Start the morning with a gloriously decadent breakfast dessert from Whisk’d Away. Photo: Sophia Brady.
Every time I visit the Capital Region Farmers Market, I find myself wanting to be one of those people.
You know the type. They arrive early carrying woven baskets rather than an assortment of old musty supermarket bags. They know which producers have the best tomatoes, buy flowers every week, and eat only what is in season.
I aspire to be that person. For now, though, I am happy enough occasionally turning up for good ingredients and an excellent breakfast.
The Capital Region Farmers Market is iconic for a reason. Held every Saturday morning at EPIC, more than 100 producers from across the region bring freshly picked, grown and handcrafted produce directly to Canberra. It is one of the few places where you can chat with the person who grew your apples, harvested your honey or baked your bread.
And while the produce is undoubtedly the star, it is also a bloody good place to grab something to eat.
On a recent visit, these three stops found their way into my morning.
Whisk’d Away
I started the morning with a gloriously decadent breakfast dessert.
Whisk’d Away has built a loyal following for its handmade crumpets and flavoured butters, and it is not hard to see why.
You can take packets of crumpets home to toast later, alongside jars of homemade spreads, or settle in for a freshly toasted crumpet topped with something delicious.
For me, that meant the weekly special: a toasted homemade crumpet topped with strawberry and lemon compote, fresh strawberries, whipped lemon mascarpone cream and a buttery lemon shortbread crumble.
It looked almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
Soft and warm, the crumpet soaked up all the toppings beautifully. The strawberries brought freshness, the lemon balanced the richness, and the shortbread added a nice crunch.
Love Street Bagels specialises in authentic New York-style bagels, boiled and baked. Photo: Sophia Brady.
Love Street Bagels
For something savoury, I made a beeline for Love Street Bagels.
There aren’t nearly enough fresh bagels in Canberra, so I struggle to walk past this stall without stopping.
Love Street Bagels specialises in authentic New York-style bagels, boiled and baked at its Fyshwick bakery before making the weekly trip to the market.
Standing at the stall, you face a dangerous number of options. Between the bagel varieties and flavoured schmears, it is easy to walk away with extras for home. Blueberry bagels and maple schmear certainly tempted me.
For breakfast, however, I leaned fully into the New Yorkness of it all and ordered a salmon bagel.
Filled with smoked salmon, lettuce and an ample spread of lox schmear with tomato, onion, dill and capers, it met all my expectations.
The bagel had that distinctive chew I am always looking for, while the schmear delivered plenty of flavour without masking the salmon.
Mulled apple juice infused with spices, orange juice and ginger. Photo: Sophia Brady.
Juice Circle
I tend to arrive already caffeinated, so I skip the coffee queues and instead find myself drawn to Juice Circle.
Surrounded by stalls packed with produce, it feels like the perfect place to order something made from the very ingredients being sold all around you.
On this particular cold winter morning, I was looking for warmth rather than refreshment.
The answer was a mulled apple juice infused with spices and orange juice. When asked whether I wanted ginger, I said yes immediately.
The resulting drink was fragrant and exactly what frozen market fingers needed. Generous chunks of ginger added a welcome kick and made it feel almost medicinal.
By the time I left, my boot was full of beautiful fresh supplies for the week, and what started as a quick breakfast had turned into a three-course meal.
Capital Region Farmers Market is inside Exhibition Park in Canberra and is accessible via Old Well Station Road, Mitchell. It happens every Saturday from 7 am to 11:30 am.
