SALADS MADE FRESH: Delicious, convenient and made to order

Think fresh, satisfying and delicious. Their range is as varied as it is scrumptious, and includes coleslaw, pasta, rice, green and potato salads. Salads Made Fresh includes hearty ingredients such as bacon, ham, chicken and seafood in many of its salads, while the bush tucker salad, for instance, is a mouthwatering mix of red, white and sweet potatoes, pumpkin and carrot.

Of course, the team at Salads Made Fresh can make you a lettuce leaf and tomato salad if you wish, but why limit yourself when so many other exciting choices are on offer?

In operation since 1994, Salads Made Fresh came under new management in August. Darlene and son Dylan are the friendly faces heading up the new team.

“Our loyal customers enjoy the range on offer and because our salads and curries are so popular the good news is we have no plans to change the existing recipes,” Darlene said.

With more than 30 years’ experience in the food industry, Darlene grew up helping her father in his own food business. Today, she puts the same love into preparing the delicious range at Salads Made Fresh.

What sets Salads Made Fresh apart is their range is made from scratch, including mayonnaise and other condiments, so they naturally taste delicious.

Salads Made Fresh is an ideal choice to cater for your workplace barbecue or school function, end-of-year staff party, Melbourne Cup or Christmas function, christening or bar mitzvah. It is also the choice of hospitals, pubs and clubs who recognise the convenience, quality and value Salads Made Fresh’s superb salads, fragrant curries and other specialties offer. Delivery is available.

Planning an event but have no idea how much food you will need? Let the team know how many guests and any special requirements and they will happily recommend the right quantity and variety to satisfy everyone. Salads Made Fresh can then use their wholesale buying power and relationships with local butchers to source high-quality ingredients, plus they visit the Brisbane fruit and vegetable market daily so all their ingredients are fresh.

Apart from taste, there are other reasons Salads Made Fresh is so popular, including convenience.

“People love salads because they are fresh, easy, you don’t have to cook them and there’s a lot less cleaning up,” Darlene said.

“Because we make the salads ourselves, fresh and to order, we know their exact nutritional content, so if you have a particular allergy or don’t like a particular ingredient, let us know and we are able to tailor a salad to suit that.”

Darlene and the team love meeting their customers and she says the fact they keep coming back for more is the best feedback of all, with many using Salads Made Fresh for their functions year after year.

“They tell us they love the value and variety, plus it's made fresh and, if kept correctly, has a shelf life of up to seven days,” she said.

“For instance, we have council workers who come in and pick up a tub and take a bit of it to work for lunch over the next few days, or there are the people who go to the islands and camp and take their esky with them full of our prepared salads.”

The team can even prepare vegetables into convenient portions such as pre-cutting pumpkin into smaller pieces or mash for those who still want to cook but may not be as strong or mobile as they once were. And while the new team has no plans to change the recipes their customers know and love, they are expanding their range to provide even more choices, including the introduction of gourmet barbecue packs.

“In co-operation with local butchers we want to create a one-stop shop for people planning a barbecue – they can call to order and later pick up their cryovac meat and salads. We do the shopping so they can concentrate on cooking the barbie and having a good time with their guests,” Darlene said.

The tempting gourmet range will include slow-roasted products and smoked ham. And with Darlene’s background including seafood retail, she and the team also recognised a gap in the availability of quality seafood in the region.

”We have consulted customers about this and their preference is for wild-caught, local prawns, crabs, oysters and bugs, so these are now being introduced,” Darlene said.

Of course, because items are sourced fresh and made to order, and with the busy summer period just around the corner, do be sure to call ahead to place your order.