The South Coast Bakery Sydney and Canberra Can't Stop Talking About
3am at Lagom Bakery sounds like oven alarms, smells like fermentation, and feels like a caffeine high.
Jon laughs when he describes their morning routine. There's something honest about starting the day before the rest of the NSW South Coast wakes up, hands deep in dough, surrounded by the kind of smells that make you realise food is supposed to be alive.
This is where Jon and Brinley have built the must-try bakery that's drawing visitors from Sydney and Canberra, not because they set out to become a South Coast food destination, but because they decided to do one thing really well.
"We are pretty different people," Jon says about his partnership with Brinley, "so playing with each other's strengths means we are a bit of a super group."
Brinley came to baking through a cheesemaking course, drawn to traditional methods that connect us to how food used to be made. Jon picked up his skills working in kitchens around the country, learning that good ingredients treated with care don't need fancy tricks. During COVID, they were both making sourdough. Brinley selling from Gwylo, Jon from his home kitchen. People kept coming back. The demand was there, so they made it official.
They've never disagreed on the big things, Jon tells us. Once they talk it out, they usually realise they're on the same page.
"We haven't journeyed far geographically," they admit. "Our roots are strong, firmly planted in this community." Walk into this coastal bakery and you'll see what staying put gets you. Regulars who've become friends. Shelves lined with products from other local South Coast makers. The kind of store where you'll bump into someone you know, or someone you should know.
They sponsor the local football club. longboard club, fundraise for Safe Waters. - Shelter, and run workshops that sell out before they can blink. Jon admits he gets "a bit anxious that customers are going to get sand on the product" when they take their bread to the beach. That's the kind of care that makes the drive from Sydney or Canberra worth it.
Everything at Lagom is made in-house. The tomato ketchup for toasties. The sauerkraut. Even their SWOP mug library and compostable packaging show they've thought through every detail. "We don't take shortcuts," they explain, and you can taste it. Their coffee is exceptional too, the perfect complement to fresh sourdough that locals queue for and city visitors plan weekend trips around.
Jon describes their approach: "Food made with care and consistency, without overcomplicating it. Letting the ingredients and process speak for themselves." Their core message is simple: eating well doesn't need to be complicated.
"We actually already have our dream customers and community," they say. "Surrounded by those who bring their loving kindness to us, too." It shows. People travel here from across NSW not just for bread, but for the feeling of being part of something genuine. They want to feel welcomed, whether they're South Coast locals or making the journey from the city. Nourished, stomach and soul.
Jon's learned something important through all this: "Not to be afraid of trying hard things." At Lagom, that means waking up at 3am to tend to fermentation. Making everything from scratch. Building genuine community connections instead of just transactions.
The results speak for themselves. Three words capture what they've built: honest, balanced, full of flavour. The oven alarms will sound again tomorrow morning. The community will gather. And if you haven't made the trip yet, you'll know exactly where to find the coastal bakery that reminds you why simple things, done well, are worth the journey.
Follow Lagom Bakery's daily rhythms on social media, or make it your next South Coast food destination and see what happens when traditional craft meets coastal community. www.lagombakery.com.au
