Nothing pleases me more than fresh beautiful abundant produce… it is just about the most important step in recipe creating. How can we expect our meals to have flavour and zing if the raw produce is not sparkling & super fresh.

Well, to my complete delight accredited Farmers Markets are becoming more & more accessible and local. Yippee! Recently my valued and dear zany & fabulous produce fanatic ‘ food show’ friend Simone Gordon,(who creates & co ordinates wonderful boutique food shows in Melbourne  like Chocolate Rush, Signature Dish, Daylesford Harvest Festival) has led the drive and created  a new sensational, accredited farmers market and the best news ever – it’s every Sunday!!

The Melbourne Showground Farmers Market – Langs Rd Ascot Vale.  9am – 1pm. …..Is packed with the best selection of super fabulous, incredibly fresh, value for money produce – stall after stall. How excited was I to stroll (with my Son Harry – which for us busy over worked mums makes it better as we are sharing our time and also teaching our kids to love and appreciate fresh produce) into the showground and there in it is. Passion, quality, seasonal excellence and a vibe just not found in shopping centres & supermarkets! How fabulous –  my questions on storage and new ways to cook are answered instantly and with passion, confidence and smiles all round by the actual producer / grower.

Imagine being encouraged to smell, touch and taste the produce – before selecting how much you want…. Oh this is foodie heaven.Now there are too many divine stalls to speak of individually and I know this market has some permanent stall holders and others that frequently visit – this is even better & exciting because the produce is ever changing and that adds more variety.Within the hour I had an overflowing baskets, and esky with the yummiest of everything… organic apples & pears, amazing rhubarb & quince, boutique interesting mushrooms, cold pressed extra virgin local olive oil, local stunning organic eggs, beautiful yearling veal, authentic wood fired stone ground rye bread, creamy hand made camembert cheese, the most amazing fresh spinach, peppery rocket & fresh herbs, ‘cold extracted’ local honey, fabulous well marbled grain fed aged beef and delicious non homogenised milk. Another special tip-  Look for that special ‘tick’ too – these stall holders have jumped through all the required hoops to gain this special accreditation…. this really tells you the market is a true goodie and the real deal with the Victorian Farmers Market Association backing.

My Sunday afternoon was bliss – happy was I as I simmered Osso Bucco, poached vanilla scented rhubarb & quince, whipped up an olive oil cake (recipe supplied lovely Lyn at Barfold Olive Oil) and roasted the Sirloin with smashed garlic potatoes for our late afternoon family roast. I simply can’t wait for each Sunday. Simone has some brilliant ideas for her market with competitions, discounts and I hear a special mobile kitchen is coming…. will keep you posted on this one.

For more information on Melbourne Showground Farmers Market visit www.melbourneshowgroundfarmersmarket.com.au