The Essential Ingredient

Located in the newly trendy neighbourhood of Rozelle, where cafes and whole food restaurants are sprouting with the alacrity of mushrooms after a hearty rainfall, The Essential Ingredient is an elegant oasis for foodies that has expanded from its humble beginnings as a mail order business from home in Camperdown in 1986 to now encompass stores in Albury (473 a Dean Street, phone: +612-6041 4111), Canberra (25 Jardine Street, phone: +612-6295 7148), Newcastle (219 Darby Street, Cooks Hill, phone: +612-4926 1991), Orange (145 Summer Street, phone: +612-6361 8999), Prahran (Prahran Market, Elizabeth Street, South Yarra, VIC, phone: +613-9827 9047), and Rozelle. Stocking virtually everything a home cook needs to fortify her skills, The Essential Ingredient is an Aladdin’s Cave that yields cookware (think paella pans, pressure cookers and Vitamix blenders), kitchen equipment, gorgeous tableware from specialist brands like Cumella and Pordamsa, to ingredients as delightful as they are diverse. Browse through shelves that behold such goodies as squid ink, lentils, biscuits, foie gras, honeys, cookbooks, and confectionaries, and let yourself be tempted by the smorgasbord of gourmet goodies that you will doubtless have trouble paring down before you arrive at the checkout counter. Thoughtfully packed gift hampers, amazing cooking classes, and an Espresso Bar serving the multi-award winning Vella Nero coffee and light meals will add to the already exhaustive list of ways you can part with your money.