Anyone watching television, or who has been fortunate enough to visit Australia will realize that they have a vibrant and exciting food industry.  One of the rising stars is  Bourke Street Bakery, situated in the hip foodie enclave of Sydney’s Surry Hills, selling artisanal baked goods of the highest order. The bakery’s long queue of customers waiting for their daily fix is testament to the popularity of their utterly delicious wares – from rustic breads such as their famous spelt sourdough to the flaky pork and fennel sausage rolls and the addictive sweet pastries –  ginger brulee and pistachio tart.

Fortunately for those of us who are not able to visit the bakery, we can now recreate many of their delicious offerings from the inspiring cookbook of the same name.  It is the ultimate baking companion with clear and concise instructions aimed at the novice home baker while remaining an inspirational and technical reference for professionals. Passionate owner-bakers Paul Allam and David McGuinness share their secrets for more than 90 of their exceptional creations. Complementing the mouthwatering recipes is a wide selection of evocative photographs depicting the various recipes as well as capturing the sole of the establishment.

So who are the people behind this successful bakery?  Paul Allam and David McGuinness are both well-travelled chefs with a passion for good food and artisan baked goods. India was David’s inspiration for the bakery’s famous ginger brulee and pistachio tart. They started Bourke Street Bakery in 2004 and opened A second shop, Central Baking Depot, in Sydney’s CBD in 2008.

Click on the links below for two delicious recipes inspired by book:

Carrot cake

Flourless Chocolate Cake Recipe

Interested in buying this book? visit – Red Pepper Books – The South African online bookshop, they will be able to offer you great prices on any book you are looking for.

Wickedfood Cooking School, Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252 sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za

Wickedfood Cooking School runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.

Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these events are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.