2018 Pies NZ

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Compare pies in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Jimmy’s Pies, Big Ben, Coupland’s Bakeries, Dad’s Pies, I Love Pies, Irvines, Jesters, Maketu Pies, Mrs Mac’s, New World, Pak n Save, Pams, Ponsonby Pies and Westie were compared on value for money, variety and range, taste, texture and consistency, packaging and overall satisfaction.

See our Ratings Methodology.

The humble pie is a big piece of Kiwi culture

Golden pastry encasing a hot meat filling, sometimes even a few veggies or a bit of cheese thrown in for good measure.  Just thinking about a good quality savoury pie is enough to get your mouth watering and in New Zealand we love them.  So much so, that 70% of us reckon they’re a big part of Kiwi culture.

We’re not sure why, but here in the Canstar Blue offices we also agreed that pies taste better straight from the brown paper bag.  It seems that everyone has a road trip story of biting into a thermo-nuclear temperature pie, hot filling burning the inside of your mouth while at the same time managing to ooze out into the bag (there to be licked off later!).  One hand on the steering wheel, the other holding the pie, no third hand to reach for the water that sits tantalizingly close on the passenger seat!  Feel familiar?

The potential mishaps with delicious, hot fillings or the fact that over half of us think that pies are unhealthy (but they’re cheap and filling!), doesn’t stop a quarter of men having a pie at least once a week.  For women, this falls to only 12% but that may be because three out of five women see pies as a ‘treat food’.

What we like

Almost one in four (23%) of us would make a special journey to buy the pie we love, but what really drives our satisfaction with our little savory treats? According to the people we surveyed and in order of importance, we found:

• Taste 28%
• Texture/consistency 26%
• Value for money 17%
• Variety/range 16%
• Packaging 13%

Our award winners for 2018, Jimmy’s Pies, scores a maximum five stars in all categories

What makes a great pie?

If you’re wondering what it is about your favourite treat that keeps you going back for more, or you are one of the 46% of Kiwis who have baked their own pies, it’s good to know just what makes a winning pie.

There are two main elements to a pie – the pastry and the filling – and they both have to be top notch for the pie to hit the spot.

The most commonly used pastry is Pâte Brisée, a great all-purpose pie crust. The secret to making a great pie crust is refrigerate, refrigerate, refrigerate. The bowl, the ingredients and the utensils all need to be kept as cold as possible and refrigerated between each stage of the process.  There are a few variations to the basic recipe but a quick google search should find one that suits you.

Now the filling…..Whatever meat you go for, quality always shines through.  Food standards in Australia and New Zealand dictate that a manufactured pie should contain no less than 25% of “meat flesh” but you’ll probably go for more than that if you’re baking homemade.  A good quality sauce or gravy should finish it off nicely and if you pack your filling tightly and seal the lid of your pastry well. You shouldn’t get an overspill when you cook.

With five stars for Outstanding Customer Satisfaction, Jimmy’s have obviously got their pie-making covered!

Jimmy’s Pies, Big Ben, Coupland’s Bakeries, Dad’s Pies, I Love Pies, Irvines, Jesters, Maketu Pies, Mrs Mac’s, New World, Pak n Save, Pams, Ponsonby Pies and Westie were rated as part of this research.