Nothing compares to brunch in Melbourne. 

Forget being merely the coffee capital of the world, Melbourne won’t hesitate to serve you up a perfect poached egg, a shameless shakshuka or a decadent danish to go with it. 

Luckily, for those of us who can’t make it to this heavenly city of food, or at least, can’t make it to constant brunches, the heroes at Australian charity OnePlate have launched a brand new cookbook, Brunch in Melbourne. Aiming to celebrate the city’s vibrant food culture while making a difference in the lives of the children in need. It’s a win-win, dig-in situation.

Brunch in Melbourne features 130 signature brunch recipes from a total of 100 of the city’s iconic cafes, bakeries and restaurants including Common Ground Project, ST. ALi, Little Bertha and Bentwood to name a few. Recipes cover basics such as poached eggs, hollandaise sauce, sourdough toast and even cold drip coffee. 

Director and co-founder of OnePlate, Thérèse Nichols, spoke about the project, “The thriving brunch culture of Melbourne is well known and respected throughout Australia. In creating this book, we have witnessed the passion of Melbournian foodies, the artisan work of our chefs and the excellence that every one of these cafes devote to their businesses to bring quality and innovation to Melbourne’s brunch scene.”

And the book isn’t just a treat for your stomach (and eyes). With 100 per cent  of the profits going to OnePlate’s sustainable food security projects for children and their families, each purchase will be able to make a genuine difference across the world. The charity works with children in need across the Philippines, Cambodia, Kenya, Congo and Rwanda. OnePlate’s current projects focus on the establishment and the expansion of orchards, farms and food gardens in different communities, as well as providing education on agriculture and nutrition for both adults and children.

Tivoli Road, Savoury Danish. Image by Georgia Gold, Supplied.

“Through this cookbook you are contributing to building gardens and farms around the world to break the hunger cycle and bring hope to children for many generations to come,” Therese continued.

And the good news just keeps coming. Despite the tough time for the hospitality industry, each of the recipes were offered by the selflessness and goodness of these venues, so flicking through Brunch in Melbourne is a great way to support Melbourne’s hospitality industry as they showcase some of their best offerings.

With a mission to tackle child hunger in a sustainable way, OnePlate traditionally raises money by asking for $1 every time a particular item is ordered from a partnering venue’s menu, using the power and joy of food in Australia to provide hope, love and support for children in the greatest need, one plate at a time.

Brunch In Melbourne is available to purchase for RRP $59.99 via the OnePlate website. If you can’t get your hands on a book, OnePlate are also launching a Brunch Club on their Instagram page @oneplate.co, featuring videos on how to make some of the recipes from the recipe book and for brunch-lovers to share their at-home creations.

Fancy more recipe ideas? Try these decadent chocolate pancakes with a caramel and peanut butter sauce. Or, keep exploring with these 11 cookbooks which you can download right now.