Copley Bush Bakery & Quandong Café

Kids visit policy a winner at LCKEver felt that forceful craving for a piece of pie?  Well we have the pie just for you, a Quandong pie. The Copley Bush Bakery & Quandong Café is the place to fulfill that craving.

Located in Copley SA, which is nestled between Leigh Creek and Lyndhurst and owned and operated by Peter and Mary-Lee with their son Jimmy, you will be warmly invited to sit and enjoy the serenity that surrounds this quirky and peaceful bakery. Grab yourself a Quandong pie and a barista coffee, and if you make the time to linger you may even place a piece of the jigsaw puzzle, they quite often have spread out on a table.Leigh Creek Energy welcomed a group of children into the Adelaide-based office recently as part of a unique company initiative offering families some company insight.

Trust us it is worth the drive from Adelaide if only for one bite, but you will not be able to stop at one.

Quandong fruit trees are native to Australia, the Desert Quandong, is a hemi parasitic plant in the sandalwood family, which is widely dispersed throughout the central deserts and southern areas of Australia.

The Quandong fruit is handpicked and peeled by the locals and from there the Quandong flesh is ready to be cut, stewed, bottled and baked into something that will make your tastebuds jump for joy. The owners themselves handmake the most enchanting Quandong pies and Quandong sauce, Quandong cheesecake – OMG this is good, Quandong ice-cream, Quandong jam, Quandong chocolate balls…..you get the picture!Children of LCK staff are encouraged to join their parents at work for a half day every school holidays.

Visitors travel far and wide just to taste these famously and award-winning delicious pies and purchase a jar or two of sauce for their travelling journey. However, it is not just the travellers that love the pies, as staff of Leigh Creek Energy (LCK) enjoy a pie or three – we know one employee whom takes a six pack of pies home to the family each trip. Additionally, some LCK staff love nothing more than to roll up their sleeves and join in with the Peter, Mary-Lee and Jimmy on the crafting of these wonderful creations – see two LCK’ers helping on jarring day in the photo.The visit is part of the company initiative to involve employees' children at work to promote a lively family atmosphere and offer families a look into day-to-day happenings at the LCK office.

Although raving is now complete for the Quandong goodies, don’t forget that they also make a range of other bakery items. They make huge meat pies (steak and cracked pepper, kangaroo and claret, chicken and leek - again, OMG), and if you’re very lucky and they’ve made a curry recently, you might get a curry pie.  The group of eager helpers participated in a staff meeting, assisted in a stock take and helped with some filing, while adding some fun and energy to the office.

Make sure you take the time to turn off the main highway to visit the fantastic Copley Bush Bakery & Quandong Café as it’s a small wonder you’ll enjoy and help you remember your trip.Human Resources Manager Noreen Byrne said employees enjoy the lighter fun atmosphere that comes with engaging with each other's kids, in an environment that's usually all business.

Pictures: Quandong berries, Copley Bakery Quandong jam, LCK & Copley Bakery staff working hard together and Copley’s famous Quandong pie."It's a lot of fun mixing with the kids, especially in an environment that's usually strictly professional and busy," Mrs Byrne said.