Local food and drink directory

A&G's biscuits and cannoli are freshly made on a weekly basis. They sell more than 20 differently flavoured biscuits of all sizes.

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.

This garden is open to the public.

Click here to read an interview with Jess Ness.

This project began as a dream of the manager at the Central Ringwood Community Centre when she spied an empty unused sunny patch of grass that begged to be filled with plants and people. This site used to be a skateboarding park that was filled in and left.

In 2022, the garden had to be dismantled to make room for some road making equipment but is now being re-developed.

As well as space for vegetables and fruit trees, there are also community composting facilities and a community worm farm, both built from reclaimed materials.

They sometimes run workshops and classes at the garden. See their Facebook page for details.

Located on a scenic hillside with a beautiful view, Belleview Farm is a small boutique farm selling free range eggs. Their birds are raised and tendered to on the farm and Belleview Farm takes pride in their welfare. They ensure that the birds are fed a nutritious, vitamin-enriched diet including seeds, grains and canola. The farm is pesticide-free and chemical-free.

Ben's Bees sell raw honey - honey that has not been treated in any way. It is taken from the hive in frames designed to hold honey, spun with centrifugal force, drained through a fine sieve to remove any wax particles, and bottled.

They also sell candles, beeswax, soap, hives, bees and clothing.

Their services include bee & swarm removal, beehive pollination and European wasp removal.

Billy Van Creamy make ice cream free from artificial stabilisers, emulsifiers and flavours. It offers a wide range of dairy, vegan, gluten free and halal-friendly flavours made with fresh, locally sourced produce - and nothing else. Local suppliers include Schulz Organic Dairy, St David, Burd Eggs and Petty's Orchard. They pit their own fruit, pick their own herbs, grind their own nuts, bake their own biscuits and make their own jams, so you can rest assured knowing everything in their ice cream is real and wholesome.

As well as ice cream, they make waffle cones (made daily), seasonal drinks some other menu items (e.g. jams and butters). They also offer cakes which are available via pre-order as well as catering for weddings and events.

Sustainability practices and impact on the environment are important to Billy Van Creamy. They source organic ingredients, where possible, from small producers and reduce waste by using stainless steel spoons for tastings, reusable dine-in options, and ‘BYO containers’ for takeaway. Milk is supplied in large bladders rather than small bottles and they are constantly trying to find better ways of reducing and disposing of waste.

Bolton Street Deli & Liquor provides a full range of groceries, from condiments and bread, through beverages and honey, to chocolate and wine. They also sell a wide range of cheeses, meats, dips and homemade produce in their deli section. Gluten-free and organic products are available.

They are THE major stockist of local food products in North East Melbourne, with products from around 20 local producers.

They also serve coffee, breakfast, snacks and lunch from 7am daily (8am on Sundays). Some examples of food options include soup, pasta dishes and moussaka.

Bulleen Art & Garden (BAAG) is a nursery which specialises in edible, indigenous and low water use plants. As such, it has a large range of herbs, fruit trees and veggie seedlings. All of its seedlings are either Certified Organic or grown using Low Environmental Impact Practices.

BAAG hosts a monthly veggie swap on the 3rd Saturday of the month. It also runs regular sustainable living and gardening classes.

BAAG's landscape supplies yard specialises in soil mixes and mulches. It also has an art gallery, called the Bolin Bolin gallery.

BAAG is located along side the Yarra River. It is committed to helping to improve the local parks and has been actively revegetating the site in collaboration with Parks Victoria and the Friends of the Yarra Valley Parks for many years.