I am beyond excited to announce that today Monday 7th December the doors of our brand new retail shop fly open. Broth Bar & Larder is officially born in Bronte in Sydney’s east!

Broth Bar & Larder is the first dedicated broth bar in Sydney. It is an extension of my kitchen. It was born out of a desire to create a small and inviting space to enjoy home-made, nourishing and completely unprocessed foods made to the same standard that my children and I eat at home. I wanted to create the type of place that I would personally eat at. A place where I don’t have to make endless enquiries about the source and provenance of the ingredients that go into the food. A place where I can feel totally assured that the food is traditionally-prepared, and made with the highest quality of ethically-sourced ingredients without any artificial crap or empty fillers. A place which represents the fusion of two worlds: olde world wisdoms, traditions and artisan crafts with a slick contemporary edge. I wanted to create that space for you.

My MISSION is, and always has been since I created Star Anise Organic Wholefoods 5 years ago, to bring nutrient-dense traditional wholefoods back to the modern table for vibrant health and longevity. And what better way to start than with a simple cup of broth which can be so satisfying, hugely comforting, and rich in complex flavours and nutrients. All customers who walk in the door are given a free tasting of our signature chicken broth. And boy how I love seeing and hearing their responses after their first sip! It’s really touching!

The INGREDIENTS that go into our products are meticulously sourced from the finest provenance. Our beef and chicken broths are made from 100% pastured and certified organic bones. All of our ingredients are, much as humanly possible, certified organic. All Star Anise Organic Wholefoods products are free from refined sugars, gluten, industrial seed oils, tap water, agave syrup, and (other than the pâté & some soups) also free of dairy. Our products do not contain any artificial or processed ingredients. I pride myself on my commitment to purity and authenticity. I could opt for conventional ingredients at a fraction of the price but I have chosen not to. It’s not what I’m about and stand for. The food created in this space is what I personally consume and take home for my kids and I to eat. If I wouldn’t eat it myself, then we don’t make it. That quality control makes it really simple. We have added a suppliers page to our website so that you can see exactly where we source each ingredient from. I wish all companies did this.

Broth Bar & Larder encompasses both our retail space and our commercial kitchen, all under the one roof. All our Star Anise Organic Wholefoods products are handcrafted on-site, displaying transparency to consumers. These products are available dine-in or takeaway from the Broth Bar, or can be purchased pre-packaged from the Larder (pantry).

We are offering hot broth in 3 sizes (baby broth, small and large) with various broth flavour bombs (eg. chilli, fish sauce, tamari, lemon juice, spices) as well as our 5 broth based soups. The menu also includes a substantial Provincial Plate – a full meal encompassing nutrient-dense morsels of pâté with vegetable crudités, Iggy’s sourdough bread, fermented veggies, raw milk cheese and jumbo green olives. We are also serving our gluten-free activated buckwheat-based muesli all day as well as broth-infused smoothies (trust me, you won't taste the broth when a couple of frozen beef broth cubes are thrown in for extra nutrient-density and frothiness) and our beet kvass and kombucha. As a summer special, take-away brothsicles (broth-boosted iceblocks) are on sale! Kids love these. Big ones too!

The Broth Bar menu and Larder price list can be found on the dedicated Broth Bar & Larder page on my website HERE.

You can still purchase all our products online by sending an email to orders@staraniseorganic. We ship dry goods all over Australia and refrigerated/frozen goods all over Sydney for a flat courier fee. Check out any of the Products page of our website for prices.

I will conducting my one on one health coaching sessions from the Broth Bar. I am still working as a health coach all through this period and will also run all my cooking workshops (resuming Feb 2016) from the Broth Bar. So everything under the one roof! My house is now feeling incredibly…home-like!

The response we have had from the community during our soft launch last week was incredibly overwhelming. People are so excited, supportive and encouraging. Far more than I ever expected. The first thing people comment on when stepping foot in the door is the aroma. “Oh it smells so nice in here”. Yep that’s our chicken broth slow simmering on the stove!

The process of setting up this space over the past couple of months has been overwhelming, electrifying and incredibly intense to say the least. I have learnt so much and most of all that things rarely go to plan and the only thing I can control is my reaction to countless daily obstacles. I have experienced every gamut of emotion. Very much like a mother giving birth to a precious newborn with all of the trials and tribulations that come with that, all the while needing to attend to the needs and desires of older children.

What started out as a hobby business from home 5 years ago grew and expanded to the point that I was bursting at the seams and climbing over boxes to get into my bed at night. Stock pots simmering all over the house (“I’ve never seen anyone cook in their lounge room before!” exclaimed my son’s friend one day. “Mate, you should see what’s going on in my bedroom!” I retorted). Despite the mountains of boxes and stock pots, operating from home felt safe and comfortable. A commercial shop sounded expensive, tricky and too grown up. But the universe conspired something different for me and pushed me (somewhat resistingly) in this direction. It often takes a lightening bolt of energy for me to switch courses. I felt like I had been pushed off a cliff, freefalling, desperately trying to find solid ground. The ground still feels very shaky even now. I’m not sure I’m even touching it! I have taken a gigantic leap of faith. The words of Whitney Houston ring loud in my ears daily “If I fail, if I succeed, at least I’ll live as I believe”. I’m determined, committed and hard-working. I want to make my children proud. I want to create something truly unique, exciting and beautiful for all of us.

To celebrate the opening, we are offering all loyal followers of my blog - yes YOU! - a special promotional gift voucher which entitles you to 50% off any small packet of activated nuts for every purchase of a small broth or a broth-infused smoothie. Simply mention that you are a recipient of my newsletter to redeem this special offer.

In addition, EVERY time you post about Broth Bar & Larder on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter (or share someone else’s post about Broth Bar & Larder) you will receive 10% off a hot broth or smoothie!

I hope to see you at Broth Bar & Larder really soon to share with you my passion for simple pleasures and conscious consumption. Whether it’s a simple cup of broth, a substantial meal, a hearty bowl of soup, a delightful bottle of Earl Grey kombucha or just to come in and say hi and have a chat, everyone is welcome, young and old. Bubbas can entertain themselves with the wooden toys, books and crayons in the kids basket. School kids can enjoy a healthy treat or brothsicle, and teenagers are loving the broth-boosted smoothies. And everyone is grateful that we are still selling Iggys sourdough bread!

BROTH BAR & LARDER

49 BELGRAVE ST, BRONTE, NSW, 2024
(the old Iggy’s bakery)

OPENING HOURS
8AM - 6PM 7 DAYS

Soulla Chamberlain, Creator & Director:
0407 871 884
Tom Landauer, Manager & Co-Director:
0481 454 631

With much gratitude,
Soulla Chamberlain & the Star Anise Organic Wholefoods team