Dinner & Dessert Hunt at Queen Victoria Market
Before You Head In
A quick hello from Darren Purchese, celebrity chef, author, television personality and the designer of this experience.
On the Day: Queen Victoria Market
- •Aim to arrive at Queen Victoria Market between 12 and 1 pm to settle in before the hunt kicks off. The market is accessible via public transport, or there is open air and underground car parking available at the markets.
- •Complete the hunt first, then sit down for a bite to eat at the market between 2 and 4 pm before heading home for your cook along with Darren.
- •Hunt down each store below and collect everything on Darren's list — the logos will guide you.
💡 Tip: If you'd like a market map to help you navigate, head to the Information Hub at the corner of F Shed and Queen Street.
📍 Stop 1

A market regular who loved cheese so much, he never really left
Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 33–35.
- Thickened cream

Darren's recommendation
Gewürzhaus Herb & Spice Merchants
Over 350 single-origin spices, herbs and salts
Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 7–9
📍 Stop 2

A former market CEO swapped the boardroom for this deli counter
Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 17–20.
- Unsalted butter

Darren's recommendation
The French Shop
Some of the best pâté, terrines and imported French cheeses at the market
Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 1–2
📍 Stop 3

A second-generation family butchery built on a love of organic produce
Meat and Fish Hall, Shop MFR 16.
- Chicken thighs, skin on, bone in

Darren's recommendation
Market Lane Coffee
Melbourne's top specialty roastery, with a cafe in the Dairy Hall and several more cafes around the market perimeter
Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 73–76
📍 Stop 4

The kind of place that changes how you see a handful of nuts
A Shed, Stall 109–112.
- Palm sugar
- Almond flakes
- Castor sugar
- Fish sauce
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Brown rice

Darren's recommendation
Books for Cooks
One of Darren's favourite sources of culinary inspiration, with over 40,000 books on food, cooking and wine
Victoria Street, Shop VIC 115 (next to A Shed laneway)
📍 Stop 5

A fresh family arrival to the market, and already one of the best stops for premium produce
B Shed, Stall 20–26.
- Limes
- Lemon
- Bunch Thai basil
- Bunch coriander
- Bunch spring onions
- Birdseye chilli
- Lime leaves
- Stalk lemongrass
- Garlic head
- Knob of ginger
Optional: pick up some greens to serve with dinner. Darren recommends broccoli or snake beans!

Darren's recommendation
Lunara Delights
A fourth-generation family making authentic vegan-friendly Turkish delight from a traditional recipe
Centre of J & K Sheds
📍 Stop 6

Time for a well-earned bite! Sit back and relax at one of Darren's favourite spots, ReWine.
Aim to arrive between 2 and 4 pm. Let them know you have a booking under your name for AmazingCo. You'll enjoy:
- Pizza and small plates to share
- A glass of wine each
460 Queen Street, Melbourne. You'll find it across the road from the markets near the corner of Queen and Therry Streets.

Darren's recommendation
Brick Lane Market | Brick Lane Brewing Co
Fancy a craft brew before you head home?
466 Queen Street (corner of Queen and Therry Streets)
Got Everything? Let's Head Home
Double-check you've collected all the ingredients listed above before heading home to cook!
Cook With Darren
Follow Darren's step-by-step cooking tutorials and recipes to turn your market haul into a delicious dinner and dessert spread tonight.
We recommend making the posset dessert first, as it needs 2–3 hours to set in the fridge. Get it chilling before you start on dinner.
Lemon Posset with Almond Tuile
Ingredients
Lemon Posset
- 300 ml thickened cream
- 75 g castor sugar
- Zest of 1/4 lemon, finely grated
- 20 g lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Almond Tuile
- 30 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 30 g castor sugar
- Zest of 1/2 lemon, finely grated
- 40 g blanched almond flakes
- 8 g plain flour
Lemon Posset
- 600 ml thickened cream
- 150 g castor sugar
- 1/2 lemon, zest finely grated
- 40 g lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Almond Tuile
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 60 g castor sugar
- 1 lemon, zest finely grated
- 80 g blanched almond flakes
- 15 g plain flour
Method
Start the posset: Combine cream, sugar and lemon zest in a small saucepan.
In a separate bowl: Zest the remaining lemon in a spare bowl, set aside for the Almond Tuile.
Over medium heat Stir the posset mixture continuously until the sugar dissolves, but do not allow it to boil. Remove it from heat before it starts to simmer.
Add lemon: Stir in the lemon juice until thoroughly combined. Then pour the mixture through a sieve.
Set: Pour into glasses and refrigerate for 2–3 hours until set.
Tuile mix: Melt butter and combine with sugar, flour, and flaked almonds in the lemon zest bowl. Stir with a spatula until well mixed.
Flatten: Spoon half the mixture onto a sheet of baking paper and place another sheet on top. Use a rolling pin to roll as thin as possible between the two sheets. Refrigerate for 10 minutes and preheat oven to 180°C.
💡If you don't want to cook it all, uncooked mix keeps in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. To cook from cold, warm gently in the microwave for 10–20 seconds to loosen, then proceed to roll it out.
Bake the tuiles: Remove from the fridge and peel off the top sheet of paper. Place on an oven tray and bake for 10–12 minutes until golden brown and the nuts are toasted. Leave to cool on the tray.
Thai Chicken Tray Bake
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 birdseye chilli (more if you like it hot)
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 lime leaves, finely shredded
- 1 tbsp palm sugar, chopped
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised and finely chopped
- 1½ cloves garlic, grated or chopped
- ½ knob ginger (approx. 2 cm), grated or chopped
- 1½ tbsp fish sauce
- 1½ tbsp light soy sauce
- ¾ tbsp sesame oil
Chicken & To Serve
- 4 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
- 1 lime
- Small bunch Thai basil
- Small bunch coriander
- 1 spring onion, finely sliced
- 1 birdseye chilli, finely sliced
- Brown rice, to serve
- Additional lime wedges, to serve
- Optional greens, to serve (like green beans or broccoli)
Marinade
- 2 birdseye chillies (more if you like it hot)
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- 4 lime leaves, finely shredded
- 2 tbsp palm sugar, chopped
- 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, grated or chopped
- 1 knob ginger (approx. 4 cm), grated or chopped
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1½ tbsp sesame oil
Chicken & To Serve
- 8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
- 1–2 limes
- Small bunch Thai basil
- Small bunch coriander
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1–2 birdseye chillies, finely sliced
- Brown rice, to serve
- Additional lime wedges, to serve
- Optional greens, to serve (like green beans or broccoli)
Method
Prepare your marinade: Chop palm sugar, bruise and chop lemongrass, chop chilli to taste, shred the lime leaves, and grate the garlic and ginger. Combine all ingredients with fish sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil in a your baking dish. Mix well until the palm sugar dissolves completely and the flavours come together.
Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken and spring onions, keep the bone in for juicier, more deeply flavoured meat. Toss to coat thoroughly. Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, or longer if you have time. The longer the better.
Preheat oven to 180°C and take the chicken out to room temperature for 15-30 minutes.
Roast: Arrange the chicken skin-side up in a roasting pan and pour over all the marinade. Roast for 30 minutes, then increase to 220°C and roast for a further 10–15 minutes until the skin is crisp and golden, the meat is cooked through, and the pan is full of fragrant cooking juices.
Rice: When crisping the skin, get your rice and optional greens cooking so they're ready to serve. Cook as much as you'd like for dinner.
Prep the garnish: Wash Thai basil and coriander, then dry. Slice your spring onion and additional chilli to taste. And cut lime into wedges.
Rest: Remove from the oven and squeeze over some lime juice (keep some to serve). Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before serving to keep it juicy.
Serve: Spoon the chicken and its aromatic juices over brown rice. Add optional greens if using. Then scatter generously with prepped Thai basil, coriander, spring onion and optional extra chilli. To finish, serve with lime wedges on the side.
Lemon Posset with Almond Tuile
Method
Prep: Whip remaining cream to serve and break tuile into irregular pieces.
Serve: When ready to serve, top each posset with whipped cream, fresh lemon zest and pieces of almond tuile.
Store the tuile: Cooked tuile keeps in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
While You Cook & Eat
Click below for some extra activities!
