The Blue Mountains Foodie Shop
Gourmet Heaven Behind a Famous Hotel
Most people go to Katoomba’s stunning hotel, The Carrington, for afternoon tea or a glass of champagne.
Walk behind the hotel, though, and you will find a bathtub full of the stuff.
Not only that, an old-fashioned cellar (the hotel dates from 1883) is tucked away downstairs, as well as great picnic ingredients.
Zodiac Pastilles
The hotel became famous all over again in the 1960s at about the same time that astrologer Richard Sterling was preparing to move to Katoomba, to create his famous Zodiac Garden.
You can buy Leone Zodiac Pastilles today. Tiny sweets, so beautifully packaged that you won’t want to open the gold seal.
I was in town to stay at Richard’s old house, now let through Air BnB – and see my friend, astrologer Lynda Hill (author of The Sabian Symbols) for tea.
She declared the scones aligned with the stars and I knocked back a couple of flutes and some cheese.
A quick walk around the back of The Carrington, though, and I realised I was in another world. The YouTube channel for this Blue Mountains foodie heaven, is here:
Picnic Time
The Blue Mountains has so many stunning picnic locations, it seems churlish not to visit the grand Carrington (it is the kind of place where Marie Antoinette’s boudoir mirror has literally been part of the furniture) and – then go shopping. Truffle chips? Why not?
Salami and stunning local wine, Manouri cheese and Maggie Beer paste…it’s all here.
Rare olive oil, terrines, delicious jam and honey and local craft beer is really hard to go past.
The Carrington Cellars and Deli, to give the place its proper title, is heaving with Air BnB fridge ingredients.
Delivery and Hampers
If you order over $100 for your Blue Mountains holiday kitchen, they will deliver free of charge. You can also order a bespoke picnic hamper.
Or just mix and match from local supermarkets, pick up a bottle of NSW wine and head for the hills.
Katoomba Falls Reserve is a good place for a picnic. And maybe a zodiac pastille.
All photographs: Holiday Goddess 2025
The Carrington Cells and Deli
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