Nigella Lawson’s Sydney

Want to walk in Nigella Lawson’s footsteps? This is a Sydney stroll with plenty of stops for her favourite places.

Canele and Coffee

 In the city, Lawson goes to the best bakery in Woolloomooloo, at 53 Riley Street, recommending  “Flour and Stone for a canele and a coffee.”

You can pick up croissants, lamingtons or tarts for your Air BnB or hotel fridge here.
From there, it’s a gentle walk to Nigella’s favourite cheese source.

Penny’s Cheese Shop, Potts Point

Nigella buys her own kitchen ingredients in Potts Point, a short walk from Woolloomooloo.

Penny’s Cheese Shop at 127-139 Macleay Street also offers a reinvented Australian classic – the toasted sandwich.

Penny’s Cheese Shop owner Penny Lawson uses up to eight cheeses (including but not limited to cheddar, Gruyère, raclette and smoked scamorza) in her grilled sandwich, using day-old Pioik Epooro bread (wholewheat and rye) with cheese on both the inside and outside. Only 50 are made every day.

Nigella told The Sydney Morning Herald, “Her incredible toastie is sort of gooey in the middle, and then somehow there’s a sort of shell of cheese on the outside of the bread. So that is a must.”

Fratelli Paradiso

After your cheese shopping (or tasting) you can finish your walk in Potts Point, the glamorous neighbour of rough Kings Cross – at Fratelli Paradiso at 12-16 Challis Avenue, another Lawson selection.
Walk-ins by walkers are welcome, but book here to ensure a table. It’s “the absolute epitome of hospitality,” according to Nigella. If you’re stuck for a menu choice, she suggests “The scampi spaghetti at Fratelli Paradiso is, to me, proper Sydney Italian.”

Nigella’s Sydney Walk Map

That’s our idea of a 20-minute Sydney stroll. With stops. And for a scenic route back to the city, set your phone for Harry’s Café de Wheels at Woolloomooloo. It’s not on Nigella’s list, but Prince Harry has indeed blessed it with his presence.