Nicole Barrow never planned on becoming a baker. For 20 years, she worked in real estate in Melbourne, living a fast-paced life. But when she and her family moved to Ballan, building a house on five acres, things began to shift.

"In 2018, I gave up real estate because my dad got sick and spent five months in hospital," she recalls. "Mum became his carer, and I wanted to help, but she wouldn't accept it. A friend gifted me a loaf of bread, and I thought, 'I might sell this.' That way, I could take Dad out in my car a couple of times a week to deliver bread and give Mum a break."

At first, the business had a different name, but then COVID hit. Like so many others, Nicole turned to baking. "I got all Mum’s and Nan’s recipes and started baking. But I didn’t want to do bread again - it was too time-consuming. That’s how The Vintage Baker started, using all my mum’s, Nan’s, and auntie’s recipes."

For Nicole, those recipes are more than just instructions on a page - they are memories. "COVID made us all realise what was important. After years of a fast-paced world, it was time to breathe again. I wanted something I could do from home, and these recipes brought back a memory."

Unlike traditional caterers, Nicole doesn’t work from a set menu. "If someone calls me, I tell them my story. I say, ‘This is what I do. I don’t make things my mum, Nan, or auntie didn’t make.’ It’s a little bit of savoury, a little bit of sweet, but no full meals."

Her most popular items include lemon slice, sausage rolls, zucchini slice, raspberry and coconut slice, and caramel slice. But she doesn’t tweak the recipes. "I honour the tradition. I remember being a kid and all my friends walking through our back gate at lunchtime. Mum would be in the kitchen making sausage rolls, toasted sandwiches, or chocolate coconut slice. She always had something on the go."

That love of food as a gesture of care has carried into Nicole’s own life. "My parents both went into aged care last year. They’ve got dementia, so when I visit, I take a piece of lemon slice or coconut slice for Mum. I don’t think she remembers, but she’ll say, ‘Oh, this is nice,’ and I like to think she knows, even if she doesn’t realise."

Many of Nicole’s customers have similar reactions. "I hear it all the time -‘Oh my god, my Nan used to make that.’ That’s what I love. It brings back memories."

She believes traditional Australian baking is fading.

When I go to bakeries now, they do a lemon slice, but it’s different. Bigger, thicker - not like Nan used to make. Back then, they had basic ingredients, and that’s what I use. Just simple, honest food."

One of her most memorable events was catering a 100th birthday. "There were a lot of older guests, and they kept saying, ‘Oh, my Nan used to make that.’ It was a proper old-fashioned spread - vintage plates, mismatched, nothing perfect. It reminded me of how my parents used to host a big Cup Day party every year. Everyone brought a plate. People were known for what they’d bring - Phyllis made the trifle, someone else did the pavlova, Mum always made spinach cob loaf."

Nicole doesn’t cater to dietary requirements because they weren’t part of the original recipes. "I always say, ‘I’m happy to cater for you, but I’ll outsource the dietary needs.’ I don’t have a gluten-free or dairy-free recipe."

She sources her ingredients locally where she can. "I’m not big enough to have suppliers yet, but I go to markets. People will drop lemons or apricots off - it’s a real community thing."

She also gives food instead of gifts. "Mum used to do that. If a neighbour was sick, she’d bring them a casserole or some baking. That’s what you did. Food is something people need, especially in grief or hard times. Now, I do these baskets - I collect vintage tins and baskets, fill them with biscuits, sausage rolls, quiches, and flowers from my garden. It’s more meaningful than flowers that will die in a week."

For Nicole, baking is about connection. "Food brings people together. It’s a shared story, a memory. There can be tears when you eat something your Nan used to make and realise how much you miss her."

Her daughter now bakes, too. "That’s what I love - it’s still passing down the tradition. A lot of kids don’t cook anymore, but she does. We don’t have Uber Eats here!"
The Vintage Baker isn’t about following trends. "It’s about keeping things simple. Flour, eggs, fruit, jam - just like the old days. Nothing fancy, just good food made with love."

STORY BY MAHMOOD FAZAL
PHOTOS BY CHRI S TURNER

The Vintage Baker
Nicole Barrow
@thevintagebaker3342
PH 0418 521 156