Who hasn’t enjoyed a hot pie at the footy or in the playground in winter?
Savoured a cream bun, apricot turnover or a sinker?
Enjoyed a scrumptious pastie with just the right amount of pepper and pumpkin?
Broken Hill has been served delicious pies, pasties and sausage rolls for over a century from one continuous business that started in the backyard of the Underwoods.
The Underwoods were the first bakers in town, along with the Petchs, to own what would become Old McLeods Bakery and is now the Old McLeods Bakery.
McLeods’ Bakery moved to the Forner’s Bakery premises in Beryl Street and has their main shop in Argent Street, the original McLeods’ bakery building became The Old McLeods’ Bakery in 2016 and still sells McLeods’ Pies and pasties along with a wonderful range of original recipes developed by the owner Bruce Carpenter.
Some of the more interesting and still scrumptious recipes include The Ned Kelly pie, a bangers and mash pie, pulled beef in three flavours and he’s even created an Apple and Rhubarb Turnover.
The original Underwood premises were some ovens built out the back of a house on the corner of Thomas and Zebina Streets.
They soon built their first bakehouse in Chapple Street and eventually ended up with a shop attached that had a door facing the corner of Chapple and Zebina.
In 1910 the Underwood and Petchs sold to the McCleod brothers and started a long tradition of the McLeods Bakery in Broken Hill.
After McLeods (we think) came Greg and Marcia Lively, followed by Bruce Carpenter who has owned it since then.
Bruce’s history was that of a miner, so turning to the bakery in his later years was an interesting twist.
The business was available so he thought he’d give it a go and has not only created some delightful new recipes but he’s developed a strong interest in the history of the bakehouse in Broken hill.
If you enter the store and look to your left the original ovens are still in the walls of the shop.
There are two ovens that are about five metres deep, just look at the paddle on the wall to see how far the pies went into the oven.
In between the two ovens is a furnace or heater where the fire was contained heating the ovens on either side.
The two ovens and the furnace are encased in brick which is surrounded by sand acting as an insulator for the ovens and fire.
The sand is encased in the walls.
Of course the shop now faces Zebina Street but it is still at the Underwood and Petsch’s original bakery and still creates top tucker for the town.
