- By Bianca Day, AUT Journalism Student
The annual Bakels NZ Supreme Pie Awards are back for their 26th year – but what does it take to bake one of the best pies in the country?
More than 5000 pies from across the country have made their way up to Auckland for the judging ceremony.
A carefully selected panel of 21 judges, who have the job of any pie enthusiast’s dream, spend the day tasting and reviewing the 11 different categories of perfectly-crafted pastries.
It’s no simple procedure.
Each pie first goes through a ‘visual’ stage; the pies are sliced in half, and marked on appearance.
Only the highest-scoring pies move forward to the second round, where they’re heated in the oven and tasted by the judges.
When asked what makes the perfect pie, Terry McMahon of Bakels says that at first glance, you “just know”.
“We look for pies with a beautiful golden pastry, nice even base, and a wonderful rich filling”.
Each pie category has a first-place winner, with the best pie overall receiving the coveted Supreme Award.
The highly sought-after accolade has been claimed eight times by Patrick Lam of Patrick’s Pies Gold Star Bakery in Tauranga.
Glenn Carter of Bakels was assigned to Mince and Gravy pies this year, and calls the event a “major celebration of bakeries in New Zealand”.
“The event is fantastic, especially for businesses who place in the competition,” he says.
“If they can make a good pie, they probably make a lot more good stuff!”
The winners of each category and the supreme award winner are set to be announced on July 30.
