This market takes place on the second Saturday of each month. It's run by a group called Regional Farmers Markets, the same people who run the Bundoora Park market, which I visit regularly. (See my separate review of the Bundoora market, or the RFM website, for more details of the organisation and the locations of their other markets; I won't repeat it all here.)

This market is in Lincoln Park, which is technically in Essendon, but it's right on the border of North Essendon, one block away from the North Essendon Village shopping centre. I imagine it's called the North Essendon market because "Essendon" might mislead people into thinking it's in the heart of Essendon, somewhere near the station. It isn't; it's a couple of kilometres north-west of the station.

I try to visit this market each month, and I definitely make a point of it if for some reason I haven't been able to get to Bundoora market that month. There's some overlap of stalls at both markets: Green Eggs, Flavour Station cakes, and Saucy Sista relishes, to name just a few.

But there are several stalls at North Essendon which aren't at Bundoora, and two in particular at North Essendon - Dench Bakers, and A Hidden Secret Gourmet Produce - are so good that it's worth a visit for those stalls alone. Dench makes an excellent range of artisan breads, my favourite of which is a raisin loaf, which has a lovely citrus taste because its ingredients include whole pureed oranges. A Hidden Secret makes a range of vegetarian food including some beautiful savoury pastries. (See my separate review under the heading A Hidden Secret.)

If you're planning to go to the North Essendon market by car, be warned: parking can be hard to find, and traffic, especially on Mount Alexander Road, is just terrible on a Saturday morning. I recommend you avoid Mount Rd altogether and approach the park via Lincoln Rd. Even better, consider going by public transport. The number 59 tram runs along Mount Rd, one block away from the market, and so do several bus routes, including the 903 SmartBus, which is the one I catch. The frequency of transport on a Saturday leaves a bit to be desired, but if you consult timetables before you go, you can time it so you don't have to wait too long at the bus or tram stop.

UPDATE 7 Oct 2013: There are two things in my review above which were true at the time, but have since changed:

1. Market location. This market has moved around a lot in the last 12 months or so. It has had at least 4 different locations that I know of, and maybe more. I have no idea if the current location (St Therese's School) is now permanent, so it's really important that you check the market's website before you go (click on link above) so you're not heading off to the wrong location.

2. Flavour Station and A Hidden Secret have both moved to the North Coburg Primary School market (also 2nd Saturday of the month) since I wrote the review above.