Slice gets sweet win

TUCKED away in Bath Lane you’ll find this year’s winner of the Best Vanilla Slice in Wotif’s Uniquely Aussie Awards.

Owner and baker at Bridgewater Bakehouse Pat O’Toole’s take on the iconic dessert has been deemed worthy of the recognition by a people’s choice vote held across the country.

While it’s not the first accolade for the tasty treats at his business, which operates a location in town and on Main Street in Bridgewater on Loddon, Mr O’Toole said this one was the most meaningful.

“To me it was a better award to win because it’s the customer that’s telling us its good, it’s not just a competition,” he said.

“There’s people that are voting for us in Western Australia. To me, that’s magic, it means we’re getting known around Australia, not just in Victoria.”

The flaky, creamy and shiny glazed dessert is the shop’s most popular sweet food item, selling in whopping daily numbers.

“It depends on the day of course but before COVID we were probably averaging 500 a day. On a long weekend it can be more than that, about 600 or 700,” Mr O’Toole said.

He said food-themed awards help to draw in even more customers, and he’s sold the slice to people who have come from as far as north Queensland.

“It helps business, it brings people into the store if you can win some of these awards related to pies or slices. They want to come and try them, so it gets money flowing and people moving,” he said.