TikTok foodie star and owner of Brooki, Brooke Bellamy, has officially responded to the scathing cookbook plagiarism allegations made by Nagi Maehashi (the founder of RecipeTin Eats) in a series of Instagram Stories.
On Tuesday, April 29, the Aussie cookbook world was shook to its core after Maehashi released an Instagram Carousel, accusing the Brooki founder and Penguin Random House of stealing recipes for her bestselling book, Bake with Brooki.
Hours after the accusations were shared publicly, Bellamy shut down her Instagram comments and took to her Instagram Stories to address the allegations head-on.
“I did not plagiarise any recipes in my book which consists of 100 recipes I have created over many years, since falling in love with baking as a child and growing up baking with my mum in our home,” the statement began.
“In 2016, I opened my first bakery. I have been creating my recipes and selling them commercially since October 2016 — as shown in the next slide and as was communicated at the first point of contact I received.
“On March 2020, Recipetin [sic] Eats published a recipe for caramel slice. It uses the same ingredients as my recipe, which I have been making and selling since four years prior.”
In the final slide, Brooke claimed she offered to remove both recipes from future reprints, which she says “was communicated to Nagi swiftly”. She also expressed her “great respect” for her fellow foodie.
“Recipe development in today’s world is enveloped in inspiration from other cooks, cookbook authors, food bloggers and content creators. This willingness to share recipes and build on what has come before is what I love so much about baking and sharing recipes — the community that surrounds it,” the TikTok baker continued.
“I stand by my love for baking, my recipes, and the joy this book has brought so many home bakers around the world to try recreating my recipes from inside their homes.”
What is Brooke Bellamy accused of?
To give you a quick summary, the plagiarism allegations were first brought to Maehashi, who says she received an email from a reader in November 2024, claiming that the reader noticed “remarkable similarities between her and Bellamy’s caramel slice recipe.
In the Instagram post, Maehashi noted that Bellamy’s book “sold over $4.6 million worth of sales in under six months (92,849 copies sold as of 23 April 2025, according to Nielsen BookScan, RRP $49.99),” and that she was “shocked” to see a recipe similar to hers “printed in a book launched with a huge publicity campaign from one of Australia’s biggest publishers”.
“This is a story about a multi-million dollar cookbook by a social media influencer, published by a blue-chip publisher, featuring numerous recipes that, in my opinion, are plagiarised, given the detailed and extensive word-for-word similarities to mine and those of other authors,” Maehashi wrote.
“To me, the similarities between the recipes in question are far too specific and detailed to be dismissed as coincidence.”
The RecipeTin Eats founder also claimed that other authors were copied by Bellamy.
“One particular recipe by a very well-known, beloved cookbook author bears similarities so detailed, extensive, and specific that, in my view, dismissing it as a coincidence would be absurd. Due to legal constraints, and out of respect for and at the request of the publisher, I am unable to share further details at this time,” she added.
In the same Instagram post, Maehashi revealed she contacted Penguin Random House — the publication behind Bake with Brooki — but they sent her “letters in stern, aggressive tones packed with pages of legal jargon that I struggled to make sense of”.
Pedestrian.TV does not suggest the allegations of plagiarism or copyright infringement are true, only that they have been made.
In response to the shocking allegations by the Aussie foodie blogger, Penguin Random House said, “Our client respectfully rejects your clients’ allegations and confirms that the recipes in the BWB Book were written by Brooke Bellamy.”
Maehashi also shared that she contacted Bellamy in regards to the recipes, but claimed she received no reply.
The Aussie foodie bloggers added that she asked the publishing house to withdraw the book, add credit or remove her recipes from future editions and to make a charity donation rather than provide financial compensation. She also notes that a reprint of the book has been published with a different caramel slice recipe. However, other allegedly copied ones remain in the book.
“Brooke Bellamy – It didn’t have to be like this. If you had asked for permission, I would have given it and, knowing me, proudly promoted your book on launch. It costs nothing to credit,” RecipeTin Eats wrote.
“I’ve spent many sleepless nights fretting over it, and many hours writing it. The easiest and safest path would be to stay silent. I know there’s risk that legal action may be brought against me for speaking out, and it’s daunting to take on a major publisher and an influencer with a huge TikTok following. But I’m going ahead because, in my heart, I know it’s the right thing to do.”
Maehashi has not responded publicly to Bellamy’s recent statement, but has posted the details of her lawyer, Adam Simpson, encouraging other food writers to speak out.
The post TikTok Star Brooki Responds To The RecipeTins Eats’ Cookbook Plagiarism Allegations appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
