To Market, To Market - Melbourne

Make this weekend "Stay Away From The Stupormarket Saturday & Sunday" and do your shopping at a local market. It's cheaper, it's fresher and it's way more fun. Well I think so anyways.
I know some of you out there think it's pain to find parking, you don't know which stalls are good and you can't tell where you can serve yourself. Think of it as an adventure! If you need to, start out early or go with a friend that is a market regular so they can show you the ropes.
My top tip for market shopping is take a list. The fastest way to get overwhelmed and not have a good time is to walk in directionless and wander around not knowing what you're after.
When you're standing at a stall and can't see the ingredient you're looking for - ask! If you want to know how spicy that yummy looking dip is - ask to try some! There are no rules here, you can taste, touch and smell pretty much everything, and get some cooking tips to boot.



This week we will start with some Melbourne markets because that's where I'm from. The following is only scratching the surface, so please feel free to add your faves to the comments section below and send in pics from where you live to wotsfortea (at) gmail (dot) com



Click on the names to find the location and opening hours -

Queen Victoria Market - my fave, I do my shopping here every week. You must have a borek for breakfast and a jam donut on the way back to the car - it's the rules.
South Melbourne Market - a good place to go if you need to shop on Wednesdays when most others are closed. The BEST Dim Sims in the world live here.
Preston Market - for those of you North of the river.
Prahran Market - it's reputation for being expensive is not for no reason, however a good one to start with to get your market shoes on, it's small, undercover and you might see a B-list celeb shopping here.



There is also an ever-increasing list of Farmer's Markets sprouting up around Victoria, they usually only occur once a month and the produce sells out very quickly so you must go early. Have a look here as a starting point for some of the more popular ones.

I hope this has inspired you to change your shopping habits this weekend, please do share your market experience in the comments section below.

Enjoy!