Abbotsford Convent

The Slow Food Farmer's Market at Abbotsford Convent is by far the largest farmers market I have ever been, hosting about 60 farmers who sell direct to the public. It was Gaz's suggestion that we visit the market, held on the fourth Saturday of every month from 8am to 1pm. Usually entry to the convent and its grounds is free but there is a $2 per person charge for the farmers market. Parking nearby cost us another $2, but is considered cheap for full day park.

The market is plastic bag free, customers are to bring their own bag and trolleys. We forgot to bring our own bag so Gaz had to carry a bunch of spinach I bought around while we browsed the many stalls that lined the path up to the convent.

There really was more to the convent that meets the eye. The site itself is 6.8 hectares - that's a lot of land, with 11 buildings on the site. There are also gardens on the site, not to mention nearby parklands and the Yarra trail in front of the entrance to the area. Gaz and I kept walking and walking and each turn brought us to a new unexplored area. Some of the buildings are being refurbished but some are yet to be refurbished. The architecture, paint stripping off the walls and the air of tradition that hung about the area reminded me a lot of my alma mater which was also a convent prior to being utilised as a school.

The Abbotsford Convent was occupied by the Sisters of the Good Sheperd from 1863 - 1975 as a refuge for female orphans who worked, schooled and lived on the site. Since the turn of the 20th century it has been turned into a community art and cultural hub. Today, it is home to artists who rents studios at the site, cafes, and a school. Some $12M has been used so far to refurbish it back to its former glory, and some $12M more is required to complete the job. Abbotsford Convent does not receive funding from the government, as we learned from Maggie Maguire, CEO of the Abbotsford Convent Foundation.

Here are a couple of pics of the place;



Besides the majestic buildings, we were instantly attracted to the stalls which sold food. We were hungry as anything when we arrived at 11am and were hoping to find a sausage sizzle somewhere as is usually found in farmer's markets. It turns out sausage sizzles are a little too... pedestrian, for this venue. We saw stalls selling braised beef cheeks and cous cous, spanakopita, minced beef in a pastry wrap, mini pork burgers with wild leaf salad and pomegranate molasses instead.

Braised Beef Cheeks - just nice for a sunny but chilly windy day. The beef cheek was very tender while the crisp apple & celery salad complements nicely.

Besides having all the dishes mentioned above, we also had lunch at Kappaya Japanese Soul Food Cafe located on the site. I only ordered miso soup (below) for myself:

But how could I resist not picking on Gaz's order of Bento Box? From left: vege chip (similar to tempura), steamed chicken, garden salad, walnut onigiri, grilled salmon onigiri, kelp.

Gaz especially liked the steamed and was ready to down broth and chicken skin all in one go if I had not stopped him. I personally liked the vege chip, it was crispy and healthy!