Hayden's Pies

If you're looking for a pie shop in Ulladulla, Hayden's Pies is the name that comes up. It's a proper country-style bakery on the main road through town, with a few modern touches thrown in, and the handmade pies are the reason people stop. They use quality ingredients sourced locally from the South Coast, and they've been at it since 2003.

The pastry is what people talk about first. Locals describe it as light and buttery, sturdy enough to eat with your hands without making a mess. The fillings are the other half of the story: deep, chunky and generous, with a reputation for not skimping. You'll find the classics, including a chunky steak pie, a good curry pie, sausage rolls and caramel slice. Then there's the more adventurous end of the cabinet, where the specials run to butter chicken with a yoghurt sauce, Sri Lankan chicken curry, baked mushroom with creamed spinach and goats cheese, and even barramundi with lemon myrtle or venison and field mushroom. We've also heard that wallaby and crocodile make the odd appearance. Gluten free options are available, and plenty of vegetarian choices too. One happy visitor said the vegetarian pies beat anything they'd eaten on a trip overseas.

It works equally well as a quick takeaway or a sit-down meal. They do coffee, breakfast and a coffee-and-cake special, and some people make a casual lunch of it with friends. Staff get consistent praise for being friendly and efficient, and the value is a regular talking point, with big pies at fair prices.

Lunchtimes and holiday weekends can mean a queue, though service moves quickly, and going a little earlier in the morning tends to be calmer. There's free street parking and a free car park, a wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park, and they take cards and tap-and-pay. Hours are long and run seven days, but it's worth checking before you head in.

One local has been coming for twenty years, and visitors passing through have stopped in for pies. If you're passing through Ulladulla, pull in and pick two flavours.