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Our pick of Melbourne's produce boxes

Gemima Cody
Gemima Cody

Chef Brigitte Hafner is using her Red Hill wood-fired oven and farm to create Osteria Tedesca produce boxes.
Chef Brigitte Hafner is using her Red Hill wood-fired oven and farm to create Osteria Tedesca produce boxes.James Broadway

By the time the lockdown is over, we may finally have learnt to shop as we should: supporting locals businesses who are supporting our local producers. You can start right now by backing away from the canned goods aisle of the supermarket and turning to produce boxes from your local grocers, butchers and restaurants-turned-provedores.

Osteria Tedesca

Chef Brigitte Hafner had just opened Victoria's most exciting new restaurant, Osteria Tedesca. Now she's using her Red Hill wood-fired oven and farm to pack lockdown survival boxes (pictured above) starring her own produce, fresh breads and babkas, meals such as chicken and wild mushroom casserole, comte, and a bottle of wine. tedesca.com.au

Johnny Di Francesco at 400 Gradi, his pizza restaurant in Melbourne.
Johnny Di Francesco at 400 Gradi, his pizza restaurant in Melbourne.Kathy Tran
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Gradi Supermarket

So you've decided to finally try making pizza, pasta and focaccia? What a shame everyone has nicked all the flour. Luckily, Johnny di Francesco has opened Gradi Supermarket at a Brunswick East warehouse, where you can buy 25kg sacks of sweet 00 flour, pre-made pasta, sauces, primo tomatoes, mozzarella by the bucketload and smallgoods such as prosciutto and mortadella. If you get hungry while browsing, order a pizza to go from the front. Delivery also available. 314-316 Lygon Street, Brunswick East

O.My

Out at Beaconsfield, two-hatted farm-to-table restaurant O.My is giving locals access to its bountiful kitchen gardens. Weekly boxes are packed with all their heirloom vegetables, plus a loaf of sourdough and a rotating selection of pantry staples such as soups, pickles, fresh pasta and their infused oils. You can add items from Good Fish (a sustainable fishing project) and plunder the cellar while you're at it. Pick-up only. omyrestaurant.com.au

Little Black Pig and Sons' produce box.
Little Black Pig and Sons' produce box. Supplied
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Little Black Pig and Sons

This is a serious Italian party pack. You can get slow-roasted lamb shoulder, porchetta, a family-size Wonder Pies pie, fruit and vegetables, fresh pasta and multiple sauces, salads and a six-pack of wines. Free delivery within 15km of the Heidelberg restaurant. littleblackpigandsons.com

The dairy essentials box from Maker and Monger.
The dairy essentials box from Maker and Monger.Anthony Femia

Maker and Monger

Anthony Femia's church of cheese at Prahran Market remains an essential service, but if you can't get there, get online. You can now order the famous cheese grills (to finish at home), consult a cheesemonger to choose a range from the cabinet, or let them send you their selection. As well as top-shelf cheeses such as L'artisan haloumi, comte, and clothbound cheddar, you get some of Damien Pike's leeks, Butterfly Factory milk, sourdough and the finest of butters. Delivery is free within 5km of South Yarra.

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The Windsor is selling high-end produce.
The Windsor is selling high-end produce.Supplied

Windsor Gift Shop

The Hotel Windsor is offering boxes of the premium meats and produce used by its sister restaurants Sunda and Lekker, as well as heat-and-eat meals from its star chefs Khanh Nguyen and Rob Kabboord. The $200 all-in box contains an impressive mix of fresh and raw goods and meals, or you can pick and mix items such as Nguyen's XO sauce and famous Vegemite curry dip. You can even buy wines from both restaurants' cellars and the hotel's own Afternoon Tea blend. Pick-up only. giftshop.thehotelwindsor.com.au/windsor-take-away

Fruit and veg boxes

Florists Flowers Vasette and Victoria Whitelaw have switched to fruit and veg boxes, adding optional blooms to boxes and tying it all up with a bow. Northside Fruit and Veg, a supplier to numerous restaurants, is packing supplies including specialty gear like lion's mane mushrooms. Servicing the south-eastern suburbs, vegetable wholesaler Early'n'Fresh is offering the same service, with next-day delivery.

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Gemima CodyGemima Cody is former chief restaurant critic for The Age and Good Food.

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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/goodfood/eating-out/our-pick-of-melbournes-produce-boxes-20200410-h1na6f.html