Heather Dell bakery: sweet cred 62 years on

Food fashions come and go, but in the burgeoning inner west, one business has kept its flavour for 62 years. Heather Dell bakery was opened in Anderson Street in 1951 by Scots Meg Prentice and Rena Gray. The current owner-operator is Meg's grandson, Keith Prentice. Keith's late father, Alex, worked in the welding department of the Williamstown Naval Dockyards and would help his son make the bakery's pies before work. His mother, Betty, still drops in but Keith, a self-taught pastry chef, took over from his grandmother. He has seen a lot of change in the area. Business is ''a lot tougher than it used to be'' because there's more choice for customers and utility bills are rising. The Swiss pineapple cake is a fixture. ''We've been selling that cake since 1951,'' Keith says.''It's one of our best-sellers.'' Heather Dell is open 7am-5pm Monday to Thursday, 7am-5.30pm Friday and 8.30am-noon Saturdays.