There's a bit of contention at the moment about Farmers' Markets and just how good value they are.
Gary Francis, who created the $5 Deli, has come up with a range to address this bad press and it's a winner. All tubs of his antipasto delights weigh 250g and cost - obviously - $5. Even better if you buy four, the fifth is free. What this means is that for $20 you can have a stunning array of handmade deli products that would impress the snootiest of foodies.
So why is the quality so high? Possibly because Gary is a trained chef who has been in the hospitality game for 40 years. He's cooked at some of the best hotels in the world and for Prince Charles, the Queen, and the Sheik of Bahrain. Add to this the fact that products are made on a Friday to sell on Saturday and you'll start to get the picture. Expertise, good quality products, reasonable price point and supreme freshness. No-fail combination.
Our favourite of the range would have to be the pate. The only problem is you will probably never toss a supermarket variant in your trolley again after eating it. It is smooth, fresh and flavoursome and made from 95 per cent chicken liver with some speck, cream, garlic and onions thrown in for good measure. Perfect with fresh bread and a squeeze of lemon.
Another great product is the Israeli couscous salad with a gazpacho-style dressing. The dressing contains finely chopped veggies as well as big, fat, juicy capers and the parsley and spices give it a fabulous aroma to go with its exactly-tangy-enough taste. Gary also does a lovely duxelles with truffle oil which would be outstanding through risotto or pasta. He gets his black portobello mushrooms fresh from a supplier in Clevedon (Out of the Dark Mushrooms) for this one and they have a great earthy taste. We highly recommend the hummus too - especially the sundried tomato and feta flavour - and the tabouleh and babaganoush have an enormous following. Gary also imports fresh feta from Denmark (in 16 kg blocks which he cuts up the day before market) as well as olives, dolmades and an antipasto with perhaps the crunchiest gherkins you will ever taste.
