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.

Alberto’s Delicacies use old family recipes and have been servicing small markets for around 12 years.

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.

Their honey is unheated and is without added rice or corn syrup. Seasonal varieties may include Grey Box, Messmate, Yellow Box, Red Gum and Manna Gum. The honey comes from hives which are migrated from Eltham and around the Green Belt, Yarra Valley to central Victoria, plus honey from rescued hives across Melbourne.

They also offer creamed honey, honeycomb, and a highly sought after local honey remedy for hay fever, sinus and pollen related asthma (see testimonials). Plus chai tea and bees wax candles.

Finally, as Bee Rescue, they also rescue bees across Melbourne from pest controllers.

Bizzy Beehive sell raw, unpasteurised honey, including orange blossom and wildflower. The precise flavours of the raw honey depend on where the bees collect their nectar and pollen so every jar is distinctive.

Using locally-sourced, grass-fed beef and free-range chicken from the Yarra Valley, Erin and David Turnley have built a solid reputation over the last 10 years as producing some of the best family gourmet pies in the region. Their pie range includes chunky beef, chicken, scallop, roast vegetable and apple. At the local markets that they frequent, you can also sample their array of pates which includes chicken, duck, salmon and venison. Basil and coriander pesto and duck and chicken terrines are also available for sale. All ingredients are sourced locally, with grass-fed beef, and chicken, duck and venison which is free range and hormone free.

Both Elaine’s and Joe’s fathers were potato farmers and they themselves have been growing potatoes for 45 years. They supply freshly dug, good-eating potatoes.

Available April to November. King Valley Walnuts work with the seasons to bring you award-winning walnuts in shell and walnut kernel. They also prepare a variety of products in their farm kitchen for sale to you including pickled walnuts and yum and wicked spiced walnuts.

The blueberries are available December and January.

Murray River Smokehouse are a small family business which is focussed on producing smoked meats and fish plus gravlax. Their smoked products include trout, trout pate, ham, bacon, kransky, kangaroo, lamb, beef/pastrami, chicken, eel, quail and turkey. Their pork & turkey are free range, their lamb & beef are pasture fed, their chicken & quail are barn raised, and their eel & kangaroo are wild caught. There are no ‘e’ numbers in any of their products and they use no artificial smokes, flavours or fillers.

The business started smoking fish in the 1970’s but started off life as a butchery in the 1930’s. They have kept the original open fired smoke ovens but also have a modern smoking oven capable of cold smoking. They use only river red gum as timber for their smoke.

Panton Hill Estate Olives produces extra virgin olive oils, processed primarily as single variety oils, as well as selling table olives. It also makes a handmade range of cosmetic products, all made solely with their extra virgin olive oil, including soap, lip balm, hand scrub and calendula healing balm.

The olive varieties include Frantoio, Correggiola and Koroneiki for oil production, and Kalamata and California Queen varieties for table olives. Quality is always the primary driver at each phase of the production process and the table olives are processed on site, using the traditional salt and water brine method of curing. This takes up to six months of careful attention to ensure the resulting table olives are firm and have the distinctive taste and qualities of their varieties. Part of the secret of the flavours are the shale soils found in Nillumbik, in which olive trees thrive.

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.

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.