Flagrantly flouting the laws of Feng Shui, Fiona Williams fearlessly set up her bijoux boutique bakery - Fiona's Fancies - in the back corner of a Eumundi shopping block, at the end of an alley, under some stairs.
And yet this unpropitious position appears to have mattered not: Fiona has built it, and they have come - come for her heavenly, mouth-melting tarts; her crispy-crunch ginger biscuits; her toffee-drizzled, finger-sticky puddings ...


Fiona's fancies are dense and rich with luxurious (local where possible) produce: the creamiest dairy, the most luscious of fruits, the most intense and bitterest of chocolates: perfectly plated on watercolour gardens of fine bone china, and served with a St Kilda-worthy coffee.
Forgive the comparison - Fiona's does put me in a Melbourne state of mind. Perhaps it's the shadowy ambience of her cocoon-like space where, tucked inside the nut-brown panelled walls, safe from the blazing Eumundi summer sun, the lights are dimmed, the air is cooled, a cushioned bench awaits, and a sparkling showcase of delights beckons.


Clever Fiona. No detail escapes her artist's eye. Welcome to gateaux wonderland, with morsels fit for any fairy queen of tarts.

When not whipping up divine eat-in and take-away treats, Fiona loves to create bespoke, special occasion cakes. And trust me, a cake by Fiona would make any occasion special.
For orders, you can contact Fiona through her blog - or better still, pop in to the bakery and see her in action. She's always there, sleeves up, oven and imagination firing.
(Photos courtesy Rachel Barus)