Ali's Semisweets & Bakery is a small artisan bakery in Shop 33 at the Bush Inn Centre on Waimairi Road in Ilam, Christchurch. Its sourdough is made from stone-milled flour and takes 24 hours to ferment, which gives an open crumb and a tangy flavour. The bakery also makes ciabatta, rolls, brioche, croissants and other pastries, all shaped by hand and baked on site each morning.
Orders can be collected or delivered. The website advises calling ahead, because the most popular lines sell out by mid-morning. The bakery supplies sourdough, ciabatta, rolls and pastries to cafés and sandwich shops across the city, and it offers a wholesale price list and standing orders on request. Its slow-fermented sourdough, made in a shopping centre bakery, is the main thing it is known for.