Imagine my excitement when I opened my Christmas gift from my sister to find a gift voucher for the Healesville Hotel and partners.  Not only was it the perfect gift for me but it is also the perfect segue for me to highlight why you must pay a visit to the ‘partners’ of the Healesville Hotel.

KITCHEN AND BUTCHER

To describe this retailer as a treasure trove of all things Yarra Valley would be close to perfect.  Entering the store you will instantly realise that a dash in and dash out approach may have been a little naïve.  There are shelves bursting with locally made sauces, confectionery, chutneys, oils, wine, tea… the list goes on.  You will be able to find all your entertaining needs within the walls of this old butchery.

I find perusing the shelves of a well-stocked provedore as intoxicating as an avid reader wandering the halls of a great library.  Before you know it you have been an hour longer than the ‘pop in’ originally intended.  Kitchen and Butcher is one such provedore, with  local products crying out to be taken home and put on a rustic wooden board next to the amazingly bity and aged to perfection cheese (that you just had to purchase from the aesthetically pleasing cheese case at the front counter). It is almost impossible to walk out empty handed.  I feel the need to explain in detail the treasures you will find within, to describe the beauty of the locally baked artisan breads, the plethora of local produce filling the deli case, the beautifully presented meat case offering you more than your average butcher (the sausages are ammmmmmazing), the Apiary Made range (including bees wax food wraps and natural, non toxic skincare!!) but I will restrain myself and just say – you will find all your Kitchen and Butcher needs at Kitchen and Butcher.

Kitchen and Butcher

Healesville Harvest

I would have to say that Helaesville Harvest has the perfect balance between ‘naughty and nice’.  As a mother, who is consciously trying to limit the amount of refined sugar in my children’s diets,  I was pleasantly surprised (and let’s just say, a lot excited) to discover raw, gluten free treats sitting next to your more traditionally indulgent delights.  Meringues lording it over chia and cacao cookies and raw snickers bars.  The usual foccacias and croissants neighbouring chia puddings and house salads.  If you are focusing on health and wellness this year or love indulging when out and about then pay a visit to Healaesville Harvest.  You will enjoy the choice of inside dining or feeling the sun on your face and the breeze caressing your shoulders out in the beer garden.  This is a modern, inviting addition to the historic Healesville Hotel and definitely a go to for this Mamma-Bear.

As you can imagine it is not going to be hard for this Yarra Valley obsessed blogger to spend one of her favourite gifts from Christmas.  If you would like to know more about one of Yarra Valley Life’s ‘must do’s’ then click here.