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What came first? The bacon and the egg. Judges at the Bakels NZ Supreme Pie Awards rated a bacon and egg effort from Levain Bakery of Blockhouse Bay as this year’s Supreme Award winner.
However, a Pukekohe bakery also rated highly in the fiercely contested category. Target Bakehouse and Cafe’s bacon and egg entry scored strongly, noted as Highly Commended.
The Manukau Road bakery’s owner, Nap Ly confirms that when a pie has just two key ingredients, there’s nowhere to hide. He says he is proud to have placed so prominently.
“I’m happy that we were in the top 10 [Vegetarian] and the top four [Bacon and Egg] again,” he told the Times. “We have won awards before but not last year so it was good [to do well again].”
The bakery’s Vegetarian entry – creamy white sauce with spinach, sweet corn, mushroom, pumpkin and kumara – placed a more than respectable eighth.
Papakura’s Clevedon Bakery also managed a top 10 finish, placing fifth in another highly competitive section, Steak and Cheese.
This year’s entries were among the best yet, says Brent Kersel from NZ Bakels.
“The bakers who entered pulled out all stops to showcase their baking skills and innovation,” he says. “The result was an incredible journey of global and classical flavours paired with eye-catching presentation.”
The popular contest was initiated 30 years ago in effort to improve standards at New Zealand’s bakeries, Kersel adds.
“This judging day [was] historic in marking 30 years since the competition’s inception, but also in showing the world that if you want a pie beyond anything you have ever tasted before, then it has to be a New Zealand pie, baked here!”
