Welcome to a slice of village life; The French Lettuce family
A family business - Campbell, Hudson, and proud father and founder Peter
Bringing life and passion back to the historic Hurstbridge Post Office site, and with mouth-watering excited anticipation, we welcome the family-owned business The French Lettuce patisserie to Hurstbridge Village – with our arms wide open! We’re in for lots of treats and not just the divine pastry ones.
The Hurstbridge home of The French Lettuce patisserie
The buzz in and around Hurstbridge has been palpable. What is rather thrilling is that the excitement is mutual on both sides of the counter! I’ve had the enormous pleasure of meeting the family team behind the name. I’m here to share that Peter, Hudson, and Campbell fit our very special Hurstbridge ethos down to a tee! The care factor is huge! They are so grateful to be so warmly welcomed to our neighbourhood and as I write this their doors are one day away from being officially opened.
For those amongst us whose taste buds have fond memories of eating magnificent pastries from their brief time at the Hurstbridge Market or their iconic Carlton store or Bulleen location, the dopamine pull is strong. And for the rest of us, we can’t wait to be in the know!
Peter, who began the business with his wife Nicole, a superb cake decorator, 20 years ago said, “We started The French Lettuce in Carlton in 2003. And we've slowly built up our retail store in Bulleen. And we have been a part of the Gleadell Street Market in Richmond for over six years, which is the longest-running street market in Australia. They are celebrating their 150th Anniversary right now.”
“We used to do a lot of wholesale but we're now happily expanding our retail into Hurstbridge instead.”
“The way we found our way to Hurstbridge was, we decided, we'll go and try and do the Hurstbridge Market for a little while. And we had such a good rapport with all the people! And we sold out both days we were there. So we thought, opportunity's here. We found the post office. And it was up for a lease. And we've worked hard to bring it back to life.”
The Brown family at home in their Hurstbridge Village kitchen
I’m thrilled to report that they love the beautiful building and have been very busy painstakingly rejuvenating its wonderful features that give the space so much heart and warmth, including that stunning waterfall outside. The craftsman Jim who first built it has been restoring its original glory to leave a special legacy of his work for his children and grandchildren – and of course for all of us. I’ll be writing about that remarkable man who is “a lovely bloke” in depth another time soon. The garden is also getting a lot of love. It was important to the team to retain all of the beautiful timber.
New display cases, espresso coffee machine, and lighting, under benches too, illuminating the beautiful and rustic timber, greet patrons as they enter through that gorgeous red front door.
A retail store at the front includes their biscuits and legendary brownies, rocky road, gelato and ice cream, family quiches, and more. The family’s foodie passions run deep, not only for their creations, for the ingredients they very carefully source, and for the suppliers’ exquisite products they stock. Included is “the very best panettone you’re ever going to taste!” imported from Italy—plenty of Christmas stock, houses, mince pies, and more.
“We’re very, very particular about our flour range. We get it from Lauckes, yes, that's quality. When we get our flour, we get told where it came from, and what farmer grew it. We're very particular about what we choose with all of our ingredients and all pastry is made traditionally with high-quality butter.”
Peter shared, “I brought my kids up in the store in Carlton, spending lots of time with them in the kitchen.” The look of love and pride on all of their faces was a privilege to witness as he spoke. Clearly, it was time well invested with this close-knit family who find it hard to switch off ‘shop talk’ after hours.
Daughter Molly is Head Pastry Cook and Business Manager of the whole operation and she and her partner Juan, from Vic Platinum Plumbing did an enormous amount of the renovations to the Hurstbridge site. A truly hands-on family. 🥰
“We're a very caring family. We go home and there’s rarely a moment that we don't talk about it (the business). We have to literally tell each other to stop to get some downtime. Yeah. I need to do this to refresh my brain,” said Hudson, who is hands-on management across all locations.
“Otherwise, we're like, oh, we want to buy plants…that's something we haven't even discussed. That can be brought up at the end of the day…end of the minute of the day. Plus everything else that is going on.”
Campbell Brown, excited to whip up a storm in his new kitchen at The French Lettuce in Hurstbridge
Campbell proudly showed me around his gleaming kitchen where he will be at the helm creating exclusive Hurstbridge items for the menu including a delicious chicken croissant sandwich. Hana, a highly valued member of the team will manage the Hurstbridge cafe. Open 7 days a week from 7am till 3pm.
After our interview had finished my tastebuds were very excited about the items on their menu that we’d been discussing. Including the seven-hour slow-cooked beef pies that come with amazing sauces and relish, spinach pastries, and of course award-winning vanilla slices and cakes, plus the new menu items.
Touched by our quality conversation and all-around carefactor I was gifted a panettone. It was heartfelt and completely unnecessary but deeply appreciated. For the record, Peter is right. Best. Ever. Panettone! I couldn’t wait for Christmas. Can you blame me?
Like I said, we’re all in for a treat …or several!
by Suzy Jaeger
At home taste testing! Best Ever Panettone Sampling from The French Lettuce Hurstbridge❤️
Suzy Jaeger at The French Lettuce in Hurstbridge
Suzy Jaeger is a writer and content creator and loves helping business owners find and share their unique voices, with polish and finesse. A resident and business owner, with an ex-media history in the TV current affairs & PR world, she is an ardent lover of the Hurstbridge Village and surrounding bushland and region. Hurstbridge Trader’s Association is a client of Jaeger Communications and local bushland is her muse.