Skip the corner bakery and make your own perfect pies at home. Whether you prefer a classic mince meat pie or an upper crust variety – perhaps shepherd’s pie, chicken and leek or creamy fish, we have a recipe for your cravings. Make your buttery pastry from scratch or sub in for a store-bought puff, we won’t tell.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
Lamb and harissa pies
These little beauties are the ultimate Aussie recipe with a special harissa twist.
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
Chicken, leek, mushroom and pancetta pie
After months of lockdowns and restrictions, Colin Fassnidge and Anthony Puharich are ready to go all out, and they’ve got their eyes on the pie.
Butter chicken pie
Satisfy those butter chicken cravings with this dreamy butter chicken pie!
Brisket and cheesy potato pies
These pies are not only perfect for a long, relaxing weekend spent in the kitchen, they taste amazing, too.
Chicken, leek and sweetcorn pies
Using puff pastry pastry means you'll have dinner on the table in no time.
Steak and ale pies
“This pie is a real pub classic. If you want to eat it like they do in the pub, serve it with steamed peas, carrots and thick-cut chips," says Regula Ysewijn. You will need four 13cm round pie pans for this recipe. This is an edited extract from Oats in the North, Wheat from the South: The History of British Baking, Sweet and Savoury by Regula Ysewijn (Murdoch Books, $49.99).
Beef and ale pie
"It’s no secret that Aussies love a meat pie. I’ve had pies of various types on my menus for years, particularly in the colder months" - Matt Moran. This is an edited extract from Farmer: Recipes and Stories from the Land by Jody Vassallo (Harper Collins, RRP $29.99). All profits from sales of the book go to Rural Aid.
