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Bronni

Ash

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anthony

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vicky

5 questions with Moo & More

How Long have you been at Orange Grove Market?

Moo & More have been at Orange Grove Market since around 2008

We know at times you have had to put up a "gate" made from crates so you can actually finish setting up before trading, but what is the record number of milk/cheese/yoghurt you have sold in one day?

Being predominantly a Jersey dairy stall winter is our busiest time, with the exception of Easter & Christmas market time.  Our record for milk sales is 1076 litres at a single market (and that was just MILK!).

Best cheese day we sold 214 pieces

Best day for our exceptional tomatoes was a quarter of a tonne!

Before becoming a Moo'er, what was your previous life & why the change?

Both of us were in the Hospitality Industry for around 20 years and were/are dedicated foodies who genuinely enjoyed the interaction with people we met along the way.  But Tony is from the Land and was wanting to get back to it somehow, and as we were used to working long hours in hospitality, weekend market life was not an issue.

We wanted the independence of working for ourselves and promoting the things we believed in. The Moo part of Moo & More was born out of our close friendship and association with Malcolm Rose, a Jersey dairy farmer from Wooloomin near Tamworth.

Doing markets allowed us to bring Malcom's premium quality milk to Sydneysiders. Something that he simply could not achieve otherwise.  We love our market life and wouldn't change it for anything, inspite (or even despite) the early mornings & intense workload to ensure all our produce is the freshest you can buy.

(ps: for those who may already know, Malcolm's dairy was featured recently on Matt Moran's "Paddock to Plate" and take it from us, it's beyond sublime! and must buy each market!)

What is the best aspect of market life for the Moo'ers?

Without a doubt, the best aspect of market life are our customers.  Their loyalty and commitment to us has been humbling.  We love that they share their high's and low's with us, as we do with them.

We love the wonderful sense of community that exists between all of us - customers and stallholders.

We especially love the children that we have known since before they were born, who now walk in to our stall and say "Hi Libby!  Hi Tony!"

We know that you are strong supporters of "buy local" and helping to keep those on the Land keep on keeping on.  What more can we (as a community) do to keep this mantra alive and educate others?

We should all maintain integrity in what we do.  We should help our customers to understand their choices.  We should be generous with our knowledge and of our time.

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We would like to thank Libby & Tony for sharing their story with us and you can find them every Saturday, rain, hail or shine, and always but always with a smile. Word to the wise: get in early cause these guys sell out in a blink of an eye!

shouting out time!

Sheridan

www.sheridanrogers.com.au

6cleaningredients

piratically_incorrect

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make sure you check out Simon's blog on Bowen's "here"

iheartflamingo

Nicki

Alice

fermentitgood

g_l_0_w

Let's Talk Pasties....

Dick Plumb's Cornish Pasty Co.  Can you give us a brief history of how pasties came to play such a pivotal role in your life and when the concept of having a market stall became and reality and why

Firstly, I LOVE CORNISH PASTIES!!!

My family moved from London to Cornwall when I was 2 years old, so I grew up surrounded by the Cornish Pasty culture.  The Cornish people are fiercely proud of their Celtic heritage and the pasty plays a vital role in defining their "independence" from England.

I wanted to start selling Cornish Pasties here in Australia since my very first visit back in 1998, but I had to be patient.  Here we are, 15 years later, and I've made my dream a reality.  I made the decision to leave my corporate job and follow my passion in July last year (2013) and I've never looked back!

We see you are a member of the Cornish Association of NSW, moreover for doing a "Proper Job"!  No mean feat!  What credentials does one need in order to be recognised by this most austere Association and how long did it take you to attain said "ober da"

I approached the Cornish Association of NSW as I wanted to add authenticity to my product.  If I was going to do it, I needed to do it right and there are very poor limitations of this wonderful food item available here - I need to distinguish myself from those immediately, not just relying on taste!

In Europe the Cornish Pasty enjoys geographical protection status which means unless it has the original ingredients of Skirt Steak, Potato, Swede and Onion AND is made in Cornwall then it cannot bear the name "Cornish" pasty.

The President and Secretary (Chris & Joy Dunkerley) came to my stall, took half a dozen away for their ladies to try and the results was a 'YES' to it being an authentic product: Proper Job (Ober Da) as the Cornish say.

They critiqued every aspect of it and although it was mentioned that there were a few aspects that could be improved upon, it did meet all the criteria needed and I was given a thumbs up from everyone on the panel.  It was my first attempt too!  They presented me with my certificate the following week.

Since starting at market, you have literally smashed it out the door which is sensational positive reinforcement for you.  How did you first find us and what is the greatest number of pasties you have sold at one market.

I have always known of Orange Grove Market and indeed the other markets run by OFM and had been in contact with them several months prior to my starting.  Timing is everything I guess, so I had to be patient and work on my product before presenting it to such a cultured food audience.

The most I have every sold at one market to date is 150!

We are guessing there is a secret recipe for these beauties and your dedicated fans attest to their above and beyond taste sensation.  What is it about market life that keeps you grounded.

There really isn't any secret to the humble Cornish Pasty - it just takes the correct ingredients and a whole lot of love to make a delicious one!

I love market life.  It really has a community feel and I and my product have been welcomed with open arms.  I already have a dedicated following of repeat customers from the very young to the very experienced and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for my fledgling company.

How would you sum up the world of Dick Plumb's Cornish Pasty Co. in 5 words

I'll give you just 3 words: 

Heritage

Authenticity

Taste

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So if you haven't already, we strongly urge you to wrap your laughing gear around one of these heavenly creatures and when you do....we reckon you might just become enslaved to the world of Dick Plumb's Cornish Pasty!

Food Celebrations

We love stgram land as you know but did you know you can share your foodie experiences on Food Spotter?  You didn't!!!  Not to worry: here are some we "spotted" for you.

Wanna know who took these babies?  Guess you'll have to "spot" them yourselves but here's a hint: simply go to this great site, search 'Orange Grove' scroll down til you find our markets et voila!

now remember peeps: these are not our photos so respect to those who took them!

Orange Grove Love

Sanoma

Larrisa2017

Alice

Hannah

I Love Goat's Curd

kclaface