The Hunter's Pantry: gourmet food and cookware

The Hunter's Pantry is an independent gourmet grocery and cooking store in The Junction, Newcastle. It describes itself as Newcastle's home of quality food and cooking, and it is also a wholesale supplier to many of the Hunter's restaurants and cafés. The business started in 2005 as The Essential Ingredient Newcastle, founded by Leonie Greenhalgh-Young, and was renamed The Hunter's Pantry in 2022 to reflect its focus on ethical, sustainable and traceable sourcing. In June 2025 it moved to Shop 9, The Junction Village, 10-16 Kenrick Street, and downsized its space.

The store is split between food and kitchen gear. On the food side there is cheese, spices, oils, sugars, couverture and curry, plus shelves grouped by Asian, French, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern and Spanish pantry items. The deli section has fresh foods, cheese, charcuterie and coffee. There is also a good range of honey, including Tasmanian Honey Company Blue Gum Honey 500g (A$21.95) and Wellington Leatherwood Tas Honey 325g (A$24.95). On the cooking side, the shop stocks knives, cookware, tableware, napery, glassware, bakeware and chef's uniforms. Prices vary a lot: a Victorinox pairing knife is A$14.95, a Kasumi Damascus chef's knife 20cm is A$339.00, and a Chasseur French oven 24cm in cast iron is A$469.95. A Loyal digital thermometer costs A$24.95, and Chef's Craft aprons start at A$12.95. The store also runs cooking classes to help people improve their skills.

The Google reviews give a rating of 4.4 out of 5 from 84 reviews. Customers mention the product range, the deli foods and the customer service. Staff are described as knowledgeable, helpful and professional. One customer said the staff could not explain the difference or quality between knives, so if knives are what you are after, it is worth asking about the specific model before you buy. Online, the store sells a selection of its shopfront items as well as coffee, fresh foods, cheese and charcuterie. Shipping is free for orders over A$150, with delivery usually taking 5 to 8 days.

The opening hours are Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Saturday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, and the store is closed on Sundays. You can call on +61 2 4926 1991. In August 2024, a Newcastle Herald article reported that owner Leonie Greenhalgh-Young was putting the business up for sale after almost two decades. I could not find out from the information available whether it has since changed hands, so it is worth checking with the store before making a special trip.