The Lifestyler: Fresher Cheaper Vegies – Shop Fresh, head to the market.

The LifeStyler was recently in Melbourne and having woken early decided to visit the Queen Victoria Market.

It was just after the 6 am opening and the place was alive, everyone seemed happy at this ridiculous hour and there was a real feel of community.

The market is located on the edge of the Melbourne CBD and is a mix of permanent and temporary stalls selling fruit & veg, meat & seafood and general wares.

What I found most interesting were the early shoppers. They mostly had wire baskets on wheels (like a mini shopping trolley) and rushed around from booth to booth snapping up the freshest produce.  It was apparent these shoppers knew the store holders and there was a friendly discussion about all manner of subjects.

The LifeStyler is your everyday Woollies shopper so what was also enlightening was that the quality of the produce was much higher and cheaper.  Returning later in the day that same feel was still there but it was a lot busier.

So in the words of Molly Meldrum, do yourself a favour and check out your local fresh food markets. Chances are you will get better service, higher quality and cheaper prices.