Where to warm up at the Market: a winter breakfast guide

There is something deeply satisfying about a winter Saturday morning at the Capital Region Farmers Market. You step out of the cold and into the buzz of the Market shed, the smell of coffee and fresh bread cuts through the chill, and within minutes you have something piping hot in your hands. Breakfast at the Market is not just a meal, it is the reward for getting out from under the doona on a cold Canberra morning and supporting local and regional farmers, growers and producers. Here is your guide to warming up this winter, one stall at a time.

Start with a bowl of porridge

For the porridge faithful, Oatmeal CBR/The Hot Skillet is the place to start. Their warming bowls of porridge are made to order with a rotating menu of seasonal toppings, from sticky stewed apple with cinnamon, to maple, banana and toasted coconut. It is breakfast that tastes like a warm hug, and on a cold morning at EPIC, what could be more welcoming. Grab a bowl, find a spot in the winter sun and let the steam do its thing.

Bagels worth the queue

If you prefer something more savoury, head straight for Love Street Bagels. Their bagels are hand-rolled, boiled and baked the proper way, with that gorgeous chewy crust and pillowy inside you can only get from a real bagel. The classic order is cream cheese and smoked salmon, but they also load them with everything from omelettes and bacon to sausage, cheese and tomato. They have a knack for selling out, so do not dawdle on your way through.

Pan to plate – fresh crepes made right in front of you

For something cooked fresh while you wait, Flat Out Creperie is hard to beat. Watch as paper-thin crepes hit the hot plate, then get folded around fillings that are either sweet or savoury, from ham and gruyere, to Nutella, banana and strawberries. There is something quietly magical about a crepe being made just for you on a cold morning.

Savoury and substantial – crumpets, pies and gozleme

When you want something with a bit more weight to it, the Market delivers. Whisk’d Away plates up hot breakfast classics with proper care with homemade crumpets with a variety of toppings, plus delicious lemon butter – the kind of feed that sets you up for the rest of the day. Canan House Turkish Gozleme rolls out their signature savoury flatbreads, stuffed with spinach and feta or seasoned lamb mince, hot off the griddle. Gum Tree Pies has handmade pies that hit the spot when only a steaming pie will do.

Around the world – international flavours hot off the griddle

If your idea of a great breakfast involves something hot, hand-made and from another part of the world, the Market has you covered. For Ten brings the comfort of Chinese favourites, with spring rolls, fried rice and dumplings cooked up fresh. Gyoza Guy is the place to head for specialty Japanese dumplings, pan-fried to a beautiful golden crisp. For something heartier, The Brathaus serves a proper German sausage on a fresh bread roll with sauerkraut, the kind of breakfast that sets you up for a long winter walk. Meze Mediterranean dishes up beautiful Turkish treats, and Creme n’ Sugar Indian Cuisine brings the spice with a selection of hot Indian dosas, made fresh on the griddle.

Paddock to plate – breakfast from the farmers themselves

For a true paddock to plate experience, you cannot go past our farm producers who cook up a mean breakfast. Try the classic egg and bacon roll from Bungaree Free Range Eggs, or a sausage sandwich from Claystone Meats that has travelled all of about a metre from their butcher’s counter. Kurrajong Meats create everything on the farm, from the produce right through to the pies themselves. And Majestic Mushrooms turn the very same mushrooms you can take home with you into hot breakfast treats. Have you tried their waffle cone mushrooms? They are every bit as good as they sound.

Wash it all down with fresh coffee and juices

You cannot do breakfast without a proper coffee and the Market has you covered. Jindebah Hills Coffee has been a fixture for years and pulls a consistently excellent brew. Wagonga Coffee and Unscripted Fermentation & Coffee round out the line-up, each with their own loyal following and their own take on the perfect cup. And if coffee is not your thing, Juice Circle does fresh-pressed juices that are basically liquid sunshine on a grey winter day.

Make a Market breakfast your weekly ritual

A Saturday breakfast at the Market is more than just a feed. It is a chance to slow down, support the stallholders who turn up before sunrise every week, and feel part of something that has been built over more than twenty years. Every dollar you spend on breakfast helps fund the community and humanitarian projects the Rotary Club of Hall supports across the region. Now there is a reason to order seconds.