Heather Kennett
June 24, 2013
Guardian Messenger
AUSTRALIA’S finest pasties are baked at Glenelg’s Orange Spot Bakery.
The Anzac Rd institution is again officially home to the country’s best pasties after being awarded the top prize in the national “Great Aussie Pastie Competition” this month.
The bakery has won the coveted award, dished out by the Baking Associations of Australia, four years running.
It took eight judges three days to sample 1500 pies and pasties in Melbourne this month.
“We’re really pleased. We’ve worked really hard as it takes a long time to get it down pat,” Orange Spot owner Nick Davey said.
He said changing his pastry recipe was the key to his success. “I’m not going to go into too many details, but the head judge told us it was the best pastry he’s tasted in 25 years of judging.
This year Mr Davy changed the formula, production and baking process.
“It’s not something that happens overnight. It took us six months to perfect, so there’s a lot of stuff that’s thrown in the bin along the way.”
Top-quality local ingredients were crucial, he said.
“My suppliers know that if they don’t send the best, then the delivery will be boomeranging right back to them. We pay more for 1kg of potatoes than what you pay for 5kg in the supermarket.”
Mr Davey has run the bakery for 11 years and employs 26 staff. He is already looking at ways to improve his pasties for next year.
“After 43 years of baking, it’s become a way of life for me.”
Customers munch through about 3000 of his award-winning pasties each week.
Subscribe to our free mailing list and always be the first to receive the latest news and updates.