Farmer's Bakehouse

Hand-shaped loaves, pastries and pies come out of an artisan bakery run by Bart and Katie, who keep the bread free of artificial preservatives and additives and buy ingredients from local, sustainable suppliers. The pies draw the loudest following, with the local verdict of 'the best pies this side the mountains' the kind of line that sticks in a country town. Beyond bread there are cakes, custard-filled croissants, sandwiches and bacon-and-egg rolls, plus a wholesale line supplying cafes around town. Two shopfronts, Wheelers Lane in the east and Victoria Street in the west, keep both sides of the Macquarie River in fresh bread. Everything is hand-made rather than proved from a frozen box, which is rarer than it should be out here, and worth the stop for the pastry case alone.