Planning dinner for friends can be a stressful experience, but often the most stressful part is deciding what to do! Luckily, your pals at the Bondi Farmers Market have your back. Here are some foolproof ideas for the fanciest dinner party we can imagine, using the wonderful products on offer at the market.

Flowers for the Table

Nothing says sophisticated dinner party quite like a bunch of fresh flowers sitting front and centre on your table. Stop by the markets early at 9am to pick up the best of the flowers from our resident bloom specialists Mayfarm Flowers, and ask if they can arrange a pretty bunch for you. When you get home, this is a great little trick for making the flower stems sit right in your vase.

Breaking Bread

Pick up some bread from Organic Republic Bakery to serve as your guests arrive. Make sure you grab some local cold-pressed olive oil at the markets for a perfect pairing with warm, crusty bread. Chat to the stallholder about where the olives are from so you can tell your guests over a glass of champagne.

Serve Up a Flavourful Dinner

After you’ve filled up your market basket with colourful, local produce, you’ll want to show off your market haul to friends. Here are a few recipes that will highlight the wonderfully fresh and flavoursome produce on offer at the market. For an entrée, this zucchini and mint soup is incredibly light but packs a punch with its flavour. Chopped almonds, crumbled goats cheese and a few extra sprigs of mint sprinkled on top of this dish finish it off wonderfully – and you can find all of these ingredients at Bondi Farmers Market.

For the main course, this Mediterranean fish stew makes use of tomatoes, celery, onions, potatoes, lemons, bay leaves, parsley and fresh fish to create a meal overflowing with fresh flavours. Better yet? This dish will take less than an hour to make and has been classed as ‘super easy’ by Jamie Oliver, making it an easy but impressive choice to present to your guests. Serve up with a side of rustic bread to give this meal a bit of crunch.

Finish on a High Note

For dessert, pick up a family sized cherry pie from Miss Lilly’s Kitchen, and serve it warm from the oven with some fresh cream from one of our brilliant dairy farmers. Make sure you chat to Stuart at Miss Lilly’s about how long to put this baked beauty in the oven for. For tea and coffee time afterwards, bring out a plate of certified organic chocolate from Origin to leave your guests with sweet memories of the night that was.

Getting to Bondi Farmers Market

The Bondi Farmers Market is held every Saturday from 9am until 1pm in the lovely grounds of Bondi Beach Public School. On-street parking is available in Bondi, and car parks are situated across the road from Bondi Beach. Bondi Pacific Car Park is also available, and is a short walk from the markets. Location details and rates are available here. Otherwise, have a look at the public transport options available to you here. We’ll see you on Saturday!