After a few months of procrastination and encouragement turned ‘have you started your blog yet?’ I’ve finally gotten around to writing my first post for The Date Jar! It’s all a little bit exciting.

What better way to kick off my blog than with a food related date idea… my favourite topic of all time. Over the past few years, I’ve organised my fair share of cheese platter dates, they rate pretty highly in my favourite things to do, who doesn’t love cheese, wine and good conversation? It’s pretty easy to head to the shops, pick out your favourite cheeses, some meats, pair it with a glass of wine and sit back and relax. Lately, however, we have started to indulge a little more, making not only eating  a cheese platter a date, but the gathering a cheese plate something special also.

Adelaide has some pretty amazing markets and deli’s, and don’t get me wrong, the supermarket is a great way to make a cheese platter, particularly in a rush. But if you’re after a foo die experience or something a little more fresh and gourmet we have the answer for you!

The Barossa Farmers Market  has been on my to do list for a long time (almost two years.. eek!) and although its within a half hour drive from us we just haven’t found the time. But now we’ve been, boy have we been missing out!

Held every Saturday morning,  the Barossa Farmers Market offers the perfect opportunity to gather some amazing goodies for that perfect cheese platter. Hosting a variety of local stalls, from fresh sourdough, baked goods, meats, fresh fruit, cheese, jams and conserves, chocolates and even plants, you’re sure to find something to whet your appetite!

Cash is an absolute must when visiting this market, although there is an ATM in a corner of the old shed, don’t rely on it being in order – if we’d relied on it we would have got to see all this amazing foodie goodness, but not taste it so please please don’t forget the cash! History has proven we can’t be trusted at markets, and have spent a fair amount of money when we do so we decided to budget taking $50 for our gourmet platter.

Within half an hour the cash was gone, our hands were full of locally made Vino Cotto (not so much for the platter than for our pantry at home), a loaf of freshly baked sour dough, some fresh figs, two rounds of Adelaide Hills cheese (1x Double Brie and 1x Camembert), a strawberry white chocolate tart, two blueberry and custard danishes and some dried pears.

Note: because we ran out of cash, the ATM wasn’t working and our hands were full  we missed out on the meats, so we may have made a pit stop on the way home at Tanunda to pick up some deli meats because really a cheese platter isn’t complete without meat especially when it’s a dinner!

The atmosphere at the Barossa Farmers Market is fantastic, full of people young and old enjoying the smells and tasting the food on offer. Even though we were there a little later in the morning the place was packed, and as we left more cars continued rolling in. This is a fantastic example of local community, amazing South Australian produce and a great morning out that can be enjoyed as a date, as a family or with friends.

It took every ounce of our discipline not to start picking at our goodies until the evening, but I am so glad we did.

Here’s a picture of  the end product, our gourmet cheese platter, enjoyed at home:

(Kellemeister Allicante Rose, Maxwell Sparkling Mead, Adelaide Hills Double Brie Cheese, dried pears, chilli salami, ham off the bone, fresh sourdough with olive oil and balsamic). Tip of the date – if you haven’t already discovered the delicious combination of dried pear and a soft cheese like double brie – I recommend you try it… like now, every minute you wait is wasted! Even though I’m a big fan of fruit pastes, chilli jams, and dried fig with cheese, this pear combination just blew me out of the water!

And of course this date didn’t just involve two, there were three of us at dinner with Piper lurking around the table waiting for some ham…

The Barossa Farmers Market runs every Saturday, 7:30 – 11:30am on the corner of Nuriootpa and Stockwell Roads in Angaston. Check out their website for more details of store holders, twighlight markets and directions, here. ‎

Recommendations:

– bring $$ and if (like us) you have no will power and want to try and buy everything set a budget!

– bring carry bags so you can buy more than your hands can carry.

– find some where relaxing to enjoy your platter!