Self-catering in Crescent Head: where to shop

Crescent Head has about a dozen places worth eating at, and you will not want all of them in one week. Most people who stay in a holiday house here end up cooking at least half their meals — which raises the obvious question of where you actually buy the food.

Short answer: the basics are in town, the big shop is in Kempsey, and a couple of things are worth bringing from home.

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In town: Foodworks

The Foodworks on the main street is the town supermarket. It’s small, but it’s better stocked than you’d expect for a town this size.

What you’ll reliably get: milk, bread, eggs, butter, basic fruit and veg, pasta, rice, tinned goods, snacks, ice, cleaning basics, and a reasonable spread of beer and wine.

What you might not: anything specific. If your recipe needs a particular cut of meat, fresh herbs beyond the common ones, a specific cheese, or an ingredient you’d describe as “the good one”, assume it isn’t there.

The move: shop here for the day-to-day and the top-ups, and don’t plan an ambitious dinner around it without a backup.

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The big shop: Kempsey

Kempsey is twelve kilometres west — about fifteen minutes — and it’s where the proper supermarkets are. Coles and Woolworths both, plus a butcher with a good local reputation.

Worth doing on the way in. If you’re driving from Sydney or Brisbane you pass through anyway, and arriving with the week’s food already in the boot is far more pleasant than working out on day two that you need a Kempsey run.

If you forget, it’s an easy half-hour round trip and pairs nicely with anything else you need from a bigger town.

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The bakery

Barnett’s Bakery isn’t a supermarket, but it is the most important food stop in Crescent Head and it will cover your breakfasts and half your lunches if you let it.

Arguably the best bakery on the Mid North Coast. People drive from Kempsey for the pies. The custard tarts are the kind of thing you find yourself thinking about weeks later.

The one rule: get there before 9am on weekends. They run out, and this is not a marketing line.

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Catching your own

Worth a mention, because plenty of guests do. Killick Creek, the beaches, the rocks and the boat ramp all fish, and there’s a boat ramp in the holiday park if you’ve towed something up.

Bring your own gear — this isn’t a town with a big tackle selection — and check current NSW rules and bag limits before you go. Our fishing guide covers where to throw a line.

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What’s already in the kitchen at The Deck

If you’re staying with us, some of this is already handled. The kitchen has a 900mm gas and electric cooktop, a full-size fridge with a super-freeze, a convection microwave and a dishwasher — a real kitchen, not a kitchenette.

The pantry is stocked with the things it’s annoying to buy for one trip:

• Salt, pepper, oil, sugar
• Condiments and a range of teas
• Nespresso pods for the machine
• Plenty of cutlery and crockery, plus a full plastic set for kids

What you need to bring or buy: milk and anything fresh. That’s genuinely about it.

There’s a fuller list in what to bring.

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A practical plan for a week

1. Do the big shop in Kempsey on the way in — meat, fresh produce, anything specific, and the bulk of the drinks.
2. Top up at Foodworks through the week for milk, bread and whatever you run out of.
3. Barnett’s for breakfast two or three mornings, early.
4. Book two dinners out — Cressence for the good one, and the Country Club bistro or the Tavern for the easy one.
5. Cook the rest in. The deck is the reason. Most people end up eating out there every night regardless of what they’d planned.

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More on eating here

• Where to eat and drink in Crescent Head — the full guide to the dozen places worth it
• What to bring to The Deck — the packing list
• Where to stay in Crescent Head — and why a real kitchen matters here

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