and shares the space with, Milparinka Disability day service. They aspire to be a connecting point and resource for their community.

There are regular working bees at the garden, every Monday and Thursday at 10am.

Selba Farm
Products:
Extra virgin and infused olive oil. Also, pickles and honey.
Local outlets:
Notes (in their own words):

Selba Farm's products include extra virgin olive oil, infused olive oil, olive pickles, honey and lime pickle. Their olive oil is produced on site by grinding the olives at a controlled ambient temperature, preserving the natural taste, in a method is known as 'cold press'.

Selba Farm is a mixed farm enterprise on a 140-acre lot that includes a residential house, olive groves of 3,000 trees, an olive oil production and food packaging facility, commercial volumes of purple and white garlic, a small-scale vineyard (2 acres), Dorper sheep husbandry (50 sheep), Boer goat husbandry (70 goats), apiary and fresh produce grown both in greenhouses and in open nature.

Shaws Road Winery
Category:
Products:
Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and the classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Franc and Merlot
Local outlets:
Cellar door - every third Sunday of the month, 11am-5pm or by appointment.
Hurstbridge Liquor
Township/suburb:
Arthurs Creek
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

A small family owned and operated winery in Arthurs Creek. Their philosophy is to produce premium wines from estate-grown fruit ripened to optimum levels and matured in finest quality small oak barrels.

Shillinglaw Cafe and Restaurant
Category:
Local brands sold:
Hargreaves Hill Brewing Co.
Township/suburb:
Eltham
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

The Shillinglaw Cottage re-opened in January 2016 under new management and is now a family owned and operated cafe focusing on locally sourced produce, great coffee, chef-made food and friendly service. It offers a dining room and a coffee area as well as an alfresco garden with large children's sandpit, all shaded by a significant old oak tree. Head Chef Bruno Lima and his team have developed an eclectic and diverse menu, offering fresh, local, free range and organic ingredients where possible. All-day breakfast, lunches, coffee and cakes with gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo options are served, as well as a 'Little Shillings' menu for the kids. Open on both week days and weekends. Shillinglaw is also fully licensed and the historical cottage can be hired for private functions.

Shillinglaw is next door to the Eltham Library and close to Alistair Knox park. They are just a short walk from the Eltham town centre and the train station, plus the 902 bus will drop you off at their door.

A little about the history of Shillinglaw cottage, built by pioneers, saved by locals. The cottage was built in 1859 and is constructed from handmade bricks in a Flemish bond pattern. In the 1960s, it was marked for demolition to make way for new council buildings, but a group was formed by the locals to save the cottage. One of the fundraising efforts was the publication of a cookery book "Flavour of Eltham", which was re-printed four times. Brick by brick, the cottage was dismantled and re-built in its original form in its current location.

Si Mangia
Name:
Products:
Tomato puree, pasta sauce and olives
Local outlets:
Township/suburb:
Reservoir
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

Si Mangia started as Mangia Mangia in 2015. After the success of their books that promote traditional Southern Italian seasonal foods, they saw a need in the market for locally-made tomato products that remained faithful to traditional cooking methods. The results so far are: passata di pomodoro (tomato puree); sugo pronto (ready made pasta sauce); olives cured and dressed according to traditional Calabrian recipes; and capsicum paste for salumi.

Silvertine Farm
Products:
A wide range of vegetables
Local outlets:
Notes (in their own words):

Silvertine Farm run a small market garden at Yarra Valley ECOSS. They use biodynamic and organic principles and practices to create living soil to create living vegetables.

Slater Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Blackburn North
Municipality:
Whitehorse
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is allotment-based, for people who reside in, or pay rates to, the City of Whitehorse.

The garden was first established in 1982 and was one of the first community gardens in Melbourne.

It comprises around 50 individual plots plus a few communal areas for herbs. Each plot is around 35 square metres (e.g. 9 metres by 4 metres) but some have been divided into half plots. The total size of the garden is around 1 acre. Most of the plots are in-ground, with a few raised beds.

Collectively, the plot holders are culturally diverse, with the vegetables being grown therefore also being diverse.

There is some communal equipment, such as wheelbarrows and tools. There are also four large water tanks which are fed by the large roof of a nearby stadium (mains water is connected but only used if the tanks run dry).

The garden is one of two overseen by Nunawading Community Gardens, the other being Jolimont Community Garden in Forest Hill. The Nunawading Community Gardens committee is responsible for both setting overall policies (e.g. no pesticides or herbicides) and for maintenance of the communal areas (e.g. some of the pathways).

They have a number of get togethers each year, to which plot holders from both of the gardens are invited. They order various products in bulk for members to buy, including seed potatoes. They also hold regular working bees.

All plots are currently allocated and there is a waiting list. Read more about joining the waiting list and potentially apply. As of 2024, the cost of a plot is $30 pa (or $20 pa for half a plot) and the cost of being on the waiting list is $5 pa.

Smiths Gully General Store
Category:
Local brands sold:
Township/suburb:
Smiths Gully
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Smoke and Roast
Products:
Smoked sea salt
Local outlets:
Own shop - by appointment only
Yarra Glen Racecourse Market
Township/suburb:
Eltham
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

Smoke and Roast is a distinctly Australian flavour, that all Aussies will love. There is no gluten or MSG in Smoke and Roast; rather it is predominantly natural Australian sea salt that has been carefully blended with a range of herbs and spices. Use it instead of salt and pepper to transform an everyday meal into a gourmet feast that will tantalise your taste buds. Just added to their range are Smoke and Peri, which has all the fantastic ingredients of Smoke and Roast with a gorgeous peri peri twist (for those who love a bit more spice and heat in their cooking), and Smoke and Curry. The colour is sensational. The taste is even better. Use this in white sauce dishes, and as a secret ingredient to lift all your favourite recipes.

South Preston Food Swap
Category:
When:
4th Saturday of the month, 11am-midday
Township/suburb:
Preston
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

Organised by Transition Darebin.

Span Community House Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Thornbury
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is membership-based but membership is free.

What: The garden is a community shared space. There are no individual plots but produce is shared amongst those that attend, as well as used in the community lunch and cooking classes at Span. The garden is maintained with a watering system and by regular planting and harvesting. All produce is organic. The garden is a large space with a number of garden beds and areas producing vegetables, fruit and herbs. There is a shelter built with natural building techniques and materials that can be used for meetings or other activities, a propagation area, a seed and cuttings swap program, and a community mural. There are regular sustainability programs, classes and activities run throughout the year. The garden is access friendly for all.

Who: The garden is shared and maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers and community members, with the assistance and support of Span Community House, and regular working bees. All those participating have differing levels of skills, experience and physical abilities. New community members and gardening beginners are invited and encouraged to join the garden group and participate in Span's activities whilst learning and enjoying the company and support of other community members.

Specialty Coffee Army
Products:
Coffee beans, ground coffee, batch brew and pour over coffee
Local outlets:
Thomastown Trash and Treasure Market
Township/suburb:
Mernda
Municipality:
Whittlesea
Notes (in their own words):

Specialty Coffee Army is a small, specialty coffee roastery who sell both freshly roasted coffee beans and ground coffee. They also have a coffee trailer, which sells batch brew and pour over coffee.

They roast only specialty coffee beans graded at 82+ using a gas roasting machine, following a precise manual roasting method for each batch, creating roasting profiles that match the specific origin of the beans. These profiles cover such subjects as the appropriate grinding methods and the right water temperature using different brewing methods such as batch brew, pour over, gravity press and cold brew.

Their single origin coffees come from a wide variety of places, including Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Honduras, India, Kenya, Mexico, Peru and Yemen.

Their coffees are roasted for both filter and espresso or milk based coffees.

They only source their coffee beans through importers that have followed strict specialty coffee rules, including trading ethically with the producers. To help reduce plastic waste, they use recyclable coffee bags that meet RedCycle’s standards.

As well as www.instagram.com/Toxikbeans, they have another Instagram page at www.instagram.com/SpecialtyCoffeeArmy.

Spice Fusion
Category:
Products:
Exotic spice & herb blends, dukkah and chilli jam
Local outlets:
Township/suburb:
Ringwood
Municipality:
Maroondah
Notes (in their own words):

Spice Fusion’s product range includes 30 plus unique and all-natural spice blends, 6 dukkah blends and a to-die-for chilli jam, all of which are handmade by Judy in her Ringwood home kitchen. Free recipes (and spice advice) are given away with every purchase.

Spirli Strawberries
Products:
Strawberries
Local outlets:
Farm gate
Township/suburb:
Wandin North
Municipality:
Yarra Ranges
Notes (in their own words):

Available November to April. Spirli Strawberries is a small strawberry farm focused on growing a quality berry for taste and appearance.

Sporadical City Mushrooms
Products:
A range of mushrooms, mushroom products and mushroom kits
Local outlets:
Farmgate
Box schemes
(The Flying Zucchinis, Brunswick Healthy Fresh Food Boxes and Melbourne Food Hub)
Heide Makers Market
Township/suburb:
Alphington
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

Sporadical City Mushrooms is a small urban mushroom farm which supplies a variety of mushrooms to both local restaurants and to the public through box schemes, farmgate sales and markets. They also sell vegan xo sauce, mushroom confit, cold smoked dried mushroom broth, mushroom kits, certified organic mushroom mulch, straw bales and handcrafted chopping boards. They also give farm tours and run mushroom growing workshops.

A good way to buy their mushrooms is by signing up for their 3 month, 6 month or 9 month supply of mushroom boxes, where you also choose how much you want in each box (pick up weekly or fortnightly from the farm in Alphington).  One off purchases also available and welcome. By buying directly from the farmer, you are guaranteeing yourself access to the freshest mushrooms while minimising your ecological food-print and investing in your local economy and food security. This is called Community Supported Agriculture or CSA for short.

Sporadical City Mushrooms aims to be a zero-waste company and chooses to grow their mushrooms in reusable plastic buckets instead of single use plastic bags like most other commercial growers. They believe that cities have a much bigger role to play in feeding themselves and that small scale farming and local food systems are essential for food security & sovereignty, a healthy environment and the future of our community and the planet.

In August 2022, Ann Stanley visited Sporadical City Mushrooms. Read her writeup of the visit.

The video below was produced by www.healthyfreshfoodboxes.com.

Spurrell Foraging
Products:
Preserves and foraged produce
Township/suburb:
Warrandyte South
Municipality:
Manningham
Notes (in their own words):

Spurrell Foraging sell both foraged produce and (sometimes) preserves.

A list of their foraged produce, together with its prices, can also be found on their website and they include a wide range of flowers and leaves. They are mainly sold to bars and restaurants.

When available, a list of their preserves for sale can also be found on their website and they include chutneys, cordials, sauces, jams, marmalades, pastes, pickles, relishes and salts. They use Australian native botanicals and some foraged produce. You can buy these products by email.

In May 2022, Ann Stanley visited Spurrell Foraging. Read her writeup of the visit.

St Andrews Community Market
When:
Every Saturday, 8am-2pm
Township/suburb:
St Andrews
Municipality:
Nillumbik
St Andrews Food and Plant Swap
Category:
When:
3rd Sundays of the month, 10-11am
Township/suburb:
St Andrews
Municipality:
Nillumbik
St Johns Riverside Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Heidelberg
Municipality:
Banyule
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is membership-based, with partly communal beds and partly allotments.

Situated at Salt Creek's meeting with the Yarra River, this sustainable food garden is a joint venture between the Banyule Anglican Church and the local community. Both individual and community plots are available and new members are very welcome. A gardening get-together occurs each month where seedlings are shared, compost is made, fascination is felt about the latest vegetables appearing and members always feel comfortable to try new planting experiences and see what happens. Workshops conducted have included building wicking beds, liquid fertilisers, pruning fruit trees and making hot compost.

A food swap is held at the garden on the 4th Saturday of every month, 10-11am.

In August 2019, Judy Vizzari visited the garden. Read her writeup of the visit.

Gardening in the cool evening riverside air is refreshing!

Stone & Crow Cheese
Category:
Products:
Unique cow and goat cheeses
Local outlets:
Blackhearts & Sparrows, Abbotsford
Blackhearts & Sparrows, Brunswick
Blackhearts & Sparrows, Fitzroy
Blackhearts & Sparrows, Fitzroy North
Blackhearts & Sparrows, Richmond
Boccaccio SUPA IGA, Balwyn
Cardwell Cellars, Abbotsford
CIBI, Collingwood
Jefferies, Croydon Hills
Locavore Studio, Lilydale
Quintons SUPA IGA, Warrandyte
SuperCheese, Richmond
The Meat-Inn Place, Lilydale
Township/suburb:
Warrandyte South
Municipality:
Manningham
Notes (in their own words):

The Stone and Crow Cheese company make a range of unique cow and goat cheeses, from soft to hard. Head Cheese Maker Jack Holman has been making cheese for more than 20 years, first at Yarra Valley Dairy (where he rose to become their head cheese maker) and then at Stone and Crow (which he founded).

Strathdon House Kitchen Garden
Township/suburb:
Forest Hill
Municipality:
Whitehorse
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is open to the public during house opening hours.

The kitchen garden was established in 2019. It comprises around 20 garden beds and wicking beds of varying sizes and heights to cater for use by the community of different age groups (including children) and abilities. Volunteers help to plant, maintain and harvest the vegetable and herb crops. They also have seasonal planting and harvesting activities that members of the community are invited to participate in.

The kitchen garden is located in the grounds of Strathdon House, where a wide range of workshops focusing on environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing, including cooking workshops, take place. Produce harvested from the kitchen garden is sometimes used in these workshops.

Strathdon House itself was originally built in 1893 and its associated orchard was around 40 acres in size in the early 20th Century. The remaining two acres of this orchard is the last of its kind in Whitehorse City Council, with a variety of fruit trees including apples and plums.

They are always on the lookout for more volunteers to join the team in either the garden or the house.

On the 3rd Saturday of each month, 10-11.30am, there is a food swap.

Strathewen Community Pantry
When:
Open 24/7
Township/suburb:
Strathewen
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

This is one of 9 community pantries around Banyule and Nillumbik. These pantries contain non-perishable food which is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, require no appointments and are open to whoever needs food. Their philosophy is give what you can, take what you need, with people able to donate to the pantry as well.

Managed by the school on behalf of The Food Collective.

Sugarloaf Produce
Products:
A wide range of vegetables. Also, swiss brown mushrooms.
St Andrews General Store and Post Office
Township/suburb:
Strathewen
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

Sugarloaf Produce is a small organic farm located at the base of Mt. Sugarloaf and the Kinglake Ranges. They are the 5th generation to farm this property. Composted organic matter is the key to growing their produce, and all of their compost is made on site using a mixture of farm green waste, cow, sheep and poultry manure, sawdust from their mill and other organic materials. Other biological techniques used on the farm include crop rotation, mixed cropping and mixed stocking. Beneficial compost teas are sprayed on crops regularly, and plentiful habitat is provided for beneficial insects in their vast bushland areas.

Produce includes: beans, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, chilli, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, globe artichoke, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, pumpkin, radish, rhubarb, rocket, silverbeet, spinach, tomatoes and zucchini.

Surrey Hills / Balwyn Produce Swap
Category:
When:
3rd Sunday of the month, 9-10am
Township/suburb:
Surrey Hills
Sustainable Macleod Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Macleod
Municipality:
Banyule
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is membership-based.

The garden started in 2015. They were fortunate to have received some grants from Banyule City Council to assist them in establishing the garden.

The garden is communally cultivated and the food raised is distributed between those who work in the garden, Macleod College and local organisations that provide food for those in need.

The site is two disused tennis courts in the grounds of Macleod College on the Somers Avenue boundary just north of the Basketball Stadium. The project is being run by Sustainable Macleod.

Sweetart Kitchen
Category:
Products:
Fudge
Local outlets:
Heathmont Farmers' Market
Hurstbridge Market
Montrose Community Market
Nunawading Market
Township/suburb:
Ringwood
Municipality:
Maroondah
Notes (in their own words):

Sweetart Kitchen make delicate, handcrafted fudge. They offer six unique flavours; key lime & meringue, rose & white chocolate, cinnamon chai latte, chocolate & orange, cappuccino creme and vanilla crumble. Each is available in 160g packs of eight pieces.

Sweets & Treats By Michael
Category:
Products:
Fudge and other sweet treats
Local outlets:
Kinglake Produce & Artisan Market
Township/suburb:
Preston
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

Sweets & Treats By Michael make chocolate fudge, rocky road, diy cookie jars, cookies and variety of other seasonal treats. The fudge flavours include: caramel, pistachio, cookies & cream, tim tam, mint, cherry ripe and marble.

Swipers Gully Restaurant
Category:
Local brands sold:
Township/suburb:
Kangaroo Ground
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

Open during school terms only. The coffee shop is open Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm. In terms 1 to 3, The restaurant is open on Monday to Thursday, 6.30-9pm, during Terms 1-3. In Term 4, the restaurant is open on Monday and Tuesday, 6.30-9pm. Bookings essential.

ELTHAM College owns and operates a Hospitality Training Centre and fully-functional winery, cafe and restaurant called Swipers Gully. Young people in Years 8 and 9 operate the college coffee shop within the restaurant, with particular focus on Year 9 students exploring employment and work experience opportunities. The Centre also allows young people in Years 10, 11 and 12 to participate in a number of VET and VCE options as well as vocational certificates - with most of our young people participating in at least one. The Swipers Gully restaurant is open to the public, so come join us for a delicious meal and you will also be helping our students gain nationally accredited training qualifications in Hospitality. Guest Chef evenings are usually held twice a year, with a 5 course dinner matched to wines; they have previously featured renowned local chefs Stephen Mercer (Mercers, Eltham) and Gordon Brown (Brownkortes).

Swipers Gully Vineyard
Category:
Products:
Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Verduzzo
Local outlets:
Cellar door (by appointment)
Township/suburb:
Kangaroo Ground
Municipality:
Nillumbik
Notes (in their own words):

Swipers Gully Vineyard was established by Eltham College in 2002 with the aim of creating a boutique winery with an emphasis on producing small quantities of premium wine. Their vineyard is located on a 20 acre site, on which the vines currently occupy approximately 5 acres.

Sylvester Hive Community Garden
Township/suburb:
Preston
Municipality:
Darebin
Notes (in their own words):

This garden is open to the public.

What: Sylvester Hive community garden was built in partnership between Darebin Council, The Pavilion School and local residents on land generously provided by the school. The garden was launched in November 2016. With a border of fruit trees, 14 raised wicking beds for vegetables and herbs, storage container and shelter, seating, composting bays and a children’s sand pit, the garden has been designed as a welcoming space to meet with friends and neighbours.

Who: A group of local residents have formed to take care of the garden which they have named 'Sylvester Hive' ('Sylvester' is derived from the Latin for woodland and 'Hive' denotes a place where people meet and connect). The group meet regularly to discuss and agree on how the garden is to be managed, used, planted and harvested. The raised wicking beds are all cultivated communally and the harvest is shared at regular communal meals and celebrations.

When: The garden is open all week. Members meet regularly at the garden every Saturday, midday-3pm.

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