It might be safe to say that Matt Wilkinson and Ben Foster have become the patron saints of East Brunswick dining and drinking with their acclaimed menus at Pope Joan and The Bishop of Ostia. They now also laid claim to local market culture their Hams & Bacon food store.

Nestled quietly adjacent to the Bishop, the produce and takeaway shop offers a range of fresh dry goods, fruits, vegetables, and meats for the northern sect that wish to bring the fresh ingredients and seasonal theology of the chef back to their own kitchens. Lentils, chickpeas, pastas, sauces and rooftop honeys sit next to cherished meats from such purveyors as Bundarra pork, Seven Hill goat, Wilawa chicken and Warialda Belted Galloway beef. Hams & Bacon also offers the options for takeaway Allpress coffee and sandwiches for the Pope and Bishop overflow.

The space itself is a cosy dedication to all things concise, focused and local. They even sell the same Robert Gordon "Coco" ceramics that litter the Pope and Bishop tables. Fitted out with vintage baskets, burlap sacks and a sleek subway tile coffee bar, Hams & Bacon is a country general store with a modern Melbourne mindset.