Perth Home Grown, Eat Drink Perth 2013

Best Ever Almond & Apricot Cake, Best Ever Chocolate Cake and Best Ever Carrot Cake, Yummee Me.

Perth Home Grown is on Sundays in March in Forrest Place as part of Eat Drink Perth. Organised by the same people behind the popular Twilight Hawkers Market on Friday nights, Perth Home Grown features locally grown, home-made, hand crafted and baked goods. My friend Prez and I checked it out this long weekend. It wasn’t so much a farmers market as a brunch market – that’s not a negative criticism, by the way – and sweet-toothed, vegan and gluten-free eaters would’ve been especially delighted.

Some stomachs will turn at the thought of spicy eggs first thing in the morning, but it’s hard not to be drawn to the bubbling pan of eggs poaching in slow-cooked tomato sauce – this is shak shuka, a Moroccan breakfast dish cooked to a secret family recipe and served with sliced crusty baguette for AU$10. Add chorizo sausage for AU$3 more, and wash it all down with Moroccan mint tea (AU$2). The eggs are free range Eggs by Ellah from the Swan Valley and the baguette is from one of my favourite local bakers – Organic Loafers (I eat Organic Loafers bread at City Farm Cafe).

Shak Shuka.

Paella’s a market staple and would make a fantastic brunch – though early-birds had to be content to drool while the large pan of chorizo and mushroom paella was being cooked. The aroma and heat coming off this pan promised something good for those willing to wait. Shortly after the chorizo went into the paella pan, more fresh mushrooms were chopped into chunks and thrown in.

A lot of chorizo at KQ Spanish Food - paella

Paella by Kamal’s Quarter Catering.

There was fresh cold-pressed 100% pure orange juice and traditional lemonade made from local fruit, AU$8 for a large cup, $5 medium cup.

Juice stand - fresh OJ and lemonade

Juice stand – fresh OJ and lemonade

The Woodfired Baker makes traditional organic sourdough breads and pastries baked in a 100-year-old wood oven. Their stall featured a range of breads, pastries, organic muesli bars and three varieties of hot pies (AU$5 each): organic beef goulash, organic vegetarian and free range chicken (with free range bacon). Prez got a chicken pie and said it was very good.

The Woodfired Baker

The Woodfired Baker

The Wooden Spoon had a mind-boggling number of jars on display with free tastings of their jams, marmalades, sauces, chutneys and preserves.

The Wooden Spoon - marmalades, sauces, chutneys, preserves

The Wooden Spoon – marmalades, sauces, chutneys, preserves

I’m not a vegan or gluten-free eater but even I was excited to see the gorgeous little cupcakes by Yummee Me. The full list of ingredients for each type of cake are on display so you can see exactly what’s in each one. The ladies kindly took the covers off so I could photograph their pretty cakes.

Best Ever Peach & Pistachio Cake, Yummee Me.

The Little Shop of Plenty sells nutritious, all-natural wholefood products, made with organic and bio-dynamic local ingredients. They’re gluten, dairy and cane sugar-free.

Living buckwheat granola, The Little Shop of Plenty

Superfood slices (make sure you have a taste of the free samples – delicious!) and organic chia puddings, The Little Shop of Plenty

These little beauties are the French macaron’s healthier country cousins. They’re raw organic coconut cocadas in different flavours: lemon, mango and orange blossom, raspberry and rose, blueberry and lavender, salted chocolate, Japanese green tea, and vanilla bean, filled with coconut and cashew cream (AU$3 each, $16 for 6, $20 for 8).

Raw organic coconut cocadas, The Little Shop of Plenty

Raw organic coconut cocadas, The Little Shop of Plenty

Next to The Little Shop of Plenty was Brioche Bakery, with a wonderful assortment of breads and pastries for sale, including chocolate croissants, escargot, fruit danishes, focaccia with sea salt and rosemary, flatbread with grapes and a variety of sourdough loaves. And don’t forget the busload of smiling gingerbread men – looks like a party bus to me!

Pastries and gingerbread men by Brioche Bakery

The Great American Baking Company hails from Kalamunda and specialises in American breads and pastries – bagels, lemon bars, coffee cake, cinnamon buns, peanut butter brownies, snickerdoodle cookies, sugar cookies and more. Prez bought 6 cookies for AU$10 for her hubby.

Great American Baking Company

Great American Baking Company

Gidge Gourmet Fudge is handmade using all-natural local ingredients, gluten-free and comes in a range of mouthwatering flavours including double chocolate, vanilla, coffee, choc chilli, lemon, roasted macadamia and ginger. They’re AU$4 each or three for $10.

Gidge Gourmet Fudge

Gidge Gourmet Fudge – free samples delivered (and received) with a smile.

The Mushroom Exchange sells portobello and white button mushrooms, grown in Casuarina, picked fresh and sold by the brown paper bag (AU$4 for 400g).

I said “Smile, Mushroom Man!”

This first edition of Perth Home Grown didn’t feature many fresh produce suppliers. Next to the Mushroom Exchange stall was Supafresh Baby Leaves, selling freshly picked, washed and packed locally grown salad leaves and herbs. There was definitely room for more stalls. I had a chat with Sally from Events & Beyond, the events organiser behind Perth Home Grown – she advised that the market on subsequent Sundays will be bigger, with more stalls selling local fresh produce. Stalls may vary week to week.

In addition to the food stalls pictured, there was pizza, Modern Day Hippie (organic mixes for making healthy snack balls, yes – snack balls) and La Crepe de Paris (French-style savoury and sweet crepes – look out for the giant Nutella jars). Not all vendors sold edible fare – other stalls included Anne’s Aprons, Rethinked (gifts made from recycled items), Valley Flower Farm (flowers from the Swan Valley), Mockingbird Glass (glass jewellery and plates), and lucky dips and fishing games for the kids.

Anne’s Aprons

We were blessed with a sunny day and bright blue skies but it gets very hot standing on the concrete of Forrest Place. If the weather is similar on future Sundays, you’ll need your sunnies, hat and sunscreen for sure. The Water Labyrinth kept some of the kids happily drenched, cool and amused.

The Water Labyrinth

Not a big market, but very welcome and enjoyed by the punters.

Yet another reason to love living in Perth!

Perth Home Grown
10am to 3pm
Sunday 3, 10, 17 and 24 March (not on 31 March)
Forrest Place, Perth
Event organiser: Events & Beyond.

Don’t forget to visit Twilight Hawkers Market on Fridays during Eat Drink Perth (1, 8, 15 or 22 March) and for every meal purchased, you’ll get a chance to win a trip for two to Holiday Hawker Heaven – Bangkok, Penang, Singapore or Taipei, with thanks to Air Asia.
Note: the market will not be on 29 March due to Easter.
See my photos of the Twilight Hawkers Market from 1 March.

And there’s more coming up from Events & Beyond – following the success of Asian Night Kitchen at Claremont Quarter last year, this year Broome Night Kitchen kicks off this Thursday with Broome-inspired food that features a touch of east meets west, gourmet Australian BBQ, seafood and bush tucker. There’ll be live music and a pop-up bar serving summer cocktails and mango beer (of course!). You’ll also be able to enter for a chance to win a trip for two to Cable Beach Club Resort and Spa in Broome. Broome Night Kitchen is on 7, 14 and 21 March in Claremont Quarter.

Stallholders featured in this post

Follow the links below to find out more about the stallholders, including where you’ll find them/their products around Perth.

Shak Shuka – authentic Moroccan food. You’ll also find them at Subiaco Farmers Markets and Twilight Hawkers Market.

Kamal’s Quarter (KQ) Catering – tapas and paella.

The Woodfired Baker – traditional organic sourdough breads and pastries baked in a 100-year-old wood oven.

The Wooden Spoon – chutneys, relishes, jams, marmalades and sauces.

Yummee Me sell their vegan gluten-free cakes at the Perth City Farm Farmers Market and Growers Green Farmers Market in Beaconsfield. This mother and daughter team will be at Perth Home Grown every Sunday in March.

The Little Shop of Plenty may be found at Subiaco Farmers Market, Growers Green Farmers Market in Beaconsfield and at Abhi’s Bread.

Brioche Bakery – French bakery/patisserie selling exclusively at Perth weekend markets.

Great American Baking Company is based in Kalamunda and specialises in American breads and pastries.

Gidge Gourmet Fudge are from Wundowie and make their fudge by hand using all-natural local ingredients.

The Mushroom Exchange can also be found at Subiaco Farmers Market and Midland Markets.

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