Satisfaction in the pies

Gonville baker Cameron Butchart gets his satisfaction from taking his baking out of the oven ... and he favours pies.

The fourth-generation baker, who takes the name Butch from his grandfather who started the Tawa St bakery in 1947, says he hasn't yet thought about his entries for this year's Bakels Supreme Pie Awards in July.

And with a busy social life, the heat will soon come on in the bakery.

Every year he changes his recipes, adds, leaves out then mixes ingredients to improve the taste.

"I'm trying for everything - flavour, colour and the perfect pastry."

Mr Butchart has been entering the competition since 2005 and now has a baker's dozen in the top 10 placings of the competition.

It's quite a feat when you're up against a couple of hundred pies in a category, whether Mr Butchart is savouring success in the gourmet meat with his chicken, vegetable and mince and gravy, or steak and cheese pies; or the sweet taste of his toffee apple, pear and passionfruit custard pie in a shortcrust pastry.

When you're up there in the top 10 and have raised the bar on your baking, there's always another ingredient to tip the scales in your flavours and win over the judge's taste buds.

Mr Butchart said he learned his baking in Inverness on his OE playing rugby after a stint at university. In Scotland he learned the art of baking his signature macaroni and cheese.

He returned in the 90s and took over the bakery from dad Don 10 years ago.

There's a tinge of regret when Mr Butchart speaks about his grandfather - regret that he did not learn the finer detail of cake icing from him.

Glennis Deadman, who's worked at the shop for five years, praises Mr Butchart's carrot cake, while Nyla Gilmore, with the shop for 10 years, says the work is also about the customers.