Country’s best pie worth a long drive
Could the mince and cheese from Patrick’s Pies be the best pie in the world, asks Lucy Zee.
When I found out Tauranga bakery Patrick’s Pies won the NZ Supreme Pie Award 2019 for the seventh time, I knew it was time to drag myself down to the city’s sleepy little suburb of Bethlehem to try one of the most talked about pies in the country.
I got up at 5.30am, the earliest I have woken up in 10 years, with my stomach grumbling and weary eyes. I rolled into the car and off I went at the crack of dawn.
In the darkness at Bethlehem shopping centre sat Patrick’s Pies, warm lights glowing through the window, and a scent of buttery pastry wafting through the air. Several tradies in hi-vis vests and shorts were parked out the front, already munching down hot pies and guzzling back coffees.
It was 3 degrees Celsius and I was eager to get some hot food inside me.
The moment you step into the bakery you’re greeted by the sight of rows and rows of awards. The orange walls are lined with what looked to be more than 100 certificates, and several large trophies. The newest and largest of them is this year’s Supreme Pie Award trophy, which sits proudly directly behind the counter.
Awards weren’t going to distract me though, I was here for the pies.
I asked for a mince and cheese, and was luckily there just in time for a fresh one straight from the oven. Wrapped in a paper bag, it felt heavy in my hands and the smell was incredible. It may just be nostalgic memories, but I’m convinced the best pies come in a white paper bag.
I unwrapped the pie and studied the pastry. Flaky top, crispy base, cute pastry cut-out of a little cow on the top. I couldn’t fault it. So far, so good.
The first bite is always going to be a mouthful of pastry. My interest is in the filling, so it was in with the second bite, to hit that glory of brown.
The mince and cheese filling exceeded my expectations.
There’s absolutely no skimping on meat. The mince is thick and oozy and perfectly seasoned. I love pepper and it smacks of fresh pepper flavour. In an unexpected twist, the cheese is swirled throughout the mince instead of just sitting on top like a flat greasy slop.
The structure of the pie holds with every bite you take. It’s a good eat, and the evidence of it showed in the unavoidable crumbs all over my jumper.
I devoured the pie in less than two minutes. I said my goodbyes to the busy staff and headed back home, but not before stopping to point and laugh at owner Patrick Lam’s truck with his appropriately named and well deserved personalised plate, PIE KING
I watched the sunrise peek through the cold grey clouds in little Bethlehem and thought to myself, ‘‘long live the Pie King’’.
All of NZ’s best pies, pages 6-7.