The modern mystery of "who ate all the pies" will be solved in Auckland tomorrow night ... and the answer? The judges.
Five Northland bakeries have entered their pastries into the Bakels Supreme Pie Awards.
Yesterday Peter Morrison and Jodie Ansell, from Regency Pies, pulled out a fresh batch of pies to send off for the judges to tuck into.
Regency Pies, along with Len's Piesof Kaikohe, Charlie's Bakery in Whangarei, Pie Here Pies in Kerikeri, and Waipu Bakery, have put their pastry treats up against those of 381 other bakers from around the country in the awards.
Ms Ansell says pies are a Kiwi institution.
The Kamo-based bakery produces about 16,000 hand-made pies a week, including 3000-4000 on a Thursday.
The bakery has entered its paua and cream, butter chicken, mince and cheese, steak and cheese, and bacon and egg pies and Ms Ansell is hopeful of doing well in the awards.
Like most bakeries that enter, she sees an upsurge in custom each year after the winners are announced.
So what's the secret to a good pie?
Well, according to Ms Ansell, it's the whole package.
"It's got to have a good filling and meat, not just gravy. The pastry has got to be good, but there's no point having good pastry if the filling isn't good and vice versa. It's got to be well baked too."
Ms Ansell reckons Regency Pies' point of difference is that it sells its pies in the traditional paper bags, rather than plastic.
It keeps the pies in a better condition, she said.
A big part of the modern pie industry - estimated to be worth $140 million annually in New Zealand - was the increase in gourmet pies, with demand for flavours like butter chicken and paua and cream, on the rise.
But mince and cheese and steak and cheese were still the two most popular pies sold.
Organisers have received 4336 entries from 386 bakeries around the country for the annual awards.
Tasting is at the Bakels head office in Auckland tomorrow and the winners will be announced at the Rendezvous Hotel on July 27.
The judges will wrap their tastebuds around pies in 11 different catagories - mince and gravy, chicken and vegetable, gourmet meat, bacon and egg, gourmet fruit, steak, vegetable and gravy, steak and cheese, vegetarian, mince and cheese, seafood and the commercial pie.
The NZ Bakels Supreme Pie Award Winner will receive $7500.
Local bakeries vie for supreme pie award
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