Blue V mince and cheese pie creator speaks out

The Blue V mince and cheese pie. Photo / Leigh Sandoe

A Kiwi “mad scientist” has joined two Kiwi treats in a feat of culinary alchemy and created the Blue V mince and cheese pie.

Ernest Rutherford split the atom, Sir William Hamilton brought the world the jetboat, David Strang made the world’s first instant coffee in Invercargill - and now these maverick Kiwi innovators are joined by a new legend, Reddit user AvailingPiano (or Leigh Sandoe to his mates).

Sandoe made a few enemies when he shared photos of his polarising pie online, standing accused of ruining the cult favourite energy drink and the classic savoury snack in one fell swoop.

“I feel like I’ve waged war against everyone with this.”

He told the Herald he had no regrets and revealed a Covid fever dream drove him to bake the bizarre treat.

He quickly realised that his spark of inspiration could act as a way to support the humble tradesman, the backbone of New Zealand, he said.

Sharing his idea online, Sandoe said he had “given tradies an extra hand they can now use while eating lunch”.

He told the Herald that his girlfriend Kim lent her culinary skills to the madcap plan and they set about using the mysteriously flavoured drink as a quasi-marinade for the mince.

She was on board with the baking but refused to taste the Frankenpie when it emerged from the oven.

He provided step-by-step photos of the process, which included the addition of a generous amount of blue food colouring.

The blue turned green in the mixing process and he was forced to add more, even to the cheese.

He had inadvertently created a blue cheese pie.

The addition of the food colouring added blue cheese to the pie. Photo / Leigh Sandoe

“It’s pretty cultured actually when you think about it,” the self-described “mad scientist” told the Herald.

So, how did it taste?

“It was like a good mince and cheese pie, but it was just incredibly sweet.

“So it wasn’t bad but I don’t think I could eat more than the one I ate,” Sandoe told the Herald, revealing that the rest had been frozen in the hope someone might want to try one.

As yet, no one has.

He was humble when asked about his contribution to Aotearoa’s culinary canon but had a message for those who had taken issue with the pie: “Try it before you hate it”.

That suggestion was extended to V’s creators and he said he would be interested in working with Frucor if they chose to provide Kiwis with a pie option.

Pie’s the limit.

In pictures: How to make a Blue V Pie

First, take your Blue V. Photo / Leigh Sandoe

Mmm, meat fizz. Photo / Leigh Sandoe

I'm blue, da ba dee da ba di. Photo / Leigh Sandoe

The Blue V mince and cheese pie initially appeared to have a greenish hue. Photo / Leigh Sandoe

Can't have too much food colouring. Photo / Leigh Sandoe

The pies look delicious... Photo / Leigh Sandoe

... but the secret lies within. Photo / Leigh Sandoe

Chris Marriner is an Auckland-based journalist covering trending news and social media. He joined the Herald in 2003 and previously worked in the Herald’s visual team.