The Plains Pantry

2024 🥧 Tour
Review no 18
The Plains Pantry
(Willow Tree NSW)

This next review was totally unexpected but one I’m so glad I did. Back in March, I was asked to MC a very special event called “Springfield Splendour” this was a charity event to raise funds for farming kids and these funds provides these bush kids various opportunities that are hard to come by in remote country areas.

The event was held at a beautiful private property near Spring Ridge which was about a hour south of Tamworth. Before the event I played golf with the legends at Quirindi Golf Club and all the lads strongly suggested I check out the 🥧’s at this little cafe in Willow Tree called The Plains Pantry.

So I made a few phone calls and teed a time to meet the owner Hannah, her mum Debbie and smash a few glorious 🥧’s. The Plains Pantry is located on the New England Highway and directly across the road from the pub. The place is a real family affair with Mum Debbie, siblings Hannah and Matt at the helm. They have operated this place for 8 years and the cafe now employs 10 local staff.

The first thing that grabbed me was the building and the interior fit out. This is more than a cafe, you could literally grab anything you want here including a exotic range of local gins, beers, wines and locally sourced products. There is so much to look at in this cafe while your waiting for your food.

Speaking of food I went straight over to the 🥧 oven to sus out the 🥧 situation and get this party started. The current 🥧 filling’s were the genuius idea of Debbie’s late husband David who sadly passed away. David
loved to cook and turned some of his favourite dishes into 🥧’s. Hannah’s brother Matt and chef Heath makes the pastry and 🥧’s from scratch and from locally sourced products and ingredients from around the area. I smashed 3 🥧’s in total during my visit but for this review I went with the first 🥧 I sampled and that was the “Lamb and Rosemary”

🥧 THE REVIEW 🥧

1. Value for Money – $8 was very reasonable for a 🥧 of this size and quality. The depth and diameter was excellent and the 🥧 was completely full. Most lamb and rosemary 🥧’s I’ve reviewed have ranged between that $7.50 to $8.50 range, so this 🥧 was more than affordable 9.5/10

2. Meat Ratio – Totally full and they weren’t skimpy on the lamb either. No more could meat could have been squeezed into this 🥧 10/10

3. Flavour – This flavour in this 🥧 was incredible. The meat was cooked really well and melted in your mouth. The texture was also very good and the added rosemary was the exact blend and didn’t overpower the lamb in any way. The gravy sauce complemented the overall flavour in this 🥧. Great job guys loved it 9/10

4. Pastry – Overall the pastry in this 🥧 was of a high standard. The top color was a little blotchy but nothing major, all the bakes were spot on and the top bake had a nice puff to it. The gravy sauce was a smidge runny so the stability when eating this 🥧was a little tricky. Overall good job. 8.5/10

5. Serving Temperature – Yes a smidge hot but nothing major. I was just super keen to get stuck into these bad boys 9/10

Overall Rating
🥧🥧 46/50 🥧🥧

This was a quality product and one I thoughly enjoyed. You need to consider like many other places I’ve reviewed these guys are not quilifed bakers, but are genuine food lovers having a crack making quality products for there customers. The flavour was a clear standout for me and the scores were very consistent right across the board. The 🥧 was priced accordingly and was totally full. To be honest not many negatives only a few minor things her and there. Overall I loved this product product and would highly reccommed not only this flavoured 🥧 but all the others I devoured.

A big thank you to Hannah and the team for having me in. This little cafe is 100% worth pulling in and checking out. All the food served here spectacular and you will won’t be disappointed.

I need to send out a behemoth shout out to the communities of Spring Ridge, Willow tree and Quirindi for there amazing hospitality. The team of ladies who organized the “Springfield Splendour” OMG you ladies are amazing. The event raised almost $40,000 dollars which is a great result in its first year. To Laura and Mick thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to MC your special event and putting me up at your stunning property. Finally to the legends at the Quirindi Golf Club thanks for your hospitality, your course is a little cracker.

Later in the week will be a posting my 2 reviews from my quick visit to the south coast area of Milton and Ulladulla,
The Heritage Bakery, Milton
and Hayden’s Pies so keep a eye out for these reviews.