The Adelaide Central Market is known as one of the premiere food destinations in Australia while also being packed to the brim with local produce stocked by family run SA businesses. Every dollar you spend with SA businesses goes back into our fabulous state and supports local growers, workers and industries.
Hosting Easter can always be a tight squeeze for the budget, here are some of our top tips to make the most of your shopping trip to the Market.
Free parking on Saturdays
Let’s start with the basics, you can enjoy three hours FREE parking across the road from the Market at UPark Grote or UPark Andrew when you shop at the Market and validate your ticket at The Market Stall every Saturday. *Offer not valid at UPark Central Market
Spoilt for choice
One of the benefits of the Market is the number of traders under one roof. With over 70 traders you’re bound to get some great specials, but it pays to check each stall. Prices for fresh produce will vary between stalls and change as local supplies fluctuate.
Plan ahead
Go into your Market shopping with a game plan, pre-plan your Easter menu so you know exactly what you need. Not only will it save you time shopping but will ensure you’re not buying unnecessary items and you’re buying the correct quantities and not overbuying.
Embrace seasonality
Take advantage of South Australia’s beautiful, local, seasonal produce; it’s not only fresher, and will last so much longer – but often you’ll find it’s so much more affordable.
Get creative
Easter Menus don’t have to be traditional! It’s significantly cheaper to purchase a whole chicken, or a whole cut of meat than smaller individual portions. Choosing secondary cuts of meat can also save you money – a lamb shoulder melting away at low temperature overnight makes a magical feature dish packed with flavour – without needing to worry about juggling the timing of your protein on the day.
Planning to use every part of your ingredients can also spread your dollar further. Roasting carrots? Use the stems to make a zesty chimichurri or pesto instead of buying extra bunches of herbs. If you need lemon juice for a recipe, work the rind zested into another dish.
Embrace the ugly
You can often buy produce that’s a little misshapen or cosmetically blemished at a discounted price which can save some serious dosh. If you’re roasting ingredients, macerating strawberries or using them in stews/sauces they don’t need to be ‘supermarket perfect’ – they’re just as delicious and also helps support local growers – win win!
Buy only what you need
The Market has a number of stalls that offer scoop and weigh, allowing you to purchase the specific amount needed. Not only does it save on wasted product if you only need it for one
recipe but can be cheaper than buying a whole bag when you only need a couple of tablespoons. From spices to nuts, grains and even oils and honey, you’d be surprised what you can buy in quantities to suit your recipes. Less product waste = less money down the drain. Some will even provide a discount if you bring your own jar or container – just don’t forget to ask them to tare your vessel first.
Buy in Bulk
If you’re needing a lot of a specific ingredient, many Market traders offer a bulk discount and stock bigger quantities of items which can offer good savings when compared to conventional portions. Split a larger wheel of cheese across multiple grazing boards or portion and prepare a whole chicken in different ways for different meals.
Save the leftovers!
The beauty of a long weekend is that you have time to experiment. Save your leftovers and repurpose them for lunch the following day. Turn your leftover salmon into a quiche or frittata, stale hot cross buns can make delicious French toast or bread and butter pudding and leftover meat can make the best toasted sandwiches. With a quick polish grazing platters can discover a new life for the next long weekend catchup – there might even be some other leftovers you can add to the next board to mix things up!
Stick to a budget
Special occasions often cause people to overspend and overcater. Setting a budget and sticking to it is an important part of planning any meal or event. Your family and friends are there to spend time together, the food is secondary to good times and good memories.
Shop online
If the temptation to overspend on your Market visit is too great, the Adelaide Central Market also delivers more than 2000 products direct to your door. Traders will be hand-picking the best ingredients and delivering daily in the leadup to Easter, as well as Click & Collect Thursday afternoon. Shopping with the Market online can help make easy comparisons between products and prices and ensures you only buy what you need.
The Adelaide Central Market is open 7am – 7pm Thursday 28th March and 7am – 3pm Saturday 30th March. Enjoy live music, free kids activities and all your easter treats under one roof at one of the largest undercover fresh produce markets in the southern hemisphere.
For more information on Easter at the Market visit:
