Influencer baker Brooke Bellamy said her recipes are “inspired by somewhere or someone” in her first video blog since cookbook author Nagi Maehashi accused her of plagiarism.
“Since opening my bakery three years ago and sharing my life online, I’ve never had such a long break between videos,” the founder of Brooki Bakehouse said in the Instagram reel.
Maehashi alleged Bellamy’s cookbook plagiarised two of her recipes. (Photo: Alan Benson)
“But I’ve also never experienced something like I have over the last few weeks.”
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Maehashi alleged Bellamy’s cookbook plagiarised two of her recipes, which Bellamy has denied.
These were recipes for caramel slice and baklava, with Maehashi taking to her social media by posting a side-by-side screenshots of the ingredients, quantities and instructions from the two books.
Nearly a month later, Bellamy said in a video blog posted to Brooki Bakehouse’s Instagram account that she did not invent the recipes.
“While all of these recipes are personal to me, I cannot say that I have invented the cookies, cupcakes, brownies or cakes in the recipe book,” Bellamy said.
“They are all inspired from somewhere and someone before me.
“I never subscribed to be a part of a narrative that pits two women against each other especially in the same industry.
“I think there’s room for everyone, especially more women in business.”
Nagi Maehashi says the caramel slice recipe in Bake with Brooki (right) is similar to her own (left). (Supplied: RecipeTin Eats)
Maehashi said the similarities between the recipes amounted to plagiarism but that lawyers for Penguin Random House Australia, which published Bellamy’s book, rejected her claim and said all recipes were written by Bellamy.
Maehashi posted she had not made the statement “lightly” and did it knowing “it would open the floodgates to haters”.
Bellamy was dropped as an ambassador for a federally funded program to teach girls to “think like an entrepreneur” after the allegations were made.
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