buying fruit and veg in Sydney

[kiwiee]

Moved out to Sydney from UK a couple of months ago and am starting to get used to the eye-wateringly expensive grocery shop! I've been doing a weekly shop at Coles , because (stupidly I now realise) I thought the big supermarket would be cheapest, like in UK.

But having read a couple of threads on here, it looks like they are much more expensive...

So please tell me Sydneysiders, where's the best place to get groceries, especially fruit and veg, and meat? I'm in North Sydney so any local tips v welcome (have found Thomas Dux in Crow's Nest!). Can't travel too far as we don't have a car, I use GoGet Cars for the big shop. Thanks!

Thomas Dux is just woolworths, but more expensive ;). Apart from actually going to a market (Paddy's, Flemington) or an 'ethnic' neighbourhood (cabramatta, Chinatown for Asian veg for eg) your best bet is a local independent greengrocers. I haven't been there for years but there was on down the other end of Willoughby Rd in Crows Nest that I remember as being reasonably good? Independents get their stuff from the wholesale markets and thus often tend to be fresher than the supermarkets, it could be apocryphal but I reckon it tends to last longer too. Meat, ditto independents, especially Asian ones eg in Chatswood, which you could reach on the train?

I find that Coles is less expensive than Woolworths and generally that local small greengrocers are least expensive. I always compare prices and buy seasonally - and work on the basis that the food will spoil faster than at home. I don't buy much meat any more but again the local butcher seems better quality (not sure about price though).

I don't know how helpful this will be, but is there a "wholesale" that retails? There is in Melbourne, Moorabbin Farmers' Market and it's amazing. So cheap the supermarkets tried all kinds of legal ways to have it shut down. We never but supermarket fruit and veg, and go local when we can't get to the wholesalers.

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful. It looks like Flemington Market is wholesale like Moorabbin. The distance probably makes local grocers more sensible though, will check some out. Chatswood is a good idea too, and easy to get to.

There are loads of green grocer type places in chatswood - there's a big one downstairs in chatswood chase, next to Coles, and one in Westfield at the bottom near Woolworths. Thomas Dux is ridiculously expensive.

Also, if you can get on the bus to lane cove (think the 290 and the 252/254 go there from north sydney) there are some really nice butchers/green grocers there - greengrocers beneath Coles, and a butchers near to the plaza, both of which were reasonable (particularly if you bought in season)