Rabbit and prune a winning combination

A pie competition in Marlborough received so many entries, pie maker Rod Burdis said he got through ‘‘about four beers’’ while judging the recipes with a couple of mates.

The winning pie was called the ‘‘Wai-hop-ai Rabbit with Prunes’’, suggested by Havelock resident Edward Barron.

Barron said he drew inspiration from a rabbit sauce he once made for a pasta dish.

‘‘I made this rabbit and prune recipe because my friend had been out hunting and then the next day I read about the competition in the paper,’’ Barron said.

Barron enjoyed the flavour of his pasta so much he thought it would work well in a Burleigh pie.

He said he came into Blenheim about once a month and always seemed to make a pit stop at the Burleigh, world famous in Blenheim for its pork belly, steak and French blue cheese and jerk chicken pies, among others.

Burdis said he sat around the table with some friends and went through the 60-plus entries.

Some were as simple as a couple of ingredients, others were as long as three pages, he said.

The winner of the competition had to be available to judge the Burleigh Pie and Wine pairing competition – which restricted entries to over 18.

Burdis said a close contender was a child who had entered with their parent, which made for some tough competition. ‘‘I’ll get in touch with that entry and send them some coffee and fluffy vouchers,’’ Burdis said.

Among the mix of entries, Burdis said there was an entry which suggested a shot of coffee. Vegetarian recipes were also popular.

‘‘This has been a good way to get feedback on people’s tastes,’’ Burdis said. ‘‘It’s been great to have a competition to involve the community.’’

Burdis said he had filed away some recipes, which could be trialled in the future, and if he did he would get in contact with the person who suggested the recipe.

Barron received vouchers for Fresh Direct, Westmeat and a dessert night at Sweet Creations. He would also judge the Burleigh Pie and Wine pairing competition in September, which he was ‘‘nervous but excited’’ about.

He said he did not have much experience pairing wine with pies but he thought that liking wine and pies was a great place to start.

The Burleigh would look to run the recipe competition again next year, however co-owner Jane Dickinson said she would like to give children a chance to enter, so there might be some tweaks to the rules.

Last year’s winner of the pairing competition was Tohu Wines bubbly, or Tohu Rewa Blanc De Blancs Methode Traditionnelle 2014, paired with the pork belly pie.

Competition organiser Fiona Fenwick said last year, nearly every winery in Marlborough entered the competition. With all entry money donated to charity, this year’s goal was to get every winery involved.