Rotorua baker Tai's pies prove ka pai

Rotorua baker Tai Khau reckons roast pumpkin could be the secret to his latest national pie award.

Mr Khau, owner of Better Pies on Tarewa Rd, is celebrating this week after the bakery's chicken-and-vegetable pie won gold at the 2013 Bakels New Zealand Supreme Pie Awards.

So what makes his the best chicken-and-vegetable pie in New Zealand?

"The pastry is important - light, a lift on top and the right colour," Mr Khau said, adding the pie was packed with chicken, vegetables and a creamy white sauce.

This year, the pie had also been tweaked slightly, with roast pumpkin added to the mix.

"That might have made the difference. No one knows."

Better Pies last won a gold award in 2009 for its berry, apple and frangipani creation and has also collected two silvers and a bronze in recent years.

Assistant manager Michelle Eruini-Bennett said they got a call last Friday from contest organisers to say they had won a gold, but they weren't told for which of the seven categories they had entered.

Mrs Eruini-Bennett and Mr Khau attended the Venetian-themed awards' dinner on Tuesday night, where guests dined not on pies but on lamb.

She said the award meant a lot to the bakery and to Mr Khau and his wife Kim, who baked 500 to 600 pies on the premises every morning. Mr Kahu said he was delighted to win the award and wanted to thank all his loyal customers.

Meanwhile, Patrick Lam, of Tauranga's Patrick's Pies, won gold in the vegetarian category and silvers for mince-and-gravy and chicken-and-vegetable. Mr Lam also has two outlets in Rotorua - Gold Star Bakerys on Old Taupo Rd and Haupapa St.

Taupo's Paetiki Bakery and Fast & Fresh Bakery Cafe were awarded silver and bronze respectively in the gourmet meat category.