Family-owned since 1978 Three stores across Melbourne Ask our experts a question Gourmet groceries & fine wine Local producers, global flavours Family-owned since 1978 Three stores across Melbourne Ask our experts a question Gourmet groceries & fine wine Local producers, global flavours
McCoppins

Est. 1978 · Melbourne

Friendly Faces.
Quality Products.

Three neighbourhood stores across Melbourne, stocked with gourmet groceries, fine wine, craft beer, and the kind of advice you can only get from people who genuinely care about food.

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Recent Questions

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Michelle asked Ben

How do I put together a really impressive cheese board for a dinner party of 8?

Michelle, the secret to a great cheese board is variety and restraint — five cheeses is plenty for eight people. Here's my formula: one soft (triple cream brie or a Brillat-Savarin), one hard and aged (comté or a proper 24-month Parmigiano), one blue (Roquefort or our Red Hill Mornington Blue), one goat (Holy Goat La Luna is the one), and one wild card (smoked cheddar, washed-rind, or something local you haven't tried). Buy about 50g per person per cheese. Take everything out of the fridge 45 minutes before serving. Add dried fruit, honeycomb, cornichons, and good crackers — not too flavoured, they should support the cheese, not compete with it. And please, a decent bread. Come into Hawthorn East and I'll put together a selection for you.

CheeseEntertaining
42 found this helpful
B
Sarah asked Ben

What's the best wine to serve with a slow-roasted lamb shoulder?

Great question, Sarah. For a slow-roasted lamb shoulder, you want something with enough body to match the richness but not so tannic that it overwhelms the tender meat. My top pick would be a Heathcote Shiraz — try the Jasper Hill Georgia's Paddock if you can get it. The earthy, peppery character works beautifully with lamb. If you're after something more affordable, a Grenache from McLaren Vale (like the d'Arenberg Custodian) is a brilliant match. Serve it at cellar temperature, not room temperature — around 16-18°C. The lamb deserves it.

WineCooking
24 found this helpful
C
David asked Chris

What pantry staples should I always have on hand for quick weeknight meals?

David, this is the question I wish everyone asked. Here's my essential list — with these in the pantry, you're never more than 20 minutes from a proper meal. Pasta (a long shape like spaghetti and a short one like rigatoni), tinned tomatoes (San Marzano if you can), good olive oil (don't cook with the cheap stuff and dress with the expensive stuff — use the same mid-range oil for both), garlic, dried chilli flakes, anchovies (trust me), capers, parmesan, and lemons. With just those, you can make aglio e olio, puttanesca, a quick tomato sauce, or a lemon-butter pasta. Add a tin of chickpeas and you've got dinner on toast. Come into Clifton Hill and I'll point you to the good stuff — the right tinned tomato makes all the difference.

CookingPantry
56 found this helpful
All Questions

What's Good Right Now

Season Board

Produce

Blood Oranges

Peak season from Mildura

Wine

Heathcote Shiraz 2023

New vintage just landed

Produce

Black Truffle

Victorian winter truffle, limited

Cheese

Comté 18-month

Beautifully nutty, from the Jura

Beer

Hop Nation The Kalash

Rotating local craft pick

Pantry

Sardinian Fregola

Toasted pasta for winter soups

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Real questions, real answers from Ben and Chris. Wine pairings, cheese boards, weeknight dinners — ask anything.

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Three Neighbourhood Stores

Fitzroy, Hawthorn East, and Clifton Hill. Each one stocked for its neighbourhood.

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Curated, Not Crammed

We carry fewer products than a supermarket, but every one is there because we'd buy it ourselves.

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Since 1978

Our Stores

Fitzroy

165 Johnston St, Fitzroy VIC 3065

Mon-Thu 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 11am-10pm

Craft BeerWineSpiritsPet-Nats

Hawthorn East

498 Tooronga Rd, Hawthorn East VIC 3123

Mon-Sun 8am-8pm

DeliFresh BreadGroceriesWineCraft BeerSpiritsPet-Nats

Clifton Hill

292 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill VIC 3068

Mon-Fri 7am-8pm, Sat-Sun 8am-8pm

DeliFresh BreadGroceriesCraft BeerSpiritsPet-Nats
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