School & Sports Club Fundraising with a Coniston Pie Driv

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Best Vanilla Slice in Wollongong? Here's the Case for Coniston's

Best Vanilla Slice in Wollongong? Here's the Case for Coniston's

School & Sports Club Fundraising with a Coniston Pie Drive

Chocolate drives are hard work and raffle tickets only go so far. A pie drive is different: families are buying something they'd buy anyway — dinner — and your school, club or community group keeps the profit. Coniston Bakery has been running pie drives with schools, sporting clubs and charities across the Illawarra for years. Here's how it works and how to make yours a success.

Why pie drives work so well

Everyone eats. A family meat pie or a box of sausage rolls is an easy sell to parents, grandparents, neighbours and workmates.
It's a repeat purchase. Families who enjoy their order come back for the next drive.
Low effort for volunteers. We handle the baking, wrapping and delivery. You handle the order forms and collection day.
All your profit stays with you. Every dollar of profit goes to your organisation.
It stacks with other fundraisers. Plenty of groups run a pie drive alongside a raffle or a chocolate drive for a bigger total.

What you can sell

Our pie drives aren't just pies. You can build an order form from:

Family-size pies — classic meat, beef and pepper, curry beef, beef and mushroom, cheese and bacon, chicken and vegetable, vegetable and more
Family quiches, such as quiche Lorraine and spinach and fetta
Sausage rolls
Sweet treats: apple pie, custard tart, lamingtons, caramel slice and other slices
Scones and cakes
Gluten-free and vegan options, so no one on your list misses out

We'll send your group our current Pie & Cake Drive information pack with the full range and pricing.

How it works, step by step

Register your interest. Fill in the short form on our Pie Drive page, telling us which products you're interested in and roughly when you'd like to run your drive.
Get your information pack. We'll send you the order form, product list and pricing, and walk you through setting it up for your members.
Collect orders. Your families and supporters order and pay through your group, by a set closing date.
Send us the totals. Once orders close, send through your combined order.
We bake and deliver. Everything is baked fresh to order, individually wrapped and delivered to your school or club on your chosen day.
Hand out the orders. Your volunteers sort and hand out orders at collection time, and the profit goes straight into your fundraising kitty.

Tips for a successful pie drive

Pick the right season. Pie drives are popular all year, but they really take off in the cooler months, when families stock the freezer with easy dinners.
Keep the order window short. Two weeks is usually enough to build momentum without people forgetting.
Set a clear goal. "Help us raise $2,000 for new team jerseys" sells better than a general appeal.
Make collection easy. Choose an afternoon pickup time that suits school pick-up or training nights, and remind everyone the day before.
Tell buyers to freeze what they won't eat straight away. Family pies and sausage rolls freeze well, which makes larger orders an easy yes.
Share the results. Thank your supporters and tell them what the money bought. It makes next year's drive easier.

Who can run a pie drive?

Any group that raises money: primary and high schools and their P&Fs, junior and senior sports clubs (football, netball, cricket, surf lifesaving), dance and gymnastics schools, Scouts and Guides, churches, and local charities across Wollongong, Shellharbour and the wider Illawarra. If you're not sure it suits your group, ask us.

Start your pie drive

Register on our Pie Drive page for the information pack and pricing, or contact Robyn directly at robyn@conistonbakery.com.au or (02) 4226 4252 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm).

Want to know more about what goes into the pies? Read The Ultimate Illawarra Pie Guide, or see last season's Pie Drive Season post.

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best gender reveal cake shop near me - Wollongong

Baby Shower & Gender Reveal Cakes Wollongong: Ideas, Flavours & How to Order

Baby Shower & Gender Reveal Cakes Wollongong Few moments get a room cheering like the first slice of a gender reveal cake. Whether you're planning a reveal party, a baby shower or both, the cake is usually the centrepiece. At Coniston Bakery, our decorators make reveal and baby shower cakes for families across Wollongong and the Illawarra. Here are the most popular styles, how to keep the secret, and how to order. What is a gender reveal cake? A gender reveal cake looks neutral on the outside — white, gold, pastel or themed — and hides pink or blue on the inside. Usually only the baker, or one trusted friend, knows the answer before the knife goes in, so the parents-to-be find out at the same moment as their guests. Popular gender reveal cake styles Classic colour reveal. The sponge layers or the filling are coloured pink or blue. Simple, and it photographs beautifully when the first slice comes out. Lolly-filled reveal. The centre of the cake is packed with pink or blue lollies or sprinkles that spill out when it's cut. Drip cake with a hidden centre. A neutral drip design on the outside with a coloured centre. Cupcake pull-apart. Cupcakes arranged into a cake shape. Guests each pull one away to find coloured icing or filling inside. Themed designs. "He or She?", "What Will Baby Bee?" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" are all favourites. Browse our Inspirations gallery for more ideas. The golden rule: keep the outside neutral, so nothing gives the answer away before the cut. Baby shower cakes A baby shower cake doesn't need a surprise inside — it just needs to look and taste wonderful. Popular choices include soft pastel buttercream with the baby's name, nursery themes (teddy bears, clouds, safari animals), printed cakes with a scan photo or custom artwork, and tiered designs for bigger showers. If you're hosting a shower, pair the cake with a high tea spread — our high tea and grazing guide shows you how. Choosing a flavour The reveal is the highlight, but the cake still needs to taste great. Our standard flavours are chocolate mud, vanilla butter, marble, banana, white mud chocolate, red velvet and carrot. For bigger or tiered cakes you can mix flavours between layers. Gluten-free and vegan versions are available on request — see our gluten-free bakery guide. How to keep the secret Most gender reveals happen after the mid-pregnancy scan, usually around 18–20 weeks. A simple way to keep it a surprise: ask a trusted friend or family member to place the cake order and pass on the result, so the parents-to-be never see the order details. Just let us know who we're dealing with when you enquire. How far ahead to order Our decorators can often turn a reveal or baby shower cake around in as little as two days. That said, weekends fill quickly, so get in touch as soon as you have a date — especially for tiered or highly detailed designs. If your party is sooner than two days away, contact us anyway and we'll tell you honestly what's possible. Need something today? Our off-the-shelf cakes are ready to go — a vanilla sponge or 100's and 1000's marble cake makes a lovely last-minute shower cake. How to order Enquire. Send us your event date, guest numbers, reveal style or theme, and any inspiration photos. Design and quote. We'll confirm size, style, colours and flavour, and give you a clear price. Our custom cakes guide explains what affects the cost. We bake it fresh. Your cake is made in the days leading up to your event. Pickup or delivery. Collect free from Coniston (134 Gladstone Ave) or Unanderra (7 Farmborough Rd), or have it delivered within about 50 km for a distance-based fee. Coniston Bakery has been owned by Jason and Robyn Caldwell since 2012, and our decorators have been making celebration cakes for Illawarra families for more than ten years. Get in touch or call (02) 4226 4252 to start planning your reveal.

High Tea & Grazing Platters Wollongong: Build Your Spread with Coniston Bakery

High Tea & Grazing Platters Wollongong A high tea or grazing table is one of the easiest ways to feed a crowd at a baby shower, bridal shower, birthday, Mother's Day lunch or office celebration. Guests help themselves, there's something for everyone, and it looks generous on the table. You don't need a specialist grazing company to pull it off — almost everything on a classic high tea stand comes out of a bakery kitchen. Here's how to build yours with Coniston Bakery. What goes on a bakery high tea A good high tea or grazing spread mixes three things: small savouries, sweet bites, and something fresh. Savoury bites from our catering menu: Mini quiche Lorraine and spinach and feta quiche Spinach and feta triangles Arancini balls Party pies and party sausage rolls Mixed sandwiches and wraps Frittatas Ham and cheese croissants Sweet bites: Slices: caramel, vanilla, cheesecake, hedgehog, angel cake, brownie and cookie and cream cheese Cabinet favourites that suit a high tea stand: custard tarts, Portuguese tarts, lemon meringue tarts, neenish tarts, lamingtons, chocolate eclairs, butterfly cakes, fruit flans, cannoli and meringues Something fresh: A fresh fruit platter, which serves 10–15 people Salads such as Moroccan pumpkin, potato or chicken Caesar for a more substantial lunch Cabinet items aren't all on the online catering menu, so if you'd like tarts, eclairs or lamingtons in event quantities, contact us and we'll confirm what's available for your date. Three ready-made spread ideas Event Savoury Sweet Fresh Classic high tea (baby or bridal shower) Sandwiches, mini quiches, spinach and feta triangles Custard tarts, lemon meringue tarts, lamingtons, butterfly cakes Fruit platter Party grazing table (birthday or engagement) Party pies, sausage rolls, arancini, mini quiches Assorted slices, brownies, eclairs Fruit platter Office celebration or long lunch Wraps, sandwiches, frittatas, a salad Vanilla and caramel slices, cheesecake slice Fruit platter How much to order As a rough guide, allow four to six savoury pieces and two to three sweet pieces per guest for an afternoon high tea. If the spread is replacing a full lunch, lean towards the higher end and add a salad. Tell us your guest numbers and the time of your event and we'll help you get the quantities right. Add a cake as the centrepiece Nothing finishes a grazing table like a cake. Pick one ready-made from our off-the-shelf range — chocolate mud drip, red velvet drip, caramel mud or a classic vanilla sponge — or order a custom design to match your theme. Our custom cakes guide explains the options and pricing. Planning a baby shower or gender reveal? See our baby shower and gender reveal cakes guide. Dietary needs Gluten-free wraps are available, our catering menu can be filtered for gluten-free items, and there are vegetarian savouries throughout. Read our gluten-free bakery guide for more. For coeliac disease or severe allergies, please talk to us about our kitchen before ordering. Delivery, pickup and ordering Local delivery: $30 Delivery more than 10 km away: $50 Pickup: free from Coniston (134 Gladstone Ave) or Unanderra (7 Farmborough Rd) Order savouries, slices and fruit platters directly from our catering menu, or send us your guest numbers, date and ideas through our contact page. You can also call us on (02) 4226 4252, Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm. Give us as much notice as you can, especially for weekend events, and we'll confirm everything before your day.

The Ultimate Illawarra Pie Guide: Meat Pies, Sausage Rolls & Party Catering

The Ultimate Illawarra Pie Guide Ask anyone in the Illawarra where to get a decent pie and you'll get a strong opinion. Ours is simple: we've been baking pies on the corner in Coniston, opposite the pub, for more than 30 years, and our plain mince pie picked up awards at the 2022 Australia's Best Pie competition. This guide covers every pie in our cabinet, what to order for a crowd, and how to get them delivered. The classic: our plain meat pie If you only try one, make it the plain pie: golden, flaky pastry around a rich minced-beef filling in gravy. It's the pie tradies grab at 5am, the one kids ask for after school, and the one that earned us recognition at the national pie awards. For the story behind it, read The Aussie Meat Pie: So Good It's Practically a National Treasure. The full pie line-up Beyond the plain pie, our cabinets at Coniston and Unanderra carry: Pie What's in it Chunky steak and pepper Hearty steak pieces in a peppery sauce Beef and mushroom Slow-cooked beef with mushrooms Beef, bacon and cheese Beef, crispy bacon and melted cheese Beef and potato Beef and potato in a rich gravy Curry beef Beef simmered in an aromatic curry sauce Chilli beef Beef with a spicy chilli kick Smoky BBQ beef Beef in a smoky barbecue sauce Chicken and vegetable Chicken and vegetables in a creamy sauce Chicken and curry Chicken in a mild, aromatic curry Vegetable Seasonal vegetables in a savoury gravy — our vegetarian option Brekkie pie Egg, cheese and bacon — breakfast in pastry Gluten-free potato top pie Our classic filling under a potato topping, made gluten-free The range in the cabinet changes through the day, so if you're after a particular flavour, call ahead on (02) 4226 4252 (Coniston) or (02) 4272 6032 (Unanderra). Sausage rolls, pasties and other pastries A pie run isn't complete without a sausage roll. Ours is a seasoned sausage filling wrapped in flaky pastry, best with sauce. We also bake meat and vegetable pasties and spinach and fetta triangles for anyone who wants something different from a pie. Find all of these on our cafe menu. Family pies for dinner (and drop-offs) Our family meat pie is a sharing-size version of the classic — an easy dinner, a meal to drop off to friends with a new baby, or the centrepiece of a casual get-together. Family-size quiches and other family pies are available too; ask in store about what's on today. Party pies and sausage rolls for catering For birthdays, work events, footy presentations or a backyard get-together, our bite-sized party pies and party sausage rolls are the first thing to disappear. Order them hot or cold, and add spinach and feta triangles, mini quiches or arancini for variety. Everything is on our pies and pastries catering menu. As a rough guide, allow three or four party pieces per guest if they're part of a bigger spread, or six or more if they're the main event. Catering delivery: $30 locally, $50 for addresses more than 10 km away. Pickup is free from Coniston or Unanderra. Pies for a good cause Schools, sports clubs and community groups across the Illawarra raise money every year with a Coniston Bakery pie drive. We bake to order, wrap everything individually and deliver on your chosen day. See how our pie drive fundraiser works or register your interest. Where to get your pie Coniston: 134 Gladstone Ave, Coniston NSW 2500 — (02) 4226 4252 Unanderra: 7 Farmborough Rd, Unanderra NSW 2526 — (02) 4272 6032 Hours (both bakeries): Monday–Tuesday 5am–4pm, Wednesday–Friday 5am–5pm, Saturday 6am–2pm, closed Sunday Come in early for the full range, or order catering online for your next event.

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