There is a downside to what is arguably New Zealand's greatest gig - judging thousands of pies to find the nation's best.
"You feel a little uncomfortable for sure by the end of the day," said Tracey Bartlett, who has been a judge for the Bakels NZ Supreme Pie Awards for 16 years. On Thursday morning she sampled dozens of egg and bacon pies, equal to about seven pies. Bartlett said she won't touch a pie for weeks.
Ralph Thorogood, a judge and baker from Masterton, estimates he will eat the equivalent of a dozen pies by the end of judging. He is judging two categories, including the mince and cheese category which had over 200 entries.
"Tomorrow will be a light [eating] day," he said, of the pie hangover he has experienced for the last ten years as a judge.
Judges gathered to sample hundreds of pies and pick the country's best. Photo: Dylan Jones
About 20 judges put their bodies on the line to sift through more 5000 entrants to find New Zealand's best pie for 2024. The annual competition, in its 26th year, crowns a winner from 11 different categories as well as an ultimate winner. The winners will be announced next week.
Judges weigh up every aspect of a pie from appearance to taste to texture to smell. Ian Moore, a judge in the steak and cheese category, is looking for a pie that is chunky but tender. "When you bite into a steak and cheese pie, one of the nice things is you get a nice piece of steak but you want it to melt in your mouth and have a nice flavour," he said.
Sid Sahrawat, judge and owner of Cassia, Anise, the French Café and Kol, is looking for pastry that strikes a balance between flakiness and firmness without a soggy base. The flavour inside must deliver too. "If it's a buttered chicken pie, it's got to have that little spice," he said.
"I've eaten a bunch of buttered chicken pies and they don't remind me of eating a traditional sauce," he added.
About 20 judges will be suffering a pie hangover tomorrow. Photo: Dylan Jones
Each pie must weigh under 280 grams and is visually inspected by judges first to determine if it makes it to the second round where it is sampled. Only about 30 pies make it to the tasting round in each category.
"I like it to be glazed. I like it to look shiny," said Bartlett, who along with two other judges was looking at a dissection of egg and bacon pie number 4046 (pies are given a number so they are judged blind).
"Overcooked. Not shiny. Stodgy pastry. Too much cheese," said Bartlett. Unfortunately, pie number 4046 didn't make it to the tasting round.
A winner will be crowned next week. Photo: Dylan Jones
But pie number 4262 caught Bartlett's eye. She inspected the top and bottom of the pie, noting that the pastry was evenly cooked with layers of flakiness on top. The pie was cut in half to reveal interesting fillings that were evenly distributed. "This is a pretty good-looking pie you're looking at," she said. Only about ten percent of the pies made it through to the tasting round in the egg and bacon category.
The stakes are high for entrants with thousands of dollars in prizes up for grabs. Landing a winning spot in a category or the Supreme Pie Award often the profiles of bakers along with pie sales.
"It's definitely life-changing for the winner," said Moore, the judge in the steak and cheese category. "They won't be able to fill their pie warmer enough."