South Australia – home of the Nation’s best seafood pie
The “steaks” are high in the Aussie meat pie world. What began as a simple affair – a pastry crust filled with chunky meat and gravy, has become a National dish. In the 1800’s when Australia’s love affair with pies first started, one might’ve thought it was a little “pie in the sky” to imagine the gourmet fillings now being encased in pastry, having pie-lovers lining up out the door of their local bakery.
But it seems “the pie’s the limit” – and for the team at Sevenhill’s Little Red Grape Bakery, their award-winning pies are just another tourism drawcard for the Clare Valley.
The quaint little bakehouse might be a long trek from the ocean, but their succulent Satay Prawn Pie recently took out a National Award for Best Seafood Pie at the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition, claiming The Little Red Grape back-to-back titles in the country’s seafood pie category.
Hand-made with whole South Aussie prawns, the Satay Prawn Pie will join the 35 different varieties of award-winning pastries available daily at Little Red Grape.
From pies with fish to Indian curry pies, pies for tradies and pies that are more like biting into a cheeseburger – it seems most cuisines can now be transformed into a pie you can pop in a paper bag and eat on the run. Pie-makers across the state are forever experimenting – with lots of popular bakeries starting the working week with a brand new pie special. Barossa bakery, D&M’s at Angaston, recently had mouths watering with a Honey Chicken and Bourbon Pie. The Beef and Gooey Cheese Pie is the flavour of the month at the famous Two Wells Bakery (but apparently nothing beats their Lamb Shank Pie). And the crowd-pleasing pie shop at Port Elliot has launched into Spring with a special Cauliflower, Broccoli and Cheese Pie for veggie-lovers.
So what do you look for in a Pie? And which bakeries should Greater SA include in a meaty guide for South Aussie pie connoisseurs?
Editor’s note – Now’s probably a good time to confess I’m not a pie-eater 🤭. In fact I’ve never eaten a pie in my life, and while I am the minority, I am not alone. There are other non-pie eaters out there. Considering I like meat and gravy, and pastry is my weakness, I put my disdain for the Aussie meat pie down to early childhood trauma! So while I work on overcoming my life-long fear of pies, please consider others when tackling yours. Removing the lid and eating the filling with your finger can cause a lifetime of suffering for those around you 🤮.
