So far on my Taste Master travels, I’ve had Rich Keams, Rich Kearn, Rick King and all last weekend up at Kalamunda I had Reg Kemp! But that’s OK, I don’t mind at all because my alter ego and I had a fantastic time.

Kalamunda is about 20 minutes’ drive outside of Perth up in the Hills. It was pouring with rain when we headed up on Saturday arvo but that just added to the spectacular drive. It was like travelling through a tropical rainforest, which was unexpectedly so close to the city.

There’s a real artistic and entrepreneurial flavour to the region, with lots of creative new businesses. Just behind the town, the Bickley wine trail, comprises 10 boutique wineries and a bio-dynamic cider house (which we visited on the Sunday, delicious food and great views over the orchard).

But we were there to stock up on our fruit and veggies (and cheese, olives, bread, oil, honey, eggs, the list goes on!) at the Kalamunda Farmers Market held every Sunday.

The market’s been going for a couple of years now and is a huge success. It allows shoppers to buy direct from the grower, with all produce being local and extremely fresh (we bought some sugar snap peas that were picked that very morning).

It’s so much better for the soul picking up your weekly groceries at a market and talking to the farmers who grew it all, rather than the drudge of a faceless supermarket.

Eddie, an organic producer, has been selling at the market since it started. Coming from a long line of family farming in Ireland, he’s the seventh son of a seventh son to grow carrots. He says that getting “the last piece of honey cake from the sweet treat stall is a matter of life and death.”

Once you’ve finished looking around the markets, head on over to the history village and get transported back somewhere in time.

Kalamunda Markets, a relaxing place where you can really find a piece of mind.