MY TOP PASTRY ST PS
Self-confessed food junkie MIKE YARDLEY reveals his secret pastry picks while on the road
I’M SURE I’m not the only one who always gets ravenous on a roadie. But if there is one universal truth about great Kiwi road trips, it’s that our highways are awash with tantalising roadside stops, brimming with so many great and tasty pastry temptations. The sort of outlets that you dream about getting your mitts on — and wrapping your mouth around. It’s a highly subjective matter. But here’s my round-up of pet pastry picks that deserve to be threaded into the ultimate Kiwi roadie.
1
The Chocolate Eclair Shop on State Highway 49, Ohakune: Few places have secured such fame quite like this shop, which looks more like a dairy than a bakery. Multiple generations of the Nation family have been powering this enterprise since 1939, winning fans the world over for their Kiwi-as chocolate eclairs, which are mega-sized pastries, pumped with fresh cream and smothered in chocolate. They only operate during the ski season, pumping peckish skiers with quite the sugar hit. But the clock is ticking on getting your fix . . . come November, it’s a long summer and autumn before the eclairmaking purrs back into life.
2Viv’s Kitchen on SH3, Sanson: The fiendishly popular highway stop is synonymous with the famous cream horn. You won’t miss it — a monstrous roadside sign declares this Manawatu¯ bakery is indeed the “home of the famous cream horn”. It’s essentially a cone-shaped pastry, a cornetto, stuffed with fresh cream and a lavish blob of flavoured jam or sauce. At last count, Viv’s Kitchen is closing in on 300,000 sales of its cream horn.
3Sheffield Pies on SH73: There’s a great parade of temptations for happy bellies on the Great Alpine Highway. Locals swear by the tasty pastry delights at The Darfield Cafe & Bakery. Springfield is proudly home to the famous pink doughnut. The six-tonne sculpture was originally installed to celebrate The Simpsons movie release. Close by, the Springfield Donuts caravan is where to head for their doughy bundles of joy. Choose your own toppings. But best of all, Sheffield is home to the award-winning Famous Sheffield Pie Shop. The venison and whisky relish combo is a stunner.
4Fairlie Bakehouse, SH8: On this highly-trafficked highway shuffling road-trippers into the magnificent Mackenzie, this is a bakery that undeniably has become the starring attraction of Fairlie. It put the town on the map. Pop into the feverishly popular Fairlie Bakehouse to devour one of Franz Lieber’s meaty parcels in pastry — the pork belly, apple sauce and crackling pie is the top-seller. More than 2000 pies a day are sold during peak periods. To meet the insatiable demand, the bakery doubled in size several years ago.
5
Jimmy’s Pies on State Highway 8 in the heart of Roxburgh: Made to an old family recipe, Jimmy's have been making meat pies for 50 years, with 20 different types of pies on offer. Its lamb shank pie would be my discerning recommendation. Plus, its cream buns are not to be missed – threatening to match the size of a basketball. The power of Jimmy’s Pies endures — it makes more than 25,000 pies every day from its Scotland St shop in Roxburgh That’s 48 times the town’s population.
6
The Burleigh, New Renwick Rd, Blenheim: Close to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, or if you’re tripping out of Blenheim en route to Havelock and Nelson, The Burleigh is an unmissable pitstop for gourmet pies. It’s a must in Marlborough. The Burleigh is your classic destination pie shop. The sweet pork belly and steak and blue cheese pies are bigsellers, but the spicy Jamaican lamb pie takes out best in show, on my scorecard.
7
Miles Better Pies on Lakefront Drive, Te Anau: Finally, just off the highway in the heart of Te Anau, Miles Better Pies is swooned over by locals and visitors alike. Travelling for miles to experience a Miles Better Pie is a trip worth making. The queues routinely spill out the door and you’ve certainly got no shortage of wilderness trails to burn off the calories. The wild venison pies are a pastry-packed salute to Fiordland, but one of the biggest sellers, conceived by Myles the cook, is the taco pie. A smash hit.