Food Fossicking Tour, Bendigo

 

 

Recently, Tim and I went on a Food Fossickers Tour of Bendigo.  The tour costs $75 per person, and starts at the Bendigo Visitor Centre.  There, we met our guide, Sharyn (pictured above).  The tour goes for approximately 2 1/2 hours, and is a walking tour, so wear sensible shoes and a hat.

 

Our first stop was Bendigo Wholefoods, which sells fruit and vegetables, organic, gluten free and global foods, and has an excellent kitchen garden nursery:

   

 

We were provided with some samples of breads, dips and olives, and I went back later to buy some spelt flour.

Our next stop was The Epicurean Deli:

The Epicurean Deli is run by an Italian family, and a fabulous range of fresh foods and pastas are prepared every day.  It also sell cheeses and small goods sourced both locally and internationally, not to mention a tempting array of sweets:

We were treated to a coffee of our choice to drink with a platter of meats, cheeses and crackers, including a fabulous French brie.   

Moving on, our next stop was The Good Loaf:

The Good Loaf is located in an unusual looking building which was once a Beaurepaires roundhouse.  It specialises in traditionally handmade sourdough breads and cakes:

 

 

One of the owners of The Good Loaf, Laurie, gave us a behind the scenes tour of the bakery, and allowed us to see, smell and taste his sour dough starters, which he prides on making from scratch.  We also tried two different breads - one sourdough, one corn sourdough.

 

Next, we moved onto chocoholic heaven - Indulge Chocolates, owned by Hayley:

 

 

After some chocolate tasting, Hayley took us on a behind the scenes tour of her chocolate making enterprise.  Here are the tempering machines flowing with delicious chocolate:

And here's a glimpse of the dazzling array of chocolates available at Indulge: 

The final stop on our food fossicking tour was at Masons, located in the old WD Masons Glass shop:

Masons has a large open kitchen where you can watch the food being cooked:

Masons has a seasonal menu utilising seasonal local produce, with many dishes designed to be shared.

On our food tour, we each were served a glass of white or red wine:

We received a plate of Berkshire pork belly skewers with sweet and sour blood plums and Szechuan spice:

and lamb fillet with crisp belly, smoked yoghurt, charred eggplant and pomegranate:

Both dishes were fantastic!  We were also lucky enough to have a booking for dinner that night so that we could experience more of the wonderful food at Masons.

 

In the cost of the tour, we received some samples from each establishment that we visited to take home.

 

From the Epicurean Deli, we received this bag of scrumptious crostolli and biscotti:

From The Good Load, we received a sourdough hot cross bun, a pumpkin sourdough roll
 and some granola:

This was my favourite sample - everything was delicious.

From Indulge, we received two dark chocolates filled with delicious merlot ganache:

Wholefoods Bendigo gave us each a pot of smoky sea salt:

I also bought some chocolates from Indulge for me and to share:

I loved the Food Fossicking Tour, and highly recommend it if you happen to be in Bendigo on a Saturday morning.

Food Fossicking Tour

Bendigo Visitor Centre

51-67 Pall Mall

Bendigo VIC 3550

Ph:  +61 3 5434 6060

 

Bendigo Wholefoods

314 Lyttleton Terrace

Bendigo VIC 3550

Ph: 03 5443 9492

 

The Epicurean Deli

79 Mitchell St

Bendigo  VIC 3550
Ph: 03 5443 2699

 

The Good Loaf

404 Hargreaves Street,

Bendigo VIC 3550

Ph: 03 5444 2171

 

Indulge Chocolates

 Shop 26 Fountain Court

Bendigo VIC 3550

Ph: 03 5441 1770
 

Masons of Bendigo
25 Queen Street    

Bendigo, VIC 3550

Ph: 03 5443 3877