Paddock to plate perfection at Pialligo

The Farm Shop Café has only just opened for business and people are already ordering breakfast and a group of mums are steering their prams down the ramp to the tables set conveniently close to the gated playground.

The café, Pialligo Estate’s newest innovation, has only just settled into its home on Beltana Rd at the Plot. The Plot is a community space that incorporates the café, Possum Patch, Pialligo Estate Academy, Wren & Rabbit and Flamingo & Sass. Other exciting businesses are opening soon.

Possum Patch is next door with their own playground and children’s event centre, so parents can come to the café for coffee and order some food while the party runs. Their school holiday program started this week and it’s built in a way that you can create a bespoke holiday program with food-related activities that you know your kids will love.

“We’re a community and we’re all coming together to complement each other to build a beautiful space,” explains café manager Leonie.

Meandering charmingly through a country garden atmosphere, the café’s seating spills out into three outdoor nooks as well as onto a covered deck.

“It is great for events,” says Leonie. “We fill the place with candles and put some love into making the space inviting.”

The café relies on seasonal produce: what’s on the plate is driven by what’s coming out of the gardens. Menus are delicious, rustically beautiful yet straightforward, wholesome and packed full of flavour.

“We don’t want to compete with our restaurants. This is a short-order café. The gardener walks in and gives us a heads up of what is going on in the gardens and we go with that. We are walking distance from our olive grove, market gardens, orchard and event spaces.”

Literally paddock to plate.

“We have a lot of produce and try to supply as much as possible from the market garden to all our food outlets. We have always done lots of jams and other preserving. We have jars of passata, bbq sauce. We also have the Smokehouse.”

“The thought behind The Farm Shop café was: let’s pull it all together and put it all in one shop, where we have the full range of Pialligo products. We also have a bulging business of hampers and hams, too, which are strong at Christmas time, naturally, and The Farm Shop Café is now a more convenient pickup point for those.”

Next weekend, the Plot will be transformed as they host the Christmas markets. Bring the family with you, browse stalls stocked with beautiful products, mouth-watering meals and snacks, and drinks to quench everyone’s thirst. The sensory playground will delight and stimulate the kids.

Grab a bag and walk through the beautiful shop area with its broad range of award-winning Smokehouse products, and other Estate-grown/made products like chutneys, oils, jams and more. Wine is also available (to consume or purchase).

Set out like a provedore, the shop stocks high-quality items such as brew coffee, gourmet biscuits and … cheese.

Leonie has sourced specialty, handmade cheeses. The organic and luxurious Pines Kiama cheese sits beside Pecora cheese “which has won every award”.

Leonie is obviously passionate about quality produce and about bringing people together over good food.

“Come in and make a hamper filled with gourmet goodies. We have recipe cards and we have bacon salt as well. Next week, all our Christmas puddings will be in stock, along with our brandy butters. If you don’t know how to glaze a ham, we have a sheet with instructions and recipe. We have recipe cards on how to use the smoked meats and other Pialligo products. It’s a delicious place to visit!”

Hampers can also be ordered online.

The Farm Shop Café is located at 12 Beltana Rd in Pialligo.

They are open Wednesday to Sunday from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm.

Please note that they do not take weekend bookings.

Visit their Facebook page or their website to learn more or to contact the Farm Shop Café.

Original Article published by Michelle Taylor on The RiotACT.