Early last Sunday morning, rain falling, I was moseying about the market when across the way from the muddy potatoes and tangled roots of horseradish I spied Jamface out of the corner of my eye. Here at the Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market, among the lemon bergamot pears and earthy winter vegetables, this bespoke stall is so gorgeously presented that a magazine stylist may well have waved a wand over it. 

Artfully arranged with a hefty dose of panache and a cheeky, fun logo, I should have known that Poh had something to do with it!

Newcomer Jamface by Poh is the latest venture of the enthusiastic and multi-talented Poh Ling Yeow, who finished runner-up in the first season of MasterChef Australia (remember those cake decorating skills!) and went on to have her own cooking show, Poh’s Kitchen. She is also an author and a professional artist, which shows in the creative detail here.

Iced with style, the whimsical counter is laden with delicious cakes and pastries – at once rustic French provincial and bountiful country-Australian spread. There are glazed madeleines, apricot crumble tartlets and voluptuous clouds of fluffy meringue, the smooth mixture swirled with chocolate. The pastry layers in the Milly Fillys look so crisp that these vanilla mille-feuilles could have been ‘made to order’ in a Paris pâtisserie! Oh, and there are orange melting moments sandwiched with cream cheese and Grand Marnier, chewy Anzac biscuits and gluten-free chocolate hazelnut cake. Homemade with love and local, organic ingredients, it all feels so generous, wholesome and accessible, with a touch of CWA. 

Looking closer, there is a plum tart, and cheddar crusted apple pies with brandy anglaise, best eaten with the hot custard poured into those dainty little holes. And dark chocolate beetroot cake sandwiched with orange cream cheese frosting and covered in dark chocolate ganache. Shall I go on?

Launched a few weeks ago with Poh’s partners, the delightful stand also sells a range of homemade jams and pasta sauces, pot-set natural yoghurts and pan-fried pizzettas. A quirky sign announces ‘Pizza Fritta, Neapolitan pan-fried pizza with our two timing tomato sauce’.

I found myself ogling the golden chaussons, simply named Paris Pasties. These turnovers of cheddar-crusted pastry are filled with savoury delights such as caramelised onion & thyme, potato & parsley, and roasted sweet potato & rosemary – warming parcels of pleasure to tuck into on this cold July morning. 

On Sundays, you’ll find Jamface by Poh at both The Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market and The Market Shed on Holland, the newest food market in Adelaide with an emphasis on organic, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free fare.

So tuck in with gusto and get some jam on your face!

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Some things are meant to be for on the way I stumbled upon the sweetest little spot. Nestled right against the ancient steps is Soul Kitchen, a coffee shop with a delightfully warm feel run by three lovely women who make everything in-house. There’s a wonderfully-worn patterned tiled floor, mismatched, painted chairs and a counter filled with homemade goods freshly baked each morning. There’s even ANZAC biscuits.

The formule P’tit Dej is 11 € and includes a hot drink, fresh juice and the choice of a giant muffin, a scone, a bowl of organic granola or a tartine baguette from the neighbourhood boulangerie. I opted for the tartine served with traditionally churned Pamplie butter and a little pot of homemade strawberry confiture. One of the women hails from the Alsace region and drives up to get the fruit in bulk to make their jam.

The chewy baguette was excellent but it’s the coffee that will draw Australians here. A good latte has always been notoriously difficult to find in Paris but in the past two or three years the coffee scene has really started to evolve. Interestingly, the renaissance is being led by a number of Australians and I’m told that the local roaster who supplies Soul Kitchen worked in Oz.

As I checked my emails (yes there is Wifi) locals streamed in and out. There’s a cupboard full of board games and at the next table a father and his little boy were playing Qui Est-Ce, a French game for children that my girls adored. The small lunch menu is posted on facebook daily and includes healthy soups, salads, vegetable tarts and pissaladières. Yesterday there was Mexican soup with jalapeno cornbread, and a pichade with rocket, coppa (cured pork) and homemade pistou. Cakes are freshly baked for the afternoon and change every day.

After lolling about with a second cup of coffee, I just had time to race up the steps to the top of the butte for a quick scout around before pounding down again to meet a friend for lunch at Pulcinella, a tucked-away Italian on rue Damrémont.

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With the days becoming cooler and crisper after a long, hot summer, thoughts turn to the flavours of autumn and there’s no better place to witness the change of seasons than at a farmers’ market. The Adelaide Showground Farmers’ Market is the largest in South Australia and attracts up to 5000 locals and tourists every Sunday morning. Established in 2006 with the assistance of the Royal Agricultural & Horticultural Society, the non-profit organisation supports small family farms and regional producers who sell fresh, seasonal produce directly to consumers. It’s an authentic South Australian experience and has become a regular outing for me and my daughter Georgi.

We grab a coffee at the From Scratch coffee caravan at the entrance, which is excellent as usual, and await the bell that heralds the opening of the market. Buskers start up, buckets of flowers are whirled out, bacon and eggs sizzle on barbeques and outdoor tables soon fill up with a hungry breakfast crowd.

Our first stop, however, is always Patlin Gardens, the overflowing vegetable stall owned by Lina Verilli and Pat D’Onofrio, an engaging character who bellows his wares and dispenses earnest tips and advice on cooking to entertain the long queue already waiting. It’s one of the things I most love about farmers’ markets, the direct connection to ‘the source’. Their farm on the Gawler River produces a mind-boggling selection of seasonal and unusual pesticide-free vegetables grown outdoors all year round. The fertile soil is enhanced by organic manures, compost and seaweed extract. Today there are beautiful bunches of multi-coloured carrots,  ears of new-season corn, trumpet squash and squat orange pumpkins. Tempting as always are the tasty olives from their extensive olive grove, dressed in garlic, lemon pepper, oregano and sea salt, along with delicious extra virgin olive oil, homemade passata and Lina’s chilli sauce flavoured with their own jalapenos.

Next door is Willibrand Figs and just a bite into one of their soft-poached figs that has been gently dried and enrobed in thick, dark Belgian chocolate, and you will think you have gone to heaven. Willibrand’s orchard is in the Adelaide Hills and during the short but sweet fig season from February to the end of April, they welcome visitors to pick their own figs.

There are so many wonderful stalls that I can’t possibly do justice to them all in one post, but later on, I will tell you more about the delectable artisanal cheeses from Alexandrina, owned by fourth generation cheesemakers who have individually named their 80 Jersey cows…and about the ‘Pork Man’ from Minniribbie Berkshere Pig Farm with free-range sausages so good that I had to call my father to tell him I had rediscovered a taste from my grandmother’s kitchen. And then there’s the cloudy Kalangadoo organic apple juice from the Limestone Coast, available March to September.

At this time of the year the market is awash with crisp apples and Packham pears but I simply can’t finish without mentioning From Scratch pâtisserie, the place to go for your morning pastry fix. These delicious French and Italian inspired treats will make you dream and drool and Adelaidians can’t get enough! This morning the wait was so long that I gave up on my sfogliatelle with its light, luscious layers of wafer-thin pastry, custard, citron peel, cinnamon and vanilla, so I’m sorry to say that I can’t show you a photo. They do however, set up a pop-up pâtisserie in the alleyway next to Coffee Branch in the city on Friday mornings only, between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. I may have to set the alarm…just to get a shot for you, bien sûr.

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