Holdens Bakery

Holdens Bakery is the sort of country bakery that gets the early crowd in Hughenden, Queensland. The doors open well before most of the town is awake, and locals will tell you the sensible move is to arrive early, because the pies and sausage rolls can run low by mid-morning. One traveller missed out on a first visit with a single sausage roll left, then came back the next morning and had better luck.

Pies are the main event. People talk about generous fillings and flaky pastry, with the pepper steak a favourite, and one visitor enjoyed it for breakfast with the lid popped off and a splash of tomato sauce. Sausage rolls get plenty of mentions too, including an Italian-style one, and the bacon and cheese rolls are described as light and fresh. If you're after something sweet, we hear good things about the custard tarts, apple turnovers with fresh cream, lamingtons, cream buns and hedgehog slice. One visitor called the laminated pastries huge and fresh from the oven.

There's coffee, breakfast and cold drinks as well, and everything is available as takeaway. A couple of tables sit outside in the shade, and the shop is dog friendly, which suits anyone travelling with a four-legged passenger. Inside it's air-conditioned, a welcome thing in Hughenden's heat. Card payments and tap-and-go are accepted, and there's a wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park, plus free street parking nearby.

Staff come across as friendly, with the service often mentioned alongside the food, and prices are considered fair for what you get. One regular did find a recent change in how payments are handled a surprise, so it's worth having a card handy. Opinion on the food itself is overwhelmingly warm, and it's often named as a favourite breakfast and lunch stop for families passing through town.

Don't confuse it with the FJ Holden Cafe in the next street. The hours are long on weekdays and shorter on weekends, so check before you head in, and aim for the morning if you want the full pie selection.