Foodie Tour @ The QVM

When on holiday I always make sure we visit local markets...which usually ends up with us buying lots of yummy local produce and having a picnic somewhere nice! It was my last little break where we did this, I thought to myself....why don't I do this at home?! With such a huge bustling market, full of amazing fresh produce, and at great prices, it just seems crazy to head down to Coles for my weekly shop, when I could pay the Queen Vic Market a visit instead. 

So this thinking is what made me decide to book a 'Foodies Tour' at the Vic Market. My cousin Lauren came along with me (Didn't take much convincing as she's just as much of a foodie as me!) The tour is on Saturday's at 10am, when the market is busy, but not at its peak!

The lady that lead our tour was such a cute little woman, she was so tiny that she had an umbrella with a duck head handle that she would hold up above her head as she powered through the crowds of shoppers, so we could find our way to her. 

We got told a lot of history about the market. Some things I had no idea about.....like that the market site was once a cemetery! One of my fav stalls we visited was a fruit and veg stall that specialises in tomatoes. They have 20 or more different varieties. I didn't even know there were that many! I'm planning to make a big batch of homemade tomato sauce soon, and I'm going to head back there to get my tomatoes.

So the tour goes for 2 hours, and throughout that time you find out things like how to pick the freshest produce, who sells the most expensive, and the cheapest steaks - and why! And along the way you get to have approx 7 different tastings! I won't spoil it by telling you all the things we got to try, just incase you decide to go on the tour, but will show and tell about a few of them.

Here is a plate of yummy dips and yummy crusty bread we got to try. The different dips were spicy capsicum and basil pesto. Two of my favs! Yum Yum. The spicy capsicum had a real kick to it which i loved!

Our last tasting of the day was chicken tortellini in a creamy mushroom and parmesan sauce. It was delicious. I don't normally like pasta meat fillings, and normally I go with the veggie options such as pumpkin and ricotta. But it was a winner. Although tempted to buy some to take home, unfortunately the fresh pasta was super expensive, and I couldn't justify buying it when I've started making my own pasta at home! I'll just have to try and re-invent it myself!

I would highly recommend the 'Foodies Tour', and it has made me go back to the market more regularly which i'm loving. It's not just the fresh produce I love, its the fun conversations with the stall holders, and being around people that are so passionate about food that makes it such a fun, and exciting experience. 

After the tour we grabbed a trolly ($5 to hire) and did our weekly shop! Check out all our yummy ingredients. I ended up with a bit of a mish mash of ingredients! Thats what you get when you don't write a shopping list!

QVM Address

513 Elizabeth St

Melbourne

Website For Booking

http://qvm.com.au/market_tours.aspx

Out Of Pocket

Tour: $40

Shopping Afterwards: I lost count! Hot Tip - Count your $$ before you start shopping

An Apple A Day.....Keeps The Doctor Away...

Although I thought it was more an old wives tale than anything else. I have recently learnt that two apples a day is proven to lower cholesterol, and can also help weightless! And apparently having the peel is very important! So don't go peel free my friends!