Hansel and Gretel Bakery Co.

If you're after a bakery in Orange, New South Wales, Hansel and Gretel Bakery Co. is a name that comes up warmly and often. It's a small, welcoming shopfront where you can sit down for breakfast or lunch, or grab something to take to the park or on the road out of town.

Pies are what people talk about first. The bacon and cheese gets a special mention, with one visitor passing through calling it among the best pies they'd had in a long while, and the curry pie has its fans too. Sausage rolls sit alongside them, and the bacon and cheese version is a popular pick. Quiches and fresh filled rolls round out the savoury side, and we've heard the rolls come loaded with salad and meat. Everything has that fresh-from-the-oven feel, and people tend to leave with a bag for later.

The sweet side holds its own. Lamingtons, vanilla slice, caramel tarts, custard tarts and big, light fairy cakes are all regular mentions, along with soft apple crumble muffins. Custom cakes are a real strength: one local ordered a sponge for a grandmother's birthday and watched a whole room of nursing home residents clear their plates, and another ordered a few dozen cupcakes in mixed flavours for work and watched them disappear. They also do gluten-free and vegan options, which is handy if you're buying for a mixed group.

The coffee gets plenty of praise, with hot chocolates served in generous mugs. It's run as a family business, and the people behind the counter come in for consistent kind words. Friendly, helpful and welcoming is how they're described, and it's the sort of place where you end up deciding to become a regular. Locals also say prices are fair for what you get.

There is a free car park and free street parking, and the entrance and car park are wheelchair accessible. Takeaway and dine-in are both available, and they take cards and mobile payments. It's worth checking the hours before you head in, as they change a little through the week.