Do you like to know where your produce comes from or prefer to buy local? Check out The Stores at West End, it's a one-stop shop for the best bounty from the Lockyer Valley and beyond.
Here you'll find cheese from Kingaroy, pork from Millmerran, beef from Goondiwindi, wine from Stanthorpe and a huge variety of small goods from Schulte's, the most popular stop on the Warrego Highway between Brisbane and Toowoomba.
Places to explore in the Lockyer Valley
It's a new venture from the Schulte's who have been bringing their hand-selected processed meat and small goods to market for four generations.
They call themselves suppliers of real food. Ask Peter Schulte about any of the many cuts of meat on display for sale and he will be able to give you the back story.
They call themselves suppliers of real food. Ask Peter Schulte about any of the many cuts of meat on display for sale and he will be able to give you the back story.
The Shultes have been dealing with the same suppliers for years and know exactly how and where the animals are raised and also how they are killed, the part that many people don't want to know about. It's a good life for these animals with just one bad day in the end.
Local and imported cheese has its own special temperature controlled room at The Stores. Expect to find Stanthorpe Cheese (formerly Granite Belt Dairy) and Swiss cheese made from raw milk.
There's a walk in cool room to ensure fruit and vegetables are kept at premium condition for purchase and plenty on display throughout the store. When I visited in the opening week the fruit and vegetables were from the market but there are plans to change this and build a network of suppliers for The Stores from the Lockyer Valley. Expect to see some of the Bauer's fine organic produce on the shelves soon.
There's also a good range of specialty items from South East Queensland including Scenic Rim Milk, Seatonfire chilli chocolate, LiraH balsamic vinegars and Coolana olives.
A must try are the roast chickens which are cooked in a rotisserie, not in a steam oven as is common in supermarkets now, and the pies which are made on premise twice daily.
What you can't get in Schulte's, you'll probably pick up in The Source Bulk Goods, where you can purchase an extensive range of gluten-free, paleo and organic products and gourmet grain-free bircher muesli. There's also oils, condiments, honey and syrups, as well as household items like shampoo, conditioner and dishwashing liquid, all in bulk quantities which you can purchase to fill your own containers.
The Stores
Best tip: Combine a visit to The Stores with lunch or a weekend breakfast at London Fields which is also part of the complex.
Disclaimer: Ed+bK is simply sharing food love.
Local and imported cheese has its own special temperature controlled room at The Stores. Expect to find Stanthorpe Cheese (formerly Granite Belt Dairy) and Swiss cheese made from raw milk.
There's a walk in cool room to ensure fruit and vegetables are kept at premium condition for purchase and plenty on display throughout the store. When I visited in the opening week the fruit and vegetables were from the market but there are plans to change this and build a network of suppliers for The Stores from the Lockyer Valley. Expect to see some of the Bauer's fine organic produce on the shelves soon.
There's also a good range of specialty items from South East Queensland including Scenic Rim Milk, Seatonfire chilli chocolate, LiraH balsamic vinegars and Coolana olives.
A must try are the roast chickens which are cooked in a rotisserie, not in a steam oven as is common in supermarkets now, and the pies which are made on premise twice daily.
What you can't get in Schulte's, you'll probably pick up in The Source Bulk Goods, where you can purchase an extensive range of gluten-free, paleo and organic products and gourmet grain-free bircher muesli. There's also oils, condiments, honey and syrups, as well as household items like shampoo, conditioner and dishwashing liquid, all in bulk quantities which you can purchase to fill your own containers.
The Stores
Best tip: Combine a visit to The Stores with lunch or a weekend breakfast at London Fields which is also part of the complex.
Disclaimer: Ed+bK is simply sharing food love.