The Vicar’s Daughter

The Vicar’s Daughter has landed in Collaroy, and yes, it’s worth setting an alarm for.

The Vicar @ Vicar’s Daughter, Collaroy

Is there a specific scent that pulls you out of bed before your alarm? Fresh bread usually does it for me…

I’m talking about the fresh bread that’s still warm in the brown paper bag when you nestle it close to your chest.

That’s what happens most mornings now in Collaroy, directly opposite the beach, on Pittwater Road. Alva Brattgard - an actual Vicar’s daughter - has been quietly building and baking one of the best things to happen to the Northern beaches bakery scene in years.

Vicar’s Daughter Sourdough Shelf

The Vicar’s Daughter opened in early 2025 and if you read her website, the story of how she started, is quite heart warming.

In short, her father (quite literally is a Vicar), and was dedicated to scripture so where they felt short in the cooking department, Alva, made up for it through baking. Her love of baking took her to Sweden, Denmark and Spain before finally settling down in the Northern Beaches.

Alva did all the baking herself for the first eight months before her brother Henrik came on board to share the load. They start their days at 4am, sometimes earlier. No fanfare, no big launch, just sourdough proofing slowly and a handful of regulars who clocked what was happening before everyone else did. Now this my people, is the type of growth I trust. The kind that means the bread is actually that good, not just instagrammable.

And fuck it’s good. Scandinavian-style baking, think of vanilla sweet pretzels, slow-fermented sourdough loaves and ginger caramel cookies. Baked fresh every morning, with a short queue as soon as they open.

Sweet Pretzel w Nutella @ Vicar’s Daughter, Collaroy

The queues deserve an honorary mention here because it’s not the ones that make you reconsider lining up, or coming back another day. A line, sure, locals know what’s up but it moves fast and it is quite civilised. You’ll get your bread and perhaps a savoury treat on the spot.

Which brings me now to the coffee. They pour The Little Marionette! My favourite coffee roaster!!!! Rozelle-roasted specialty coffee that’s long had a cult following on the other side of the bridge. Enough said.

The Little Marionette

The Vicar’s Daughter 1105 Pittwater Road, Collaroy Thu-Sat 7am-3pm, Sun 8am-2pm or until sold out

Go early, go hungry.