I love the Fruit Pedallers. It is a little bit like a little rabbit warren with lots of nooks and…read morecrannies to find yummy tidbits of organic produce. It can be hard to find exactly what you need if you are after something specific, as the shop is not laid out in a methodical manner, but for me this makes the shopping experience all the more enjoyable. Sometimes I think the staff at the Fruit Pedallers must think I'm a little fruity myself, when I spend hours browsing the shop only to come up to the counter with a bottle of milk and a cucumber, for example. Up until recently their fresh fruit and veg have been very very expensive. But with a recent change to their buying strategy, they have dropped prices significantly. Yay! Now we can all eat more organic food. Who knows I may even come up to the counter with a cucumber and a head of brocolli. They also have naturopaths on staff - where you can get some free advice (as long as you buy their awful tasting herbal mixtures of course) on your lingering cold etc.

The Fruit Pedallers is a ditty little health food shop on Westgarth's High Street selling all…read moremanner of organic whole foods alongside natural therapies such as naturopathy, homeopathy, massage, reflexology, aromatherapy, kinesiology, art therapy, acupuncture and more besides. In foodie slash health conscious Melbourne, where organic food stores are ostensibly a dime a dozen, The Fruit Pedallers is notable for its friendliness and excellent range of herbs and vitamins alongside fresh organic fruit and vegetables and a ruddy good selection of organic and fair trade chocolate. Its staff are helpful and extremely knowledgeable and although The Fruit Pedallers can be a little dearer than its competitors, this little Westgarth health food haunt is a local favourite, and with good reason. The Fruit Pedallers is a particularly good health food store to visit if you're in the market for vitamins or supplements and don't quite know what you're looking for. Excellent all round.

CERES - or Centre for Education & Research in Environmental Strategies - is a non-profit…read moreenvironmental and educational organisation and 'urban farm' situated in Melbourne's East Brunswick. Boasting a permaculture nursery, organic market, restaurant, cafe, function centre, educational programmes, workshops and courses and the occasional kick ass music festival and offering free entry to all, CERES is nothing less than an environmentally friendly; sustainable, and decidedly local Melbourne institution. I'd recommend a visit to CERES organic market and a trip to its cafe as well as a mozey around the environment park's nursery where you can buy plants to take home to your own urban oasis. And with all nursery staff 'qualified in Horticulture and Permaculture' and being passionate about teaching urbanites how to grow their own food, I promise you'll leave feeling a little less green.

If you haven't been here you absolutely must check it out. CERES named after the Roman goddess of…read moreagriculture, is a community run park with the goals largely set out by its acronym: Centre for Education & Research in Environental Strategies. In recent years they have moved to set up a bunch of community hub projects to get more people involved and help turn a profit for the cause. If you turn up to CERES you can walk around the park through the beautiful gardens and water features; or you can check out the fully fledged plant nursery, organic markets and the cafe. They also have an events centre called the Merri Table, which is a bar & function restaurant serving up organic food. The nursery is remarkably cheap and has a fantastic range of plants. They also have a station where you can return your old plastic plant pots or pick up free ones from others that have returned theirs. The market is set around the organic farm, which is a beautiful setting to buy the delectable range or organic food sold here 9am-2pm every Weds, Fri and Sat. And the cafe is set within the gardens of CERES and they serve up a range of food, drinks and coffee - which to be honest are all pretty average and overpriced. But then again the setting does kind of make up for that lack. CERES also hosts a range of outdoor music festivals and events, so keep an eye out on their website in case you miss out!

Oh sweet cheeses. So many beautiful bundles of cheese joy…read more Harper & Blohm have really cornered the niche cheese eating market, in this delightful slice of heaven. Located at the front of the Prince Wine store this is a match made in foodie heaven. The lovely ladies here have an impressive knowledge of all things cheese. And things to accompany all the cheese you have just purchased. Such as crackers, olives, pickled stuff. I'm always super cheeses impressed when someone can sell me a blue cheese based on my limited knowledge of what another prefers. With minimal assistance and some vague words the ladies pulled out a suitably blue cheesey cheese to suit the recipient and the bottle of wine for that evening. Once you've spoken to Olivia or her staff you understand and appreciate their love of cheese. Each piece is cut using and appropriate tool. Think wire, knives, guillotine. If you are unsure of your own cheese infused desired the ladies here will serve you up teeny tiny tastes and guide you through each individual cheese.

Beautifully little Suburban spot for picking up some delicious cheese! We dropped by here on a…read morerainy Friday night, then stopped next door for a bottle of wine, and BAM, our evening in front of the fireplace was sorted. Lovely, friendly service. They will be more than happy to give you some little tastings and make some suggestions from their lovely little collection of cheese. Check it if you're in the area!