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| The back of the Convent |
Walking into the grounds of Abbotsford Convent was like stepping into a medieval market, with stalls lining most of the pathways on the grounds, selling locally grown produce and wares. I was here for Dr Marty’s crumpets but got so much more out of it in the end. The market was busy but not rudely so; everyone was strolling and browsing and tasting to their hearts content, which was lovely to see. Definitely a nice break away from the city bustle.
I
never knew crumpets could be any different to the supermarket bought, mass
produced kind, but boy did Dr Marty’s Crumpets change my mind forever. Selling
at six for $8.50, it’s definitely more expensive than what I’m used to paying,
but it is so worth it. They taste so different, more wholesome and delicious –
you can taste the LACK of preservatives and weird things that alter the taste.
These taste like pure floury awesomeness. To this day I have been stalking
their facebook page to see which market they will be at next. Luckily they
stock in certain food outlets too, just email them to find the nearest one!
Not
bought from the Farmer’s Market, but a decidedly excellent combination to my
new crumpets was the epic French churned butter – Le Conquérant Beurre de Baratte D’Isigny demi-sel (semi
salted). In a way, it’s kind of depressing; after eating this butter you will
be spoiled and all other butters will taste oily and cheap. This butter is
perfectly salted and so delicious, albeit light, which makes you want to eat
the butter… by the stick… on its own… Anyway, the combination of Le Conquérant butter
with my Dr Marty’s crumpets pretty much made my mornings, for the three days
that they lasted in the house before getting consumed. At this stage, Le Conquérant
is proving more difficult to find, but the Calendar Cheese Company are pushing
fans to ask/beg their local providores to stock these blocks of gold.
Next spontaneous buy was the Locheilan
Triple cheese ($8.0) from a lovely cheese stall I forgot the name of – but I
will hunt them down because this cheese blew my mind. I hope I can find cheese
like this easily in Paris ‘cos WOW. IT was so liquidy and creamy and tasty I
had to stop myself from eating the whole wheel that night. My best buy of the
day.
These assorted dips (3 for $20.0)
from Verde Provedores were so fresh and quite a different style of flavours.
The Spinach and Almond Pesto was a deliciously ‘green’ tasting dip with a
lovely bitey aftertaste. The Almond Skordalla is much like an aioli, but nuttier
and more liquid in texture. It went very well with stronger meatier flavours like
smoked salmon and ham. The Cauliflower and Fetta was a chunky dip, with
cauliflower dominating the taste. I think this was my least favourite of the
three as it was quite dry and could’ve suited a roast a lot better than cheese
and crackers.
Onsite at the Abbotsford Convent
Bakery, I bought a big ass muffin ($5.0) and decided to explore the area with
my newly bought snack. The apple on top was crispy, the custard underneath was
sweet and creamy; I was sad there wasn’t more through the muffin. The muffin
top was baked to a crisp and I enjoyed breaking it off and enjoying it like a
semi-cookie. The walnuts were a surprise and even though I don’t usually like
nuts in my pastries I found it worked really well. This is one of the best
muffins I’ve had, coming second only behind The Stables of Como.
When
you visit Abbotsford Market make sure you wander down to the surrounding
gardens and Collingwood Children’s Farm, which has fellas like this being a
boss and eating grass through a fence.
The
area is tranquil and a nice way to spend a weekend morning wandering, running
or cycling.
TL;DR
I think I’ll start visiting more Farmer’s Markets to discover cool new foods,
you should too /wink
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