Our friends at the Bay of Plenty Times taste test the NZ supreme pie award winner - a roast pork and creamy mushroom pie.
The king of New Zealand pie makers, Tauranga's Patrick Lam, has won his sixth Bakels New Zealand Supreme Pie Award.
The accolade for Lam's roast pork and creamy mushroom pie means Lam has won more supreme awards than any other competitor nationwide in the competition's 22-year history.
The win was announced at a gala dinner in Auckland tonight .
Lam owns Patrick's Pies Cafe and Bakery in Bethlehem and Gold Star Bakery on Old Taupo Rd in Rotorua and has regularly featured in the awards since winning his first supreme best pie title in 2003 for a mince and cheese entry.
He won the supreme award again in 2004 and 2009, with his creamy bacon, mushroom and cheese pie. In 2010 and 2016, his bacon and egg pie took out the top award.
Tauranga baker Pat Lam has become the baker with the most supreme pie wins in New Zealand. Photo / File
As well as winning the supreme award, Lam's roast pork and creamy mushroom pie also won the gourmet meat category.
Lam said he was blown away when his name was read out as the supreme award winner for the sixth time.
"I feel so exciting and happy because the roast pork mushroom had a silver last year and this year we have a gold and win a supreme award," he said.
Mushroom isn't a common ingredient in pie, but Lam said it works really well with other ingredients like cheese, bacon or pork.
Pie's from Lam's store go from anywhere between $4.80 and $5.20.
NZ Bakels Supreme Pie Awards winner Patrick Lam of Patrick's Pies Cafe and Bakery Tauranga with his wife Lay Phan Ho. Photo/supplied
Lam received a cheque for $7500 and a trophy, plus $1000 for each of the three gold awards he won in the bacon and egg, gourmet meat, and chicken and vegetable sections.
NZ Bakels managing director Brent Kersel said Lam had made pie-making history.
"It's a huge achievement. In the 22 years of the Bakels New Zealand Pie Awards, Patrick has won the most supreme awards, and he deserves every single one of them.
"As the 2018 Supreme Pie Award winner, there's a lot that I can say about Patrick. Dedication, consistency, passion. He has come back year after year, and he just keeps on getting better and better.
"He doesn't do it just to win the awards. If you go into his business you'll see the number of people who come into his shop for the quality of his pies," Kersel said.
Lam's supreme pie went up against 5491 other pies at judging in Auckland on July 26 and had to beat 275 other gourmet meat category entries through rigorous quality-control tests before even being tasted.
Lam was unaware he had won the award when this story went to print tonight and was unable to comment.
Other Bay winners were Geemun Chao from Baker Bobs Bakery Cafe, who won gold in the mince and cheese section, and Kerry Orchard from Tauranga's Gourmet Foods Ltd, who won bronze in the commercial/wholesale category.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS:
auranga baker Pat Lam has been crowned supreme winner of this year's New Zealand Pie Awards - for the sixth time - for a pork and mushroom creation. Photo / File
MINCE & GRAVY:
Gold Award: Lee Ing - Fast & Fresh Bakery Taupō Silver Award: Bunarith Sao- Dairy Flat Bakery Ltd - Dairy Flat Bronze Award: Patrick Lam- Patrick Pies Cafe and Bakery- Tauranga Highly Commended: Shuly Ngann -Le Royal Bakery- Auckland
STEAK (DICED) & GRAVY: Gold Award: Vong Hean- Mairangi Bay Bakery- Auckland Silver Award: Sopanharith Chea- Angkor Wat Kiwi Bakery & Café Shop- Waipukurau Bronze Award: Patrick Lam- Patrick Pies Cafe and Bakery- Tauranga Highly Commended: Kim Hour Chheur - Angkor Wat Kiwi Bakery- Napier
CHICKEN & VEGETABLE: Gold Award: Patrick Lam- Patrick Pies Cafe and Bakery- Tauranga Silver Award: Michael Gray- Nada Bakery- Wellington Bronze Award: Jason Hay- Richoux Patisserie Takapuna -Takapuna Highly Commended: Jason Danielson- The Wholesale Bakery- Wanaka
