Shekiah and Matt Aylett holding the trophies, surrounded by councilors at the North End Bakehouse presentation.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
North End Bakehouse has once again taken the cake, securing first place in both Australia's Best Hot Cross Bun and Australia’s Best Vanilla Slice.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The annual Victoria Baking Show was held in Bendigo, hosted by the Baking Association of Australia, to let bakers and baking enthusiasts battle it out in the kitchen.
A total of 127 entries from Victoria, South Australia, and NSW were recorded as competitors came to take part and showcase their exceptional skills and talent.
And, once again, North End Bakehouse Shepparton and Mooroopna has scooped the pool by winning Australia’s Best Hot Cross Bun and Australia’s Best Vanilla Slice for 2025, in addition to previous years.
The team has proudly secured the coveted Best Vanilla Slice title for three consecutive years: 2023, 2024, and 2025.
They have also claimed the Best Hot Cross Bun title in four of the last five years: 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025.
“Coupling both of these national awards together in the same competition for the last two years is a huge achievement for our team.” Owner Matt Aylett said.
The competition was held on Thursday, March 3 in Bendigo and awards were presented to the winners on the same night.
The official trophy presentation was held at North End Bakehouse, Mooroopna on Friday, March 21 at 11am.
Shekiah and Matt Aylett presenting their trophies and baked delights.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
“We always get nervous at presentation time, you just never really know what’s going to happen,” Mr Aylett said.
“We knew our products were up there with the best, but there are more and more top quality entries each year, so it gets a lot tougher.
“When our name got called for both awards, we were over the moon! For us, it proves that consistency is key.
“We don’t change recipes or methods, but we perfect the tiny points that judges note in previous years.
“It may be as small as making sure there are no pastry crumbs on the side of the vanilla slice custard, or that the line on a hot cross bun needs to be a little thinner; it’s the details that win it.”
North End Bakehouse first rose to success through a perfect blend of hard work and dedication when Mr Aylett began his culinary journey through Billy’s Bakehouse in Mooroopna in 2006.
While he originally wanted to become a chef, Mr Aylett found himself more drawn towards “the sweet side of things”, which led to the possibility of being a pastry chef.
“Through work experience I did at Billy’s Bakehouse, I decided that is what I wanted to do and within weeks I had quit school and started an apprenticeship,” he said.
“I worked for over seven years, learning all aspects of the bakery; from the basics of baking, through to helping manage and run the day-to-day staff.”
In 2014, Mr Aylett and his wife, Shekiah Aylett, along with his parents, purchased Rennie’s Bakehouse to transform into the North End Bakehouse.
“Our main focus was wholesale, and we moved on building up the retail side of the business,” Mr Aylett said.
“Over the years, we started moving away from wholesale as the retail side became a passion to allow us to bring customers into our store for all of the great things that we were making.
“In 2024, we expanded to our second store in Mooroopna, the old Billy’s Bakehouse where it all started for me.”
And the rest is history.
Shekiah and Matt Aylett presenting their trophies and baked delights.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
“We always love to win awards, but making sure our customers are happy is the main priority,” Mr Aylett said.
“We thank everyone who comes into our store and supports us, and our whole team of baking and retail staff deserve a big congratulations too!”
North End Bakehouse will be baking thousands of their award-winning hot cross buns and vanilla slices for the Thursday before Easter, and will also open their Mooroopna store on the Saturday.
26°C