Who loves to spend their weekends wandering the local markets? It is one of our favourite things to do on the weekends. Recently we were invited to come along on The Ultimate Foodie Tour at Queen Victoria Market. A great way for locals like ourselves, plus tourists to discover all the iconic Queen Victoria Market has to offer. So to all my fellow foodie lovers put this Foodie Tour on your to-do list!
The Ultimate Foodie Tour departs every Tuesday and Thursday at 11am or Saturdays at 9am and 11am. For 2 hours you will walk your way through the market with your knowledgable guide. From tasting various speciality foods, local wine and discovering many facts about the markets 140 year old history. Now I don’t want to spill too many secrets or fun facts in my post below as this is something you must do for yourself!
We started out morning off by stopping by Market Lane Coffee to grab some takeaway coffees. This is where you get the coffee cups you may see allover instagram with the quote “we love to make coffee for the city that loves to drink it”! Our tour commenced at 9am with our wonderful market guide Chris. He was fantastic and if we could get ourselves to Croatia this year kid free for one of his boat tours we would!
The Foodie Tour commenced in the Meat and Fish Hall. We learnt which butcher’s business has been passed down through four generations and what that “rollercoaster” above is used for! This is also where I had my first taste of a raw oyster. Yep no thanks never again haha! Thankfully in our little group of eight I was not the only one who was not a fan!
Next stop the Dairy Produce Hall. Probably my most favourite hall, with all the fresh breads, cheeses, chocolates and small goods. We tried some speciality foods, the kind of foods you wouldn’t think to try of like Candied Salmon and Biltong! Along with a moorish cheese platter, saganaki stuffed olives, dolmades, pickled octopus and a bowl of pasta to name a few more. Along with stuffing our bellies in the Dairy Produce Hall there is plenty of historical facts to discover. Most significantly is the way the building was architecturally designed and materials used for keeping dairy produce cool.
Now once your reach the Fruit and Vegetables this is were you know you are getting a little closer to dessert. There is such an abundance of fruit and vegetables available. For the organic lovers like myself there is one whole aisle of organic produce! So as you make your way through all the fresh produce you may start to smell the scent of freshly baked doughnuts! And that is the next stop the iconic American Doughnut Kitchen. The original van from 1950 gathers huge queues. But let me tell you it is worth the wait!
Lastly the foodie tour finished off at ReWine. After walking the market for the last hour and a half it was lovely to sit and relax with some wine tasting and a delicious fruit platter. ReWine is a fabulous concept of bringing back your wine bottles and being refilled. With a large variety to chose from my choice was the Sangiovese Rosé.
Once our tour had ended my husband and I wandered back through to pick up some items we had seen along the way. Next time you find yourself with an upcoming free weekend available book yourself into The Ultimate Foodie Tour. You will not be disappointed, it is wonderful value for money and the amount of food you will eat along the way will leave your appetite full satisfied!
Scroll through for a photo collection of what we got up to and ate on The Ultimate Foodie Tour!
The Ultimate Foodie Tour details
Departs : Tuesdays and Thursday at 11am. Saturdays 9am and 11am
Tour runs for approx two hours
Cost $69 – includes guided tour, plenty of food, $5 voucher and shopping bag
Gift vouchers also available. Perfect gift for any family/friends visiting Melbourne
For more details and to book your tour go here