There’s little in life that’s more comforting than a piping hot pie, fresh out of the oven. And when you’ve got delectably flaky, buttery pastry as your starting point, the sky is the limit when it comes to your choice of filling. Will it be juicy meat, falling apart in rich gravy? Or would creamy fish or melt-in-the-mouth cheese and potato be more your style? Whichever way you choose to live the pie life, we have the perfect recipe. We’ve even snuck in a few sweet pies, just in case you’re not sweet enough already. So preheat those ovens and get ready to bake. Sharing your spoils is totally optional.
Tuscan chicken pies with prosciutto
“I always think about foods and cuisines I enjoy eating, and then find a way to translate those flavours and feelings into a pie. It has to evoke emotion. This pie made me feel FOMO from not jetting to Europe this winter! We wanted to create something unique for delicious, so we whipped this pie up especially, but we might release it as a limited-edition pie.” – Darren Rowe, Pinjarra Bakery WA
Lamb and rosemary pies
“A quality lamb pie is something that so many people want, but is not easy to find. This is a variation of a recipe we created back when we opened in 1996 – it’s easily the best-selling pie in our range. It may be cliché, but Australians love their lamb! The sour cream and butter pastries and good-quality lamb are what make this pie special.” — Caitlin Gallagher from Jocelyn's Provisions, Qld
Bacon and egg pie with sage-leaf pastry
“My mum used to make excellent bacon and egg pies when I was a kid. They were her go-to picnic fare, and I’m still wildly impressed she went to such an effort. This is my take on those pies – part pie, part tart and all my favourite bits!” – Tilly Pamment
Cheese, chickpea, broccoli and spinach pie
“I’ve given this pie a little Middle Eastern spin with falafel vibes. Making less go further is a big part of affordable, less waste cooking, and I love how far a head of broccoli extends when you finely chop it.” – Tom Walton
Wallaby and potato pie
“When we took over the bakery in 1997, we only made vegetarian pies. Many of our customers at Salamanca Market were requesting a meat pie. We wanted to use ingredients that were available locally and John, being Scottish, started thinking about the stews of his childhood. We also decided that wallaby would have been part of many Tasmanians’ diets for a long time, and so the wallaby & potato pie was born.” – John Glendinning and Marie Van de Gumster from Summer Kitchen Bakery, Tasmania
Cheeseburger pies
“We take dishes that we think are delicious and transform them into pie form. We come up with a brand new pie every week. We love pies. We live and breathe the pie life! One idea that Scott had been flirting with, but wasn’t sure about, was a pie inspired by the McDonald’s Big Mac. Was it a betrayal of his fine-dining culinary roots and aspirations? Or was it just a bloody good idea? We launched the Big Thief Burger Pie as our pie of the week. It. Went. Bonkers.” – Aaron Donato and Scott Blomfield from Pie Thief, Vic
Cauliflower and broccoli cheese pie
“My Dutch grandmother made a cauliflower cheese bake sprinkled with crispy breadcrumbs when I was a little girl. This is where the initial inspiration for this pie came from. We added broccoli and turned it into a cauliflower broccoli cheese pie. As a vegetarian myself, it’s a real treat! We’ve had it on offer every winter at our family-owned bakery for the past three years.” – Sharon Horrocks from Port Elliot Bakery, SA
Apple, caramel and cardamom hand pies
Caramel sauce adds a delicious depth to this twist on the autumnal apple pie created by Lucy Nunes.
Curried fish pie
“At a family dinner a few years ago, my mum cooked us a delicious fish amok dish. I thought it would be a good idea to turn it into a pie filling. It took us around three months to get the recipe right and then Covid hit, so we didn’t start selling it until early 2022. Since it won Australia’s Best Pie for 2023, we’ve had customers come all the way from NSW, South and Western Australia and Queensland just to try it.” – Chan Khun from Country Cob Bakery, Vic
Fish pie
"Perfect for a traditional Good Friday meal (or any day of the week), this pie is pure comfort, with varied flavours and textures making each mouthful a delight. Feel free to vary the ingredients according to what’s available at the market or fishmonger." – Michael James
Beef and ale pie
Matt Moran shares this recipe for his meaty beef pie – perfect for cosy Sunday dinners.
Super-fast fish pie
"This is my go-to midweek indulgence. Instead of labouring over a bechamel, I combine flour, sour cream and milk to coat the fish in a luscious, creamy sauce." – Phoebe Wood
Salmon, leek and dill pot pies
These pot pies are divine on a cool night. Or let's be honest, any night, really.
Pumpkin, chickpea and feta pie
“This dish has a Mediterranean feel with the tomato base and gentle use of herbs and spice. It’s also highly adaptable – switch out chickpeas for cannellini beans, sweet paprika for smoked or balsamic vinegar for pomegranate molasses.” – Michael James
Seafood chowder, fennel and Pernod pot pies
“With fresh seafood, plenty of fennel and a touch of saffron, this is the perfect no-fuss pot pie for that ‘little bit fancy’ dinner party. Fennel is like a secret hero ingredient. It’s kind of like that bassline that you can’t really hear, but if you take it out, the whole thing seems wrong. I think it’s really underutilised.” – Matthew Roberts
