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There is nothing more universal in our little island country than our love of pies. Whether it’s a creamy steak and cheese, fresh veggie or spicy jalapeno pepper – there’s something about the crispy flaky goodness of pies that New Zealanders crave.
And the Hibiscus Coast is one of the best places to eat them with five of our local bakeries making their mark in the 27th Bakels NZ Supreme Pie Awards. For the 2025 event, they had 520 entries with approximately 4600 pies being judged.
The renowned Dairy Flat Bakery, no stranger to awards, took silver for its potato top pie, and came sixth for its steak and cheese. Owner Bunnarith Sao has been an icon on the Dairy Flat Highway for close to 20 years and these days says they sell up to 400 pies daily.
He says he entered the first competition in 2009 and it changed his life.
“It pushed me to research the best food and flavour, how I could take food that is on a dish and convert that into a pastry.”
With many of his customers in trucks and tractors, Bunnarith says pies are perfect for people working on the run and he encourages all bakers to enter competitions.
“Any competition will lift your product up to a higher standard.”
He is spreading the Dairy Flat magic, as the Supreme Winner, Rosedale Bakery, is owned by his sister and brother and law, who got their start at Dairy Flat, while the Milldale Baker, which won gold for its steak and cheese pie, is an offshoot of Dairy Flat. Milldale Bakery also took ninth spot for its potato top pie.
Baker Sok Keo set up the new bakery in Milldale about eight months ago. With 10 years of pie-making experience, Sok has learned a lot and he says the secret to a great pie lies in taking your time with the pastry and slow-cooking the filling to bring out a rich, juicy flavour.
Wild Grain Bakery in Silverdale Central is also no stranger to glory in pie competitions, with their shelves and walls lined with their well-earned achievements. Buntha Meng took three awards in this year’s competition: gold for the gourmet meat section with his new creamy paua pie, bronze for the chicken and vegetable pie, and highly commended for mince and cheese. He’s been in the pie-making business for around 23 years, but his gold-winning paua pie had only been on the shelves for around five months before the award. He says the secret to an award winning pie is nice crispy pastry.
Further along the peninsula on Whangaparāoa Road, Baker’s Oven is perfect for commuters craving a hearty bacon and egg pie, which placed ninth in the competition. Owner Rathank Nove says the secret to an award-winning pie isn’t just achieving an evenly golden crust, but also getting the filling’s quantity and weight just right. His favourite flavours are bacon and egg, steak and cheese, and mince and cheese.
Across at Manly Bakery, Adam Leng is a second generation baker, following his parents and taking over the bakery from his uncle. He’s been thankful for his family support and lessons, along with his wife who works in the store alongside him. The bakery’s mince and gravy pie came in sixth place, a result that came after plenty of trial and error, he says. For Adam, the secret to a great pie isn’t just the ingredients – it’s perseverance. He believes that taking on feedback and continuously refining his pies is the key to making award-winning creations.
In the commercial section, Dad’s Pies in Silverdale won gold.
