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.

Queen Victoria Market map

📍 Stop 1

The Corner Larder

A market regular who loved cheese so much, he never really left

Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 33–35.

  • Thickened cream
Gewürzhaus

Darren's recommendation

Gewürzhaus Herb & Spice Merchants

Over 350 single-origin spices, herbs and salts

Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 7–9

📍 Stop 2

Bill's Farm

A former market CEO swapped the boardroom for this deli counter

Dairy Produce Hall, Shop 17–20.

  • Unsalted butter
The French Shop

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

Hagen's Organic Meat

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
Market Lane Coffee

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

Orchard Wholefoods

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
Books for Cooks

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

Sophia's Quality Produce

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!

Lunara Delights

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

ReWine

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.

Brick Lane Brewing Co

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

1

Start the posset: Combine cream, sugar and lemon zest in a small saucepan.

2

In a separate bowl: Zest the remaining lemon in a spare bowl, set aside for the Almond Tuile.

3

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.

4

Add lemon: Stir in the lemon juice until thoroughly combined. Then pour the mixture through a sieve.

5

Set: Pour into glasses and refrigerate for 2–3 hours until set.

6

Tuile mix: Melt butter and combine with sugar, flour, and flaked almonds in the lemon zest bowl. Stir with a spatula until well mixed.

7

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.

8

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

1

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.

2

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.

3

Preheat oven to 180°C and take the chicken out to room temperature for 15-30 minutes.

4

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.

5

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.

6

Prep the garnish: Wash Thai basil and coriander, then dry. Slice your spring onion and additional chilli to taste. And cut lime into wedges.

7

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.

8

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

1

Prep: Whip remaining cream to serve and break tuile into irregular pieces.

2

Serve: When ready to serve, top each posset with whipped cream, fresh lemon zest and pieces of almond tuile.

3

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!

Dinner & Dessert Games