Pies the limit! Small bakery’s unconventional pie crowned Australia’s Best for 2023

Drumroll, please! It’s time to reveal the mouthwatering champion of Australia’s Best Pie for 2023.

Brace yourselves pie enthusiasts, because this year’s top honour goes to Country Cob Bakery, a small bakery in Victoria that’s making waves with its unconventional creation– the Fish Amok pie.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Country Cob Bakery (@countrycobbakery)

A panel of 12 dedicated judges from The Baking Association of Australia had the tough and tasty job of sampling over 1500 pies from 340 bakeries across the country in search of this year’s most irresistible pie.

However, no one could compete with the tantalising taste of Cambodian-inspired fish pie created by brothers Chan and Ryan Khun.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Country Cob Bakery (@countrycobbakery)

“We finally did it,” the proud bakers shared on Instagram.

“We have just won the title of the 2023 Australia’s Best Pie. After a tough 3 days competition amongst 340 other bakeries across the nation, our Fish Amok Pie took out the top gong for this year’s competition.”

The fish curry pie is made with fresh Australian barramundi and is a homage to one of Cambodia’s national dishes.

“Fish amok or Amok Trei is a Khmer steamed fish curry with a mousse-like consistency,” the bakers said.

“The dish is usually served hot in either banana leaf or coconut shells eaten with steamed rice.”

The fishy pie also snagged first place in the competition’s seafood pie category.

The brothers had first started playing with Cambodian twists on Aussie baked goods back in 2016 when they first bought the Country Cob Bakery with the vision of introducing Cambodian flavours to the Aussie palate.

According to Chan, the art of crafting the perfect pie goes beyond mere ingredients and baking techniques, it’s an unwavering commitment to one simple goal: making his customers happy.

“Our pies make people smile,” he said.

“That’s the main thing. Every pie we send out, the customer (says) ‘wow’, that’s the best pie (they’d) ever had.”

Their latest win marks Country Cob Bakery’s fourth victory after claiming the competition’s top spot three years in a row from 2018 to 2020. In 2022, their classic beef pie claimed first prize and the year prior was for their caramelised pork and pepper pie.

In addition to their more recent list of impressive accolades, the bakery also secured two additional awards this year: Best Flavour Beef Pie for their mouthwatering pepper beef pie, and Best Mushroom Pie for their delectable Black Forest mushroom creation.

If the Country Cob Bakery’s creations have inspired you to create your own culinary delights then check out Starts at 60’s recipe for the easy-to-make and budget-friendly classic beef and mushroom pie.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen shortcrust pastry, partially thawed (or you can make your own if you have the time)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 brown onions, thinly sliced
• 200g Swiss brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 500g beef mince
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup salt-reduced gravy powder
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, partially thawed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C, or 180C fan-forced. Grease a 3cm-deep, 20cm round (base) pie dish. Line base and side of dish with shortcrust pastry, trimming to fit. Place dish on a baking tray. Line pastry with baking paper. Fill with pie weights or uncooked rice. Blind-bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove paper and weights. Bake for a further 10 to 12 minutes, or until edge is light golden.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add mushroom, garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mushroom softens. Add mince. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up mince, for 5 minutes or until browned. Add paste and sauce. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3. Combine gravy powder and 1 cup of cold water in a jug. Add to pan. Bring to the boil. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce thickens. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Spoon beef mixture into pastry case. Top with puff pastry. Trim excess pastry. Press pastry edge with a fork to seal. Brush top with egg. Make 3 small cuts in the centre. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Stand for 5 minutes.