On a Friday I found myself strolling through the Belconnen Markets looking for some lunch when I stumbled upon the Knead Patisserie. A pie for lunch? Why not!

I went into the smallish shoppe and looked at what there was on offer pie-wise. Not too much–a straightforward choice! ‘I’ll take the chunky beef!’ ($7), I said. At this point I had not spied the putative pie. The gent what served me went ’round the corner and collected it, placing it in a small brown paper bag. I went out of the store to eat it in the market.

I took it out and was greeted by a smallish, misshapen package in a foil tray. In terms of looks it was equal parts underwhelming and intriguing. While a crumpled and deformed nugget, there was also a bit of decadence to it. A buttery scent emanated from its rich, golden form. But would its taste stack up?

I took a bite. The pastry was thick, rich, flakey, chewy, buttery. Very decadent. If it came down to pastry then this was a mighty impressive pie.

I went on and struck beef. Big chunks were revealed. At first–disappointment in the form of dry-ish meat. Not irredeemably so but it wasn’t a promising sign. Fortunately it was the exception to the rule. The remainder of the beef was tender. It was plain and unadorned but well-seasoned, not swimming in gravy nor adulterated by other components. Instead, it was couched in what seemed to be simply the beef broken down into a wonderful gelatinous substance that brought it all together. The flavour was clean and unobtrusive. This pie heroed the delicious, chunky beef. It did not confuse the palate hither and thither. The lovely aroma topped it all off.

This truly was a gourmet product and a fine representation of how less can sometimes be more. It was an exercise in simplicity, executed to near-perfection. A wonderful change from the quotidien.

Knead Patisserie is located in Belconnen Markets and sells a range of baked goods from bread to sweet and savoury snacks, including a small range of pies, sausage rolls, and quiches. A nice choice for a pit stop.

In these unprecedented, COVID-19 times, I’ve been on a bit of a pie-fast. But on a cool Saturday morning betwixt sofa-searching, lounge-looking, and couch-considering, I got back on my pie-horse and broke that pie-fast. Giddy up.

My companion and I settled on Wildflour Artisan Bakery & Cafe, an establishment I had enjoyed on an earlier occasion sans pie. Their meat-filled pastry-sack offerings had caught my eye then but I withstood temptation and had some sweet, non-pie nonsense instead. But this time, I was there for pie and pie alone.

There was a clear candidate–the Beef Briskit Pie (sic–$6.50).

We took a seat in the outside, socially-distanced seating area, embraced by the refreshing autumn air and a light pitter-patter of raindrops on the rooftop.

This pie was quite the looker–golden brown and flaky on top. So far, so good.

The pastry was soft to the bite and complemented the beefy contents well. Those contents were the real star of this pie. Chunks of well-seasoned, tender steak accompanied by caramelised onions. The interior was a warm reddish-brown–it looked and tasted like a warming beef stew. It was rich–perhaps some deep red wine was involved. Beefy. Tender. This pie was rich and luxurious, a real treat and oh so satisfying. A gourmet pie. The perfect return to pie.

My companion, sadly, did not partake as they didn’t have any vegan baked goods. I don’t know if this is always the case.

Wildflour Artisan Bakery & Cafe is located in Fyshwick and serves a range of baked goods, both savoury and sweet. Highly recommended.

On a Saturday, following a busy morning, I suddenly came over all peckish.

Esuriant.

‘Ee I were all ‘ungry-like!

And I thought to myself, ‘a little gravied beef encased in pastry will do the trick’, so, I curtailed my inspecting activities, sallied forth, and infiltrated a place of purveyance to negotiate the vending of some beefy comestibles!

That place of purveyance was Dobinsons. I considered their range and went for the Peppered Steak Pie ($4.90).

The exterior was golden, flakes of pepper on the top, gravy ooing out and crusted from the oven. The pie smelled appealing but with an unexpected scent–vegetable, though not quite herby.

Upon biting into the pie, I was met with a classic steak flavour. The gravy was tasty, its texture pleasingly smooth, and it was seasoned well. But I wasn’t met with the expected pepper hit. The curious smell intensified, its source soon becoming apparent. For I quickly struck upon the small green beads that dotted the pie–green peppercorns. Ah, yes. ‘Peppered’ here meant not the expected black pepper, but whole green peppercorns. A surprising and unconventional approach.

Did it work? Not quite. While I can understand the object perhaps being an alternative and more subtle ‘peppered’ than a liberal use of ground black pepper (green peppercorns being unripe black pepper), it resulted in a foreign flavour, texture, and aroma that detracted from the steak and gravy. Whereas black pepper provides an acute sharpness to accentuate the beef, the green peppercorns introduced a distraction.

That being said, the filling was otherwise quite enjoyable and the green peppercorns were a downside rather than a disaster. The pastry was competent and a suitably complemented the filling. Ultimately, this was an enjoyable pie that should have been better. No doubt my pepper expectations contributed to the minor disappointment.

Dobinsons is a Canberra-based bakery with multiple locations, each serving a range of sweet and savoury goods. Their output is consistent and dependable, though perhaps unexceptional.

Every now and then I donate plasma. I made a point on this occasion of trying a party pie (free with a donation). My understanding is that salty foods are beneficial post-donation and I decided to give the pie a go.

The exterior was blonde, the pastry less-than-enticing. This sense was confirmed by biting into the miniature pie. The pastry was perfunctory — it served merely to contain the hot filling and added nought in flavour nor texture.

The filling itself was similarly underwhelming. The scent was bland, as was the taste. The colour was an unappealing dark brown, a few bits of meat swimming in a one-note gravy.

Look — it’s a party pie. Dime a dozen, not exactly offensive, but nothing special. ‘Pedestrian’ comes to mind. But one mustn’t be too harsh! They are after all, free, and serve a utilitarian purpose of replenishing one’s energy. And they make your hands look massive. In other words, not great but still fit for purpose.

The spinach and cheese pastries, on the other hand, I highly recommend. These bite-sized morsels pack a punch and you’re sure to be going back for more.

While you’re here, consider donating blood: donateblood.com.au.

Look out for my next post where I highlight the best of Pie Fest 2019.

On a Saturday, I took my first trip on the new Canberra Light Rail to the Capital Region Farmers Market. I set out to get over the disappointment of the last visit.

I suggested to my companion that we promptly make our way to the Gum Tree Pies stall. I’d previously had one of their pies (steak and red wine, as I recall) and enjoyed it greatly so I thought it was a safe bet. I went with the steak and mushroom pie, my companion opted for the creamy cauliflower pie (one of two vegetarian options). All pies are $6.50.

The pie was decent sized and sported a sliced mushroom on top, signifying part of its contents. The pastry was looked very nice, flaky and golden. Not pale but also not burnt-looking — what I want in a pie. The pie looked to have good structural integrity as well with no sogginess. My companion remarked on its pleasant aroma. Indeed, its aroma was so appealing that I was set-upon by a wasp and had to take evasive action.

But the flying fiend could not detract from the delight that was this pie! The pastry was crispy and flaky and worked well with the piping hot filling. The filling was comprised of chunks of steak and small, whole button mushrooms, both swimming in a rich brown gravy. The meat was tender and moist. The mushrooms were well-cooked too and added both in flavour and texture, being neither rubbery or mushy. The gravy was well-seasoned and smooth.

I greatly enjoyed this pie and can’t find anything to fault (not that I set out to find anything to fault). It was a good size, looked great, smelled nice, was hot when I got to it, and most importantly it tasted delicious.

My companion enjoyed her cauliflower offering, noting that it was indeed ‘creamy’ as described.

Gum Tree Pies is based out of Yackandandah and has shopfronts there and in Bright. They also regularly attend the Capital Region Farmers Market at EPIC. I was once again impressed by their pies which are well-worth the $6.50 pricetag. They have a decent range of options, covering the fundamentals while branching out into some more adventurous directions. I highly recommend them and look forward to my next visit.

I rose early on a Saturday in April to make a visit to the Capital Region Farmers Market in search of pie. A Saturday morning pie is a guilty pleasure of mine, a way of getting the weekend off to the right start. What’s more, the market offers a selection of vendors from which to choose — such fun!

My companion and I settled upon the ‘Somebakers’ stall which had a range of pies, rolls, breads, and sweet baked goods. Google advises me that Somebakers also has a bakery in Fyshwick. I decided to go with the pepper steak pie ($6.50). My companion initially chose a mushroom and blue cheese pie but none appeared available and so she went for a spinach, ricotta, and potato roll.

This was a smallish pie, with a dark and intriguing exterior. I bit into the pastry and was met with a surprise: potato. As I continued, I was to find that large cubes of potato were throughout the pie. I later went back to the stall and confirmed that there was nothing in the description of the pie to note that it had potato in it. The potato was an uninvited guest. Even if I’d wanted the potato, the cubes were too big and some were noticeably undercooked.

Moving on from the potato, the pastry was fine. The meat and gravy was a bit peppery and had a distinct sweetness. The meat was all right though had a bit of a fibrous texture. Neither it nor the gravy were as rich as I’d like. The potato was too prominent and I fear had the effect of thickening and dulling the gravy.

My companion said the spinach, ricotta, and potato roll was quite nice but lukewarm by the time she got to it. Potato was similarly over represented and in large cubes but it did feature an interesting herbal inflection, perhaps tarragon. It would have been ‘very compelling’ if hot.

The pie was a disappointment. The presence of potato was jarring and was not executed well. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this pie very much even had I known the potato was in it. It was lacking in both size and flavour at the price point. Tis a shame.

While going for a stroll on a blustery Sunday morning, a certain shopfront caught my eye — the Kingston ‘National’ Bakery. The sense in which the bakery was ‘National’ piqued my interest and led to an impromptu visit for a pie.

I settled upon a steak and pepper pie ($4.30). My companion opted for a vegetable pastie. We ventured to the Kingston Foreshore to enjoy our acquisitions by Lake Burley Griffin.

The pastry was puffed on top and had a sprinkling of pepper. It looked potentially soggy on the bottom but held together well.

A few bites revealed a dark interior. The pie was nice and hot, even after a 5 minute walk. It wasn’t he most attractive pie internally and texturally it had a gelatinous quality, not as smooth as I’d like. The flavours were a bit simple, nothing of note. The pepper was noticeable but not overpowering. The pastry and meat didn’t complement each other as much as I’d like as the puffy quality of the casing proved distracting.

All in all, the pie was decent with a pleasing pepper hit but nothing special.

My companion described the veg pastie as ‘generously filled’ but ‘pretty bland’ and ‘quite dry’. It was, however, ‘easily jazzed up with some Tommy [tomato] sauce’.

It remains unclear in which sense Kingston National Bakery is ‘national’ but I approve of their adoption of the tendency for things around these parts to include that adjective.

Kingston National Bakery is a straightforward suburban bakery with a reasonable range of baked goods. It’s not sophisticated but it does a decent job.

On a Sunday, I went to the Fyshwick Markets for no reason other than to consume baked goods.

My companion and I settled upon Crust Bakery to satisfy our pastry-needs. They had an intriguing array of meat pies on offer. I eventually decided upon the steak, mushroom, and Guinness pie ($6.60). My companion procured a chickpea curry pie.

The pie certainly appealed aesthetically with a flaky golden exterior. One thing of note is the structural integrity of the pie(s) — the lid came off quite easily and, while holding together reasonably well, the pie itself was a bit fall apart. Care was necessary in the handling of the pie. Also, the pastry was less flaky underneath, a tad soggy.

The filling was rich in colour and full of big chunks. There was no gristle and the meat was good quality. But one downside with the chunky approach in this instance was that it was not ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ and didn’t meld together with the gravy. The gravy itself was quite yummy, with a hint of sweetness derived from Guinness. The pie would have benefited from some more seasoning — both salt and pepper (no strong pepper notes). I did not detect any mushroom.

A decent pie but with room for improvement.

My companion described the chickpea curry pie as ‘quite nice, quite nice’.

Crust Bakery has a decent range of options including a nice assortment of pies, both meat and veg, and other baked goods. Worth a visit if at the markets.