50 greatest food stores in the world
From classic New York delis and Turkish mezes to German sausage shops ... let your tastebuds guide your next trip with our guide to the very best gourmet hot spots to whet your appetite.
This article appeared in issue six of Travel + Luxury magazine. Pick up a copy in The Australian on Friday, 21 April or explore the full edition.
From classic New York delis and Turkish mezes to German sausage shops, there’s no shortage of phenomenal food stores around the world. Let your tastebuds guide your next trip with our guide to the very best gourmet hot spots to whet your appetite for travel.
Victor Churchill, Melbourne
With its copper arches, marble floors and whimsical sausage-shaped brass drawer handles, Victor Churchill in Melbourne’s Armadale is not your average butcher. This high temple of rare meats, which opened last year as a sibling to its Sydney flagship, is the visionary handiwork of Anthony Puharich. It’s a repository of the country’s leading producers, including Stone Axe Fullblood wagyu, Rangers Valley beef, and Saskia Beer chicken. Wide-eyed patrons are drawn to its dry-ageing room, charcuterie counter and fridges filled with house-made rillettes, terrines and quiches. Fresh vegetables, breads and condiments round out the offering. At a dramatic marble-topped bar, patrons can sup on everything from fresh lobster to steak tartare. victorchurchill.com
Putnam Market, Saratoga Springs, New York
Visitors head to this charming upstate New York town for its historic racecourse, mineral springs and performing arts amphitheatre. Along Broadway is Putnam Market, where tourists and locals alike come for lunch and a spot of dessert. Order a sandwich, like the weekly grilled cheese special or the Catharine (roast free-range turkey, cheddar, bacon, avocado spread, sprouts and Russian dressing). Then meander to the grocery’s cheese section for a portion of the esoteric Hudson Valley Truffle Falls, a cow’s-milk variety flecked with black truffle and rubbed with white-truffle oil and garam masala. Don’t go past the rose-lychee macarons. putnammarket.com
Beachwood Bakery, Devon
Californian expat Julia Cotts started as a market stallholder in the village of Chagford in Devon. With help of funding from the local community she opened this jewel of a bakery, named after her neighbourhood in LA, just before the first lockdown. Try her renowned Village Loaf, an organic sourdough. Other favourites include spiced vegetable samosa, pastries, cakes, cinnamon buns, focaccias and freshly made soups. Her delicious coffee hails from Crediton coffee roasters, a local company. Her aim is to use as much local produce as possible and the long queues waiting patiently outside her door speak volumes. beachwoodbakery.com
Beppe E I Suoi Formaggi, Rome
According to food writer Rachel Roddy, this cosy store in the Ghetto district is the city’s foremost deli. The owner, Beppe Giovale, is from a family that have been making formaggi between their base in Val di Susa in Piedmont and summer pasture in Col du Petit Mont- Cenis in the French Alps since the 17th century. From their sheep, goats and rare-breed cows, they produce dozens of spectacular cheeses such as primosale, ricotta and il barà, and you can also find top-quality cured meats, wine and pasta. beppeeisuoiformaggi.it
Bottega Fratelli Ciapponi, Morbegno, Italy
Entering Ciapponi is like walking onto a Baz Luhrmann set. It has been there since 1883 and the original 19th-century signage is all present and correct. The shelves groan with cheeses, all aged in the cellars beneath the shop. Morbegno lies in the Valtellina Valley, east of Lake Como, and is celebrated for bitto, an aged Alpine cheese made from cow’s (sometimes goat’s) milk. There are cured meats, handmade pasta, polenta, dolcis, and Valtellin wines and grappas to tempt you, too. ciapponi.com
Butterfield Market, New York
In business on the Upper East Side for over a century, this market and deli has expanded during Covid to an airy new spot on Madison Avenue with even more room for cases full of delicious prepared foods: jumbo lump-crab cakes, hearty chicken pot pie, traditional Jewish “appetising” and sides galore. Loyal customers head here for the iced French cruller doughnuts (they sell out by noon), fruit tarts and soufflés, as well as freshly baked pizzas. Organic pressed juices, a frozen-yoghurt station and a coffee bar worthy of Italy round this out. butterfieldnyc.com
Casa Del Parmigiano, Venice
The food writer Skye McAlpine, who grew up in Venice, describes this tiny establishment in the heart of the Rialto market as “one of [her] favourite shops in the world”. The selection of cheeses is exquisite – think wheels of saffron-scented pecorino studded with black peppercorns, smoked ricotta and snowy- white fresh mascarpone layered with mild soft gorgonzola. Beyond the cheeses, there are all kinds of prosciutto, salami and cured meats, fresh pasta (especially good are the truffle agnolotti del plin), dried pasta and a colourful array of jarred goodies. The queues of Venetians waiting to be served stretch across the square.
Canter’s, Los Angeles
Legion are the Angelenos who have rocked up here at 2am after a show on the Sunset Strip to monster some corned beef or pastrami on rye. “Open 24 hours” is just one of Canter’s many loveable attributes. A sit-down restaurant with a vast takeaway and deli counter, it has been a feature of LA’s Fairfax District since 1948. It’s a perennial favourite with celebrities past and present, from Mel Brooks to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Barack Obama, who blew through in 2014 for a little kaffeeklatsch. The decor hews wonderfully true to the space’s mid-century heritage: vinyl banquettes, Sputnik lights and neon signage abound. cantersdeli.com
Goldhahn Und Sampson, Berlin
This northeast Berlin neighbourhood store heaves with pastas, pickles, preserves, tinned fish and bottled sauces (Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Colman’s mustard are both also welcome). There are Caribbean spices, cheese made from Jersey cow milk, Arctic sea-salt, bottles of sake and habanero chilli paste from Belize. It’s serious about arabica coffee too and, complete with a Chesterfield armchair, has a well- curated cookbook shop. There’s a second store across the city in Charlottenburg. goldhahnundsampson.de
Spring To Go, Notting Hill, London
Skye Gyngell’s new shop on Ledbury Road sells biodynamic flowers by Kitten Grayson, fruit and vegetables from both Heckfield Home Farm and Fern Verrow, delicious unhomogenised milk, cream, butter, yoghurt and cheese, as well as jams, cordials, pickles, breads and pastries, all made in the kitchens at her restaurant, Spring. There will also be a selection of ready meals, but it won’t be “restaurant-style food, rather the kind you really want to eat at home, delicious and comforting”. springrestaurant-shop.co.uk
Clarke’s, Notting Hill, London
Sally Clarke’s inspiration came from her friend and mentor Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, whose farm-to-table philosophy she introduced to London. Her Notting Hill restaurant has just reopened after lockdown, but it will continue to offer a home-delivery service of the main menu on a Friday and Saturday, and it’s business as usual again at her two bustling west London Sally Clarke shops. Her chicken, leek and mushroom pies are legendary and prepared from freshly roasted chickens every morning. There are also freshly baked breads, viennoiserie – think spring rhubarb or blood-orange Danish with pistachios – as well as a fabulous selection of Neal’s Yard cheeses and Clarke’s signature oatmeal biscuits. sallyclarke.com
2nd Avenue Deli, New York
Abe Lebewohl founded the 2nd Avenue Deli in 1954 on a corner of the East Village. In 1996 this beloved neighbourhood figure was murdered (the crime remains unsolved), but his family kept the certified kosher deli going. Today there are two locations (Midtown and the Upper East Side) run by Abe’s nephews, Josh and Jeremy Lebewohl. Regulars make a beeline for gigantic sandwiches stacked with house- made pastrami and corned beef, the famed chicken soup, chopped liver, and babka. It’s also one of the only places to still enjoy p’tcha (jellied calves’ feet), but interested parties should call in advance to confirm availability. 2ndavedeli.com
Cookbook, Los Angeles
This little sun-drenched shop in Echo Park doesn’t try to do a million things, but on any given day, you may find perfect tomatoes, local honey, salad leaves from a nearby farm – and regulars claim that it sells the best chicken pot pie in LA. On top of simple scrubbed wooden tables sit little vases stuffed with fresh herbs, and big ceramic bowls are filled with creamy viola aubergines, ripe Californian avocados, peaches and melons, and tiny chillies. Don’t miss the long strands of fresh farm sausages. And don’t leave without trying the newly baked cookies. cookbookla.com
Farmshop, Santa Monica
The historic Brentwood Country Mart is home to Farmshop, a California-inspired market, bakery and restaurant that highlights the best of artisanal, edible everything. Cheese lovers will delight in Central Coast Creamery’s Goat Gouda, as well as cheddar-style Beehive Cheese’s Barely Buzzed rubbed with lavender and espresso beans, while prepared foods including vegetable quiches, hearty soups and gluten-free financiers have earned Farmshop a dedicated fan base. This being LA, shelves are lined with organic oat milk, Saffron Latte Wellness Powder and Turmeric Spice Blend Goldyn Mylk – and you’ll feel better by just visiting. farmshopca.com
Gene’s Sausage Shop & Delicatessen, Chicago
Gene’s is a cured-meat lover’s mecca. Founded 50 years ago by brothers John and Gene Luszcz (and currently run by Gene’s daughter Yolanda and son Derek), Gene’s has three European smokehouses and makes 40 varieties of sausage, made from freshly butchered pork and beef and in natural casings with no preservatives. There are also 12 types of fresh bratwurst that change seasonally, eight hams, 25 house-made sliced deli meats and, it is said, the best chicken soup in Chicago. And that’s just on the ground floor – the first and second are stocked with goods imported primarily from Europe, and there’s a rooftop garden offering grilled sausages, beers and wines by the glass. genessausage.com
Barney Greengrass, New York
The faithful have flocked to Barney Greengrass’s Upper West Side storefront for decades, drawn by its smoked and cured fish and meats in an old-school interior with etched mirrors. Established in 1908, the business is now run by Barney’s grandson Gary, who suggests first-timers try his favourite sandwich: a mix of smoked whitefish and salmon with vegetable cream cheese and white onion on a toasted bialy. barneygreengrass.com
Call Your Mother, Washington
Set in a hot-pink former flower shop in Washington’s Georgetown neighbourhood, Call Your Mother is all about the bagel sandwich. Bestsellers include the Gleneagle, a za’atar-dusted bagel with lashings of candied salmon cream cheese and shallots, and the Sun City, a pastrami, egg, cheese and spicy-honey breakfast sandwich that can command an hour-long wait. Sandwiches on rye and challah, traditional black-and-white cookies and babka muffins round out this carb-lovers’ dream. callyourmotherdeli.com
Fish Butchery, Sydney
There are purveyors of seafood and then there’s Josh Niland – a completely different kettle of fish. At his second Fish Butchery, which surfaced earlier this year in Sydney’s Waterloo, Niland has a larger space to explore his innovative scale-to-tail approach to preparing, dry-ageing and eating sustainably caught and underused species. Behind a glass counter are daily specials, fridges are filled with temptations like prawn dumplings and albacore lasagne, while the takeaway counter offers knockouts options, such as Murray cod gyros and banh mi with scallop mortadella. fishbutchery.com.au
Erewhon, Los Angeles
LA is home to countless food stores, but few inspire the cult-like devotion of Erewhon. It is a shrine to everything organic, biodynamic and macrobiotic – pitched at those who are more than a little neurotic about what they consume. Collagen tea, raw pizza, nut cheese and medicinal mushrooms are like catnip for its well-heeled, calorie-obsessed and photogenic patrons. And, this being in LA, it’s also a celebrity bonanza: Jake Gyllenhaal, Kaia Gerber and Dakota Johnson are regulars. The original Beverly Boulevard store has expanded with six other outlets around the city, including in Venice and Santa Monica. erewhonmarket.com
Manteigaria Silva, Lisbon
In Portugal, Lisbon’s oldest grocery store is a feast for the senses with its wide array of Serra da Estrela cheeses and dry-cured hams dangling from the rafters, as well as its signature bacalhau (salted cod). manteigariasilva.pt
Gozde Sarkuteri, Istanbul
In the middle of the Kadikoy market on the Asian side of Istanbul, this is a must-visit for cheese, charcuterie, cured meats such as pastirma (the Levant region’s air-dried cured beef) and house-made mezes, as well as around 40 types of olive. Standout specialities are freshly prepared dolmas and charred eggplant salad. gozdesarkuteri.com.tr
Indigo Delicatessen, Mumbai
For Mumbaikars craving thin-crust pizzas and a frothy cappuccino, Indigo is the spot. But it’s just as much a destination for stocking up the larder, with a great choice of meats, cheese, wines, coffees, teas, pastas, sauces, tropical fruit pies and made-to-order cookies. indigodeli.com
Italo, Vauxhall, London
Set in a leafy square, this corner-shop deli was opened in 2008 by Luigi di Lieto (scion of the family who ran the Di Lieto bakery in Stockwell for 20 years), Charlie Boxer and Frank Boxer (son and grandson of food writer Arabella Boxer). They pride themselves on sourcing rarer items, such as Kouttone panettone, Grenada chocolate and Myatts Field honey, as well as on their highly readable community newsletters that combine food updates with resident notices. Perfect if you want to enrol in hula-hoop or steel-pan workshops. italodeli.co.uk
Meatsmith, Melbourne
With outlets in Fitzroy, St Kilda, Balwyn and Brighton, Meatsmith has a fervent following for its selection of ethical and sustainable meat, especially from Victoria. Acclaimed restaurateur Andrew McConnell and well-known butcher Troy Wheeler are behind these fastidious stores where the staff are adept at marinating, boning, rolling, and dry-ageing produce. The shelves are lined with pantry staples, cookbooks, kitchen essentials and wine from small-scale makers. meatsmith.com.au
Molinari, San Francisco
Established in 1896 in San Francisco’s historic Italian North Beach neighbourhood, Molinari’s is one of the oldest delicatessens in the US. The speciality here is Molinari’s own range of cured salumi, which are sold whole, sliced and in their famous Italian Combo sandwich. Be sure to try the Calabrese-style salami and mild coppa. Decades-aged balsamic vinegars are also on offer, as are addictive arancini. Make your decisions as you take in the schmaltzy soundtrack of Frank Sinatra and Perry Como. molinaridelisf.com
La Garriga, Madrid
There’s no shortage of excellent ham in Madrid, but the salty, gamey slices on offer at La Garriga are some of the best in town. Keep it simple with a bocadillo (sandwich) of jamón serrano or jamón Ibérico de bellota, a special variety made from free- range, acorn-fed pigs. The hanging pork legs on display may inspire you to pick up a few extra rashers to go. lagarriga.com
Ô Divin, Paris
Redha and Naoufel Zaïm – the brothers behind Ô Divin restaurant in the 17th arrondissement – also run two shops out east in the heart of Belleville. The épicerie sells a mouth-watering selection of artisanal foods (fennel sausages, rabbit pâté, 50 different wines, house-made lemonade and juice and locally roasted coffee), while the primeur store next door sources its vegetables from the Île-de-France and has an excellent choice of cheeses, dried fruits and, in season, truffles. odivin.fr
Rosalie Gourmet Market, Brisbane
From edible flowers to winter truffles, French brie to Turkish delight, Rosalie is a storehouse of more than 3,000 delicious items both local and global. An institution since 1997, the store in Brisbane’s Paddington is a family-run food hall. A cafe in the building serves breakfast and lunch seven days. rosaliegourmet.com.au
El Colmado, Bristol
This joyful Spanish deli and tapas bar is bursting with brilliant produce. Here you will find everything you would want to create the most delicious Spanish feast. Croquetas that you can take home and fry to a crisp sit alongside plates of cured meats, manchego, broad beans, chorizo, padrón chillies and salted almonds. And for breakfast there is the churro mix and chocolate milk. elcolmadobristol.co.uk
Culina, Singapore
Owned by hospitality maven Christina Ong (she of Como Hotels renown), Culina is where you come when you absolutely must have violet-fig confiture from Alain Milliat in Lyon, or free-range eggs from New Zealand, or anchovies and octopus from a family-owned purveyor on the Bay of Biscay in northern Spain, or tender organic Angus beef from Australia’s Margaret River. Not so much about the local, then, but utter nirvana for jetsetting expat gastronomes. There’s a sleek, absurdly comprehensive wine cellar – arguably the city’s strongest on fine French producers – and an even sleeker bistro. culina.com.sg
Lina Stores, Soho And King’s Cross, London
Lina Stores are renowned for their fresh handmade pasta; everything from fresh house-made pici and tagliatelle to truffled ricotta-filled agnolotti and the traditional gnocchi. They are also a repository of antipasti staples including prosciutto, pecorino and rosemary focaccia, chestnut-flavoured honey and extra virgin olive oil in handpainted ceramic vessels. linastores.co.uk
The Courtyard Dairy, Yorkshire
A stone barn in the Yorkshire Dales is the perfect setting for this renowned cheese shop, cafe and museum. Its cool atmosphere is ideal for ageing cheeses, and there is a vast selection, from soft and smelly to a towering cheese wedding cake. Run by Andy and Kathy Swinscoe, The Courtyard Dairy is the winner of numerous awards, including the Best New Cheese Retailer, Cheesemonger of the Year and runner-up for Yorkshire Food Destination of the Year. thecourtyarddairy.co.uk
Loaves & Fishes, Sagaponack, The Hamptons
Considered the best place in the Hamptons for fine foods to take away, Loaves & Fishes is famed for its grilled citrus salmon, chicken schnitzel and chunky fresh lobster salad. Savour house-made Sicilian pistachio ice-cream, salted-caramel spice cake and apricot galettes by beloved proprietress Sybille van Kempen’s pastry team, and stock up on local jams and freshly baked baguettes. loavesandfishes.us
Sahadi’s, Brooklyn, New York
This Atlantic Avenue trader has been every New Yorker’s go-to for all things rare, beautiful and tasty from the Middle East since 1948. Founded by a Lebanese family, it’s for you if fossicking among bins of grains, ground and whole spices, nuts and dried fruits is your idea of heaven. The olive bar stocks more than 30 varieties, and is matched by an equally prodigious olive oil range. The bakery turns out freshly baked Afghan and Syrian breads, honeyed sweets and a killer Turkish delight. sahadis.com
Múrria, Barcelona
The exterior of this landmark modernist shop, founded in 1898, is almost as spectacular as the tempting Catalán delicacies within. Part gallery (Ramón Casas paintings and posters line the windows), part gourmet grocery store, Múrria is an institution brimming with fine cheeses from different regions of Spain, as well as wines, Iberian ham and the canned conservas – salt-cured anchovies, razor clams and cockles – that are sought-after local specialities. murria.cat
Meat & Cheese, Aspen
Should you want to assemble a picnic for a day on the slopes or a summer hike, there’s no better place than Meat & Cheese, a restaurant and farm shop on Aspen’s Restaurant Row. There’s a robust charcuterie and cheese selection, as the name would suggest. Accessorise your provisions with Colorado Mountain Honey, marinated feta and olives, and a bottle of natural wine. meatcheese.avalancheaspen.com
Mascari, Venice
A hidden gem near the Rialto market, family-run Mascari has remained delightfully unchanged since it opened its doors in 1948. The windows are brimming with dried fruits, nuts, Italian sweets, spices and indecently large dishes of that Italian delicacy mostarda di Cremona (mustardy glacé fruits that are served with meat or cheese). Inside you will find jars upon jars of honey, jams and pasta sauces, and an incomparable selection of chocolate and marzipan. At the back is the liquor room – floor to ceiling with bottles, all with iconic worth-buying- just-for-the-label branding, as only Italy knows how to do. imascari.com
Le Zingam, Paris
This épicerie du quartier opened in late 2014 on rue du Chemin Vert with a mission to bring fresh produce direct from farmers to the residents of the 11th arrondissement. The shop is a riot of produce: sheep’s cheeses from the Pyrénées, house-made gazpacho from the Ardèche, honey from Indre, oysters from Brittany, craft beers and natural wines. There’s a second store on rue de la Fontaine au Roi, a third on rue des Martyrs, and an organic market twice a week on place du Père Chaillet. lezingam.com
Macelleria Norcineria Sergio Falaschi, San Miniato, Italy
Sergio Falaschi is a fourth-generation butcher who sells his own salumi including prosciutto and sausages from his shop in historic San Miniato in the Tuscan hills. He also makes his own bottled sauces and, pickles and has a nice selection of natural wines. The white-truffle sausages in autumn and early winter are standouts. sergiofalaschi.com
Manuel Tavares, Lisbon
This bustling produce and wine shop in the centre of Lisbon dates from 1860. Staff wear trademark striped red aprons and white shirts, and you can find fabulous cheeses from Alentejo and Azeitão, boar and deer chorizos, Algarve fig cake and black tea from the Azores. It is also known for its wide selection of nuts and dried fruits. Be sure to try the presunto (dry-cured ham) from Barrancos. manueltavares.com
Paddington Alimentari, Sydney
This homey traiteur-takeaway has been doing the elevated-Italian basics masterfully for almost two decades. Owner Laraine Russo is still the one wrapping your cheese or tissue-thin slices of coppa most days; the standards – panini and arancini, salumi and mixed platters, a few pre-made pastas – are all top. But the desserts are next level, and among them, the torta di ricotta deserves an honorific. facebook.com/paddington.alimentari
Panzer’s Deli, St John’s Wood, London
A stalwart of seven decades, London’s original Jewish deli is these days a destination for all manner of fine and rare global foods. Beyond what is indisputably the city’s best bagel, there are full charcuterie and cheese counters, natural and kosher wines, a sigh-worthy array of exotic fruit and vegetables, guilty-pleasure US classics (keep your scones; give me Bisquick), corn tortillas from Mexico and a slew of own-brand chutneys, marmalades, granolas and pestos. And excellent coffee. And sushi. And insanely delicious tahini cookies. Just go already. panzers.co.uk
Peck, Milan
Known simply as the “temple of Italian gastronomy”, this Milanese institution needs little introduction: meat, seafood, cheese, chocolate, pastries, pasta, gelato. In addition to the staggering selection of food, there’s a wine cellar downstairs and an in-house cafe offering canapes and freshly made pastries. peck.it
Rogacki, Berlin
Run by Dietmar Rogacki, grandson of the original owners, this Berlin institution is a sprawling emporium selling cheese, game, poultry, sausages, bread, salad … It’s all delicious, but Rogacki, which started as an eel and fish smokehouse back in the late 1920s, remains rightfully famous for the more than 70 types of fresh, smoked and live fish it sells, from classic rollmops to smoked eel and swordfish. rogacki.de
Spring Street Grocer, Melbourne
Office workers, gourmands and tourists have long converged on this food emporium near Parliament House. It offers a considered array of charcuterie, fruit and vegetables, and pantry essentials, as well as take-home meals prepared in-house. Gelateria Primavera serves up hand-churned gelato, while a subterranean cheese cellar holds a wide selection of farmhouse and artisanal varieties from Australia and abroad. springstreetgrocer.com.au
Russ & Daughters, New York
At this Lower East Side Jewish deli you’ll find every social demographic in the city waving their ticket and shouting over one another to get what they want. For everything from pickles to pastrami-cured salmon, chicken soup to chopped liver, this is the place to go. A client from London recently wanted to send her daughter, who lives in New York City, some chicken soup. She spent 30 minutes discussing all the different options with the staffer on the other end of the phone: noodles or matzo balls, kreplach or everything together? When they finished, she said, “Thank you for letting me take up so much of your time.” The woman replied, “I’m a mother, it’s what we’re here for!” russanddaughterscafe.com
Roscioli Salumeria Con Cucina, Rome
Brothers Alessandro and Pierluigi run one of the tightest shows in town, with various other Rosciolis and Rosciolis-in-law manning the till, pouring the spumante, or even making the (fantastic, heavy on the ’70s classics) playlists. The charcuterie and cheese ranges – whether Italian or non-Italian – are basically unrivalled. There’s a sharp, modern wine edit, courtesy of sommelier Maurizio Paparello (he’s the one with the nearly waist-length dreadlocks); the packaged foods, from Cantabrico anchovies and gourmet tunas to verdure sott’olio (vegetables marinated in olive oil) and classic Roman pasta kits (carbonara, amatriciana, cacio e pepe) are top of the class. shop.roscioli.com
Supermarket Of Dreams, Holland Park, London
One of the great successes of lockdown, this west London hotspot was the brainchild of dynamic Melbourne-born entrepreneur Chris D’Sylva, who also owns the Notting Hill Fish + Meat shop. “It’s like going to [nightclub] Pacha to buy your vegetables,” said one client, observing the queues of people dressed like clubbers who hang out around the door. The high-end offer includes sushi prepared by one of the 12 sushi chefs, and collaborations on takeaway dishes from Coombeshead, Roka, Padella and Ottolenghi. The venture recently underwent a stylish refurb. supermarketofdreams.com
Simon Johnson, Sydney
Known as the store where chefs shop, Simon Johnson offers a cornucopia of gourmet delicacies sourced from around the globe: Ortiz sardines from Spain, Valrhona cocoa powder from France, and Siberian caviar. The Sydney-based brand has five stores in its network, including in Melbourne and Perth. simonjohnson.com
Valvona & Crolla, Edinburgh
Scotland’s oldest delicatessen was founded in 1934 by two Italian immigrant families and is now run by the grandson of original co-proprietor Alfona Crolla. It’s an Aladdin’s cave of gourmet produce with salami and Parma hams dangling from the ceiling and shelves packed to the rafters with Italian and Scottish delicacies, including the family speciality, a spicy Fonteluna sausage made using a centuries-old recipe. valvonacrolla.co.uk
This story was first published in The Financial Times.
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