Pie and Espresso with Miss Lilly’s Kitchen

Who: Miss Lilly’s Kitchen

What: Pies, pastries and cakes…and some good coffee on the side 😉

Where: 571 King Street, Newtown

1. You describe yourself as a maker, baker and creator. What does a typical work day look like for you?

Up earlyish and into the kitchen, coffee in hand, I organise the wholesale orders to go out and the prep to be done. Shop opens at 8am, making and baking all day, chatting to customers and doing the usual small business owner shtick, answering emails, texts, phone calls, checking deliveries, orders, putting out fires (metaphorical only, hopefully) and keeping everyone smiling!

2. You began doing market stalls and wholesale. Can you tell us a little bit about how that got started and your transition into owning a shop?

Markets are a great way to test the product, and turns out I really enjoyed them and they can be a good earner. Hard work as well so when I outgrew my shared kitchen situation I thought why not get my own place, put in a warmer and a coffee machine, put some chairs out and sell some pie. Do still love a good market though.

3. You have some delicious vegan treats on offer. What made you start moving towards making plant-based recipes?

I’ve always eaten a varied diet myself, plant based, raw, vegetarian, good quality meat and dairy, so making a plant based pastry range was a no brainer really. Once I got the pastry right that was…

4. What will you be cooking up for Christmas this year?

For our family, Christmas always has prawns and a whole fish of some variety, baked or barbecued, cherries and mangos, pavlova cause I’m a kiwi and its OUR national dish, and then we fill the gaps in the menu with what ever we feel like. And champagne. And wine. Whiskey shows up at some point. For the shop, I’ll be baking some mince pie of course!

5. Your go-to coffee?

A strong latte in the morning, piccolo in the afternoon and espresso in the evening.