http://www.perrymansbakery.com.au/
2012 was a particularly difficult and sad time for me with the passing of my Mum. At times like that you realise how important family is and it struck me that I had not seen much of my extended family since moving to Queensland over twenty years ago. It was time for a visit to my hometown, Adelaide, and catch up with my Cousins, Uncle and Aunt as I had promised many times.
Along with visting family, a trip to Adelaide also allowed me to reconnect with some of the food and restaurants that I loved as a young adult growing up. There is one place in particular that played a huge role in my late teens and early twenties (ie, once I was allowed to drive!), a place that I spent every possible lunch time going to. A place that I introduced a bevy of my friends to who also became devotees. A bakery called Perryman's.
A little bit of background first. Baking has been carried out almost continuously at Perryman's for over 130 years. Located in Tynte Street North Adelaide, the building was erected by baker Diedrich Mahnke in the early 1850's (I know, thats a long time!) The Perryman family took over the bakery in 1925 and the business stayed in the family for three generations. From what I can tell, it looks as if the bakery was sold out of the Perryman family in November 2011, but the traditions of the Perryman's bakery hold strong.
While the Perryman's bakery is a full bakery with a really wide range of products, it's only every been about one thing for me, a thing that has kept me coming back and thinking about this place ever since I 'discovered' it in 1989. Lunchtime pies! Growing up I loved those pies with a passion, they were the tastiest pies I had ever eaten. I would rock up to the bakery just after the pies has been placed on the cooling rack and would order between 5 or 6 of them, depending on the day. This may sound like a lot of pies, but the lunchtime pies are 'party pie' size and as such the ratio of pastry to meat was perfect!
This was my first visit back to Perryman's in over 12 years, which was my last real visit to Adelaide, and the anticipation of scoffing some delicious meat pies was really eating into me. Coming up to lunch I decided I would build an appetite by walking the several kilometres from the Adelaide CBD to North Adelaide, a lovely walk on such a warm sunny summer's day.
Arriving at the bakery was like walking down memory lane, the street had not changed and the bakery was just as I remembered it. Being a little older and wiser, not to mention keeping a control of my calorie intake, I walked up to the counter and ordered only 4 lunchtime pies, thinking that it I wanted more I could always walk back inside and grab a few extra. After taking the pies outside and snapping off a few photos, I could not wait any longer and dived into my first pie.......
It's a funny thing memories, sometimes over a long period of time your memories can become distorted and the reality can sometimes be a little bit of a let down. The pie was nice, but it could not possibly live up to the expectations that I had set in my memory over many years of thinking and dreaming about this moment.
When you have moved away or moved on from a situation, like I had moved away from Adelaide, it's not always a great idea to come back. So often it can lead tarnishing your original memories. I don't think my memories of Perryman's have been ruined, I have too many great ones for that to have happened but I now have been able to put the longing that I sometimes get for Perryman's pies behind me.
The great thing was that I could back up going to Perryman's the next day, only this time it was at their new Grote Street bakery. I thought it was time to create some new memories and you know what, the pies from the Grote Street bakery were really quite nice.........
@FoodMeUpScotty
2012 was a particularly difficult and sad time for me with the passing of my Mum. At times like that you realise how important family is and it struck me that I had not seen much of my extended family since moving to Queensland over twenty years ago. It was time for a visit to my hometown, Adelaide, and catch up with my Cousins, Uncle and Aunt as I had promised many times.Along with visting family, a trip to Adelaide also allowed me to reconnect with some of the food and restaurants that I loved as a young adult growing up. There is one place in particular that played a huge role in my late teens and early twenties (ie, once I was allowed to drive!), a place that I spent every possible lunch time going to. A place that I introduced a bevy of my friends to who also became devotees. A bakery called Perryman's.
A little bit of background first. Baking has been carried out almost continuously at Perryman's for over 130 years. Located in Tynte Street North Adelaide, the building was erected by baker Diedrich Mahnke in the early 1850's (I know, thats a long time!) The Perryman family took over the bakery in 1925 and the business stayed in the family for three generations. From what I can tell, it looks as if the bakery was sold out of the Perryman family in November 2011, but the traditions of the Perryman's bakery hold strong.While the Perryman's bakery is a full bakery with a really wide range of products, it's only every been about one thing for me, a thing that has kept me coming back and thinking about this place ever since I 'discovered' it in 1989. Lunchtime pies! Growing up I loved those pies with a passion, they were the tastiest pies I had ever eaten. I would rock up to the bakery just after the pies has been placed on the cooling rack and would order between 5 or 6 of them, depending on the day. This may sound like a lot of pies, but the lunchtime pies are 'party pie' size and as such the ratio of pastry to meat was perfect!
This was my first visit back to Perryman's in over 12 years, which was my last real visit to Adelaide, and the anticipation of scoffing some delicious meat pies was really eating into me. Coming up to lunch I decided I would build an appetite by walking the several kilometres from the Adelaide CBD to North Adelaide, a lovely walk on such a warm sunny summer's day.
Arriving at the bakery was like walking down memory lane, the street had not changed and the bakery was just as I remembered it. Being a little older and wiser, not to mention keeping a control of my calorie intake, I walked up to the counter and ordered only 4 lunchtime pies, thinking that it I wanted more I could always walk back inside and grab a few extra. After taking the pies outside and snapping off a few photos, I could not wait any longer and dived into my first pie.......
It's a funny thing memories, sometimes over a long period of time your memories can become distorted and the reality can sometimes be a little bit of a let down. The pie was nice, but it could not possibly live up to the expectations that I had set in my memory over many years of thinking and dreaming about this moment.
When you have moved away or moved on from a situation, like I had moved away from Adelaide, it's not always a great idea to come back. So often it can lead tarnishing your original memories. I don't think my memories of Perryman's have been ruined, I have too many great ones for that to have happened but I now have been able to put the longing that I sometimes get for Perryman's pies behind me.
The great thing was that I could back up going to Perryman's the next day, only this time it was at their new Grote Street bakery. I thought it was time to create some new memories and you know what, the pies from the Grote Street bakery were really quite nice.........
@FoodMeUpScotty
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| This view has not changed in almost 100 years! Just as I remembered it from my childhood |
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| A new Perryman's in the CBD. I could have used this when I lived in Adelaide |
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| Perryman's will always have a place in my heart! |
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