If you’re looking to experience true culinary delights this winter, head over to the Adelaide Showground Farmer’s Market (ASFM) where you’ll find one of its biggest fans: foodie aficionado and Master Chef favourite, Poh Ling Yeow, greeting customers at her whimsical Jamface stall.
On any given Sunday, enthusiastic crowds queue to say hi to Poh and try her delicious range of handmade goodies in conjunction with her best friend and co-owner, Sarah Rich. Mouthwatering selections include frangipani tarts, miso tahini cookies with honey buttercream, sweet potato rosemary pasties and cauliflower cheese pies.
Adelaide-based Poh says there’s something quite magical about a winter farmer’s market.
“I love everything about it,” she says, beaming. “The sense of community is even stronger in the colder months, everyone comes together to chat and compare recipes. I call it my ‘church’ as everyone is so supportive and customers are so loyal.”
Wandering beneath the grey skies in the crisp morning air, rows of stalls glow with the colour of fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables, the smell of homemade breads and pastries fills the air, and steaming cups of coffee warm cold hands.
Rugged-up locals, gathered for their weekly pilgrimage, expertly navigate trolleys and prams through the hundreds of stalls laden with fresh goods. Comically, children in strollers are often seen buried under bunches of leafy greens and other produce soon to be made into comforting meals.
The kids don’t seem to mind, though as they spy the nearest cake stall, keen for a Macaron or two.
Poh says she loves to hear the hearty sing-song cry of fruit and veggie stallholders calling out their best prices to attract customers. Seasonal winter specials currently include apples, pears, persimmons, rhubarb, bok choy, Jerusalem artichokes and Brussels sprouts.
“Being able to connect with my fellow stallholders and customers while knowing people are able to buy such superior goods is such a joy!” says Poh.
“When you have the chance to speak with the local farmers, you truly appreciate how much effort goes into bringing this produce to Adelaidians, and that makes any meal you prepare simply taste better.”
Adelaide Showground Farmer’s Market CEO, Christine Robertson, agrees, saying the market is a true family ritual for many.
“People arrive early in the morning for coffee, breakfast or brunch, and while parents shop, there’s plenty to entertain the kids, including live music, family-friendly activities and delicious food to distract them.
“Our market takes people back to a simpler time where a weekly shop includes chatting to local farmers while having access to wonderful seasonal fruit and vegetables.”
And if the weather gets too cool, warm up by heading straight to the indoor pavilion to finish the rest of the weekly shop, including not only Jamface delicacies but also a wide assortment of artisanal breads, cheeses, meats, fish, nuts and pastries.
There’s plenty more to discover at the Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market, too. As South Australia’s largest authentic farmers’ market, it’s home to around 80 to 90 stallholders each Sunday, with producers travelling from across the state to bring the very best of the season to the city. Everything sold is backed by the market’s Producer Guarantee, meaning it has been grown, raised, caught, harvested, baked or made by the person behind the stall.
It’s the perfect Sunday morning ritual where you can pick up your weekly produce, enjoy a coffee, chat with the people who grow and make your food, and linger a little longer to soak up the atmosphere. With live music or buskers most weekends, cooking demonstrations, Kids’ Club activities, tasting stations and a calendar of special events throughout the year, there’s always something happening. More than just a place to shop, the market is a gathering space where the community comes together each week. Visitors can keep an eye on the market’s online Events Calendar to discover what’s on this Sunday.
So while the weather gets colder, the ASFM atmosphere only gets warmer, a comforting, fun-for-the-family celebration of local produce and community.
ASFM opens from 8:30am to 12:30pm every Sunday. There are also free early morning yoga sessions from 7:50am before the market opens at 8:30am.
From June the ASFM will be offering reduced membership:
Standard Membership: $67
Concession Membership: $56
Memberships are valid until January 2027 and for new members include a complimentary Adelaide Farmers’ Market jute bag, with members receiving 10% off purchases at participating stalls.
For more information, click here.
To accommodate the incoming Royal Adelaide Show, the Farmer’s Market will move to the Leader St entrance of the Showgrounds for Sunday August 9th, 16th and 23rd.
During the Adelaide Show, the market will operate as a pop-up at Goodwood Primary School at 14 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood from August 30th through to Sunday September 20th, until it returns back to its usual domain on September 27th.
