Melbourne's weekly food picks from picnics to pavlovas

Mabu Mabu offers catering and classes

Still got room for Zoom in your life? Nornie Bero's Yarraville cafe, which heroes native Australian ingredients sourced from fellow First Nations-owned businesses, is running online damper classes for the public on October 3 as well as a wattle seed and chocolate pavlova class if you want to book a corporate session.

Bero has also added a new range of teas (a chai, and a fragrant herbal tea featuring strawberry gum leaf along with cinnamon myrtle) to the store's extensive range of condiments, and coming mid-October, she will be offering her signature Torres Strait Island-influenced dishes in a Mabu Mabu at home package with access to online entertainment. mabumabu.com.au.

Stop, hamper time

Last week we brought you an A-Z of park perfect sandwiches. This week, it's hampers heaped with everything you need, just BYO rug. Epocha is doing the works: devilled eggs, English trifle, roast beef rolls, spring vegetable tarts and all the fixings of a ploughman's ($70). Pre-order for Saturday pick-up from epocha.com.au.

Meatsmith also has a (meaty) pack of premium gear including their wagyu pastrami, duck terrine, Zuni pickle, Baker Bleu ficelle, l'Artisan organic petit rouge cheese and a bottle of Arfion wine in a cooler bag for $115. Giddyup. meatsmith.com.au.

The Pav Queen

After being stood down from hosting her food show for Virgin Australia, Nerida McPherson threw her time into her oven. Not sourdough, mind. She perfected her pavlova technique and garnished it with half a berry farm. The pav, sent to a pal, received rave reviews and the rest is fluffy history.

McPherson is now using Scott Pickett's Lupo kitchen and pumping out crisp-shelled, marshmallow-centred pavlovas every week for Wednesday and Friday delivery, either crowned with classic berries, flowers and gold leaf or a rotating weekly special. They are $35, and can be ordered via @pav.queen on Instagram. Believe the hype.

My Thai Grocer

If you're after an easy fix of Thai at home – pre-cooked or DIY – Manpreet and Sumalee Singh of LadyBoy Thai restaurant in Richmond has started My Thai Grocer, which stocks a mix of pantry ingredients (tamarind paste and palm sugar), ready-to-eat restaurant takeaway (a prawn-packed pad Thai and traditional desserts such as ginko and taro trifle) as well as frozen lamb shank curries and pre-marinated satay skewers, ready to throw on your barbecue. Delivery is a flat $12, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. mythaigrocer.com.