This pie shop wins best pie with surprising entry: ‘It’s overwhelming’
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Pie shop wins best pie with this surprising entry: ‘It’s overwhelming’
In the heart of Victoria's picturesque Bellarine Peninsula, a humble bakery has risen to national fame, baking its way into the hearts of pie aficionados across Australia.
Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes, with its charming stores in Ocean Grove, Queenscliff, and Geelong, has clinched the title of Australia's best pie, a testament to its culinary creativity and commitment to quality.
The Baking Association of Australia's (BAA) Best Pie and Pastie Competition, a revered event in Melbourne's gastronomic calendar, saw Rolling Pin emerge victorious with a pie that's as unconventional as it is delicious.
Their prawn laksa pie, a fusion of classic Aussie comfort food with the zesty, aromatic flavours of Southeast Asia, captured the judges' palates and secured the top spot, marking the bakery's third triumph in four years.
Co-owner Nathan Williams, who led the bakery to victory in 2021 and 2022, was astonished by the win.
Convinced that a chicken pie would dominate this year's competition, Williams had sent seven chicken pies for consideration.
Yet, it was the prawn laksa pie, a creation he nearly withdrew from the contest, that ultimately reigned supreme.
‘For whatever reason, I was feeling chicken this year, so...I sent seven chicken pies (to the competition),’ Williams said.
‘I actually thought, if I was gonna do anything, it was gonna be one of them.’
Williams recounted how pressed for time and second-guessing the pie's consistency, he was on the verge of not entering it at all.
It was his wife's encouragement that changed the course of events, urging him to take the chance.
‘Normally, I would like to spend, you know, a couple of weeks leading into pie competition, just playing around and getting everything set up so that I know when I make that one mix that’s going to go into a pie, it’s going to be perfect, but I didn’t have that time this time,’ he said.
‘I was looking back on some feedback from the last couple of competitions and...we had been marked down for stability, which essentially means it’s too runny.’
‘I had one go at (the mix), and I tried to thicken it more, and it was so thick...I even told my wife I wasn’t going to send it,’ he added.
‘I put the pot back in the cool room and left it there, and the next morning, we had enough room in one of the trays, and my wife said, “You can't lose. What are you gonna lose by sending it?” she said.
And indeed, the rest is history.
While divisive for its bold departure from traditional pie fillings, the prawn Laksha pie has consistently garnered positive feedback from those adventurous enough to try it.
Williams noted the growing popularity of Asian-inspired flavours in pastries, a trend that Rolling Pin has evidently mastered, as evidenced by their previous win with a Cambodian-inspired fish amok pie.
‘I feel like Asian-inspired flavours are definitely something that’s, I guess, trending,’ he said.
‘You see them around more than you would a few years ago.’
Since the announcement of their victory, Rolling Pin has been inundated with customers, a surge Williams anticipates will continue through the upcoming Victorian school holidays.
'It's overwhelming a bit, but it's just amazing for our business,' he expressed.
Tony Smith, BAA Executive Officer, praised Rolling Pin's Pie for standing out among its competitors.
‘We have to remember that it’s not always a beef mince pie as bakers and pastry cooks are pushing the boundaries now to get the best flavours and fillings,’ Smith said.
The competition itself was a rigorous three-day affair, with 362 bakeries entering over 2400 pies and pasties, each meticulously 'probed, prodded and tasted' by a discerning panel of judges.
The judges' criteria were stringent. They assessed pies both cold to ensure the pastry was thoroughly baked and hot for aroma, taste, and all-important stability.
‘The judges are looking at the pies cold ... to see if (the) pastry is baked all the way through,’ Smith said.
‘The second pie is heated for aroma and tasting along with stability, no one likes a runny pie.’
You can watch Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes’ prawn laksha pie below:
Credit: @rollingpin_pies / Instagram
While Rolling Pin took home the pie crown, Shop 29 bakery in Wendouree, Ballarat, was not to be outdone.
With a traditional Cornish pastie that was both flavorful and flawlessly crafted, Shop 29 won Australia's best pastie.
Rolling Pin also celebrated an award for its wholemeal vegetarian pastie, winning the vegetarian pastie category.
Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes also won the Best Gourmet Pie, along with Paradise Bakehouse bagging the title of Australia’s best pie at the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition last year.
Have you tried Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes’ prawn laksha pie? Or do you have a favourite on their menu? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
In the heart of Victoria's picturesque Bellarine Peninsula, a humble bakery has risen to national fame, baking its way into the hearts of pie aficionados across Australia.
Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes, with its charming stores in Ocean Grove, Queenscliff, and Geelong, has clinched the title of Australia's best pie, a testament to its culinary creativity and commitment to quality.
The Baking Association of Australia's (BAA) Best Pie and Pastie Competition, a revered event in Melbourne's gastronomic calendar, saw Rolling Pin emerge victorious with a pie that's as unconventional as it is delicious.
Their prawn laksa pie, a fusion of classic Aussie comfort food with the zesty, aromatic flavours of Southeast Asia, captured the judges' palates and secured the top spot, marking the bakery's third triumph in four years.
Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes won Australia’s best pie in the Best Pie and Pastie Competition. Credit: @rollingpin_pies / Instagram
Co-owner Nathan Williams, who led the bakery to victory in 2021 and 2022, was astonished by the win.
Convinced that a chicken pie would dominate this year's competition, Williams had sent seven chicken pies for consideration.
Yet, it was the prawn laksa pie, a creation he nearly withdrew from the contest, that ultimately reigned supreme.
‘For whatever reason, I was feeling chicken this year, so...I sent seven chicken pies (to the competition),’ Williams said.
‘I actually thought, if I was gonna do anything, it was gonna be one of them.’
Williams recounted how pressed for time and second-guessing the pie's consistency, he was on the verge of not entering it at all.
It was his wife's encouragement that changed the course of events, urging him to take the chance.
‘Normally, I would like to spend, you know, a couple of weeks leading into pie competition, just playing around and getting everything set up so that I know when I make that one mix that’s going to go into a pie, it’s going to be perfect, but I didn’t have that time this time,’ he said.
‘I was looking back on some feedback from the last couple of competitions and...we had been marked down for stability, which essentially means it’s too runny.’
‘I had one go at (the mix), and I tried to thicken it more, and it was so thick...I even told my wife I wasn’t going to send it,’ he added.
‘I put the pot back in the cool room and left it there, and the next morning, we had enough room in one of the trays, and my wife said, “You can't lose. What are you gonna lose by sending it?” she said.
And indeed, the rest is history.
While divisive for its bold departure from traditional pie fillings, the prawn Laksha pie has consistently garnered positive feedback from those adventurous enough to try it.
Williams noted the growing popularity of Asian-inspired flavours in pastries, a trend that Rolling Pin has evidently mastered, as evidenced by their previous win with a Cambodian-inspired fish amok pie.
‘I feel like Asian-inspired flavours are definitely something that’s, I guess, trending,’ he said.
‘You see them around more than you would a few years ago.’
Since the announcement of their victory, Rolling Pin has been inundated with customers, a surge Williams anticipates will continue through the upcoming Victorian school holidays.
'It's overwhelming a bit, but it's just amazing for our business,' he expressed.
Tony Smith, BAA Executive Officer, praised Rolling Pin's Pie for standing out among its competitors.
‘We have to remember that it’s not always a beef mince pie as bakers and pastry cooks are pushing the boundaries now to get the best flavours and fillings,’ Smith said.
The competition itself was a rigorous three-day affair, with 362 bakeries entering over 2400 pies and pasties, each meticulously 'probed, prodded and tasted' by a discerning panel of judges.
The judges' criteria were stringent. They assessed pies both cold to ensure the pastry was thoroughly baked and hot for aroma, taste, and all-important stability.
‘The judges are looking at the pies cold ... to see if (the) pastry is baked all the way through,’ Smith said.
‘The second pie is heated for aroma and tasting along with stability, no one likes a runny pie.’
You can watch Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes’ prawn laksha pie below:
Credit: @rollingpin_pies / Instagram
While Rolling Pin took home the pie crown, Shop 29 bakery in Wendouree, Ballarat, was not to be outdone.
With a traditional Cornish pastie that was both flavorful and flawlessly crafted, Shop 29 won Australia's best pastie.
Rolling Pin also celebrated an award for its wholemeal vegetarian pastie, winning the vegetarian pastie category.
Rolling Pin Pies and Cakes also won the Best Gourmet Pie, along with Paradise Bakehouse bagging the title of Australia’s best pie at the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition last year.
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