Tumby Bay Bakery

If you're passing through Tumby Bay, South Australia, this bakery is worth a visit. It's a traditional bakery with, as the tagline puts it, a hint of modern flare: pies, pasties, sausage rolls, donuts, sandwiches, gourmet rolls, and sweet things like vanilla slice and jelly slice.

Pies are what it's known for, with fillings such as potato shepherds, lamb shank, curry, butter chicken, seafood, and potato bacon and leek. We've heard lamb shank, butter chicken, curry with big chunks of beef, potato shepherd's, and a seafood pie that one local called sublime. There are veggie options too, and a hot veggie pasty gets a good word. One visitor who knows pastry work from the inside rated the vanilla slice and the goji berry slice among the highlights, calling it good old Aussie-style baking. The bread comes in for praise as well, soft and fresh, with rolls described as light and fluffy.

Beyond the baked goods, there's soup, smoothies and fresh juices on the menu, plus coffee and breakfast. A potato, bacon and leek soup comes up as a favourite on a cool day. You can eat in, with seating inside and out, or grab takeaway. They also supply retailers across the Mid-Coast region and cater for events, so it's worth asking if you're planning a function.

The staff are a big part of why people come back. Friendly and quick are the words that keep turning up, even when the place is busy. It does get popular, so expect a short wait at peak times, though locals say it's only a couple of minutes. One regular says orders are ready when they arrive and nothing is ever a problem.

Getting in is straightforward, with a free car park and free street parking, a wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park, and card and mobile payments accepted. It's open weekdays, with an early start, and closed on weekends, so check the hours before you head in.