Are you a pie fan? Or a sausage roll fan? I personally love a good sausage roll, so when Canberra locals talk about their favourite pie shops, then I find the sausage rolls are usually a winner there too. It was interesting to hear that two bakeries here in Canberra had won two silver medals and one bronze medal at the nationwide
Official Great Aussie Pie Competition, in October 2016.
Griffith Butchery won silver for its
"Lamb Curry Pie" and
"Mexican Chilli Beef Pie" and also bronze for its
"Beef, Bacon and Cheese Pie". Meanwhile,
Erindale Cakery Bakery in Tuggeranong won silver for its
"Lamb Rosemary Pie" and
"Chicken and Vegetable Pie", then went home with a bronze for its
"Chunky Beef Pie".
For matters of research of course, our family visited these bakeries and more to track down Canberra's best pies and sausage rolls. These are our favourites, however if you know of any more, feel free to leave a comment on the bottom of this article to spread the word...unless you want to keep the secret all to yourself of course!
Award-winning pies and generous sausage rolls at Griffith Butchery
is tucked away at Griffith shops, just over five minutes south of the CBD. This cute little row of shops is home to the local butcher who also sells pies, pasties and sausage rolls that you can heat up for dinner, or buy hot to eat on the day. The large sausage roll was a pleasant surprise, with a chunky filling with vegetables easy to see inside, however it was the
"Chicken and Vegetable Pie" that won out on this occasion. It had delicious pastry and full pieces of meat and vegetables inside, with a mild and enjoyable flavour combination. It isn't hard to see how this talented pie maker won national awards at the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition, as mentioned above. If you are just ducking in for a pie, please note there is a $20 EFTPOS minimum, so take in some cash. See website
here.
Chunky filling inside a Chicken and Vegetable Pie, Griffith Butchery
Crust Bakery and Café is located at the
Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets, just 5 minutes south of the CBD. These permanent markets are open between Thursday to Sunday each week, so Canberrans can do their weekly shopping and support local growers and producers in the one location. Their pies in particular are simply delicious, with 12 to choose from every day. Fillings include
"Chickpea & Curry", "Spinach & Feta", "Pepper Steak", "Lamb, Rosemary & Shiraz" and
"Steak, Cheese & Bacon". When you bite into their pies they are flavoursome, chunky and their pastry is cooked to perfection. An easy favourite for both pies and sausage rolls in the city, consistently good every time. See website
here.
Crust Bakery and Cafe, Fyshwick Fresh Food Markets
is a homemade pie and sausage roll market stall at the
Capital Region Farmers Market at the EPIC (north side on Saturdays) and at the
Southside Farmers Market (south side on Sundays). At the time of writing, you can also pre-order pies and pick them up at
Pork Barrel Café (opposite Old Parliament House) on Fridays. Their ethos is "from paddock to plate", with all the meat and vegetables in their products sourced from their own farms in the area. Pie Day varieties include
"Butter Chicken", "Steak Bacon Provolone Cheese",
"Chicken, Sweet Potato & Lime Pickle", "Veg Kashmir Curry" and a range of Steak pies. If you love your sausage rolls, these are my personal favourites with two meat choices -
"Beef & Thyme" and
"Lamb & Mint "- with grated carrot and ingredients that you can visibly see inside. These big sausage rolls are guaranteed to fill you up for hours and are a highlight of visiting the markets. See website
here.
Whilst at the Capital Region Farmers Market, also check out the popular
Gumtree Pies, for a large variety of delicious pies. Get in early however, as they often sell out - they are that good.
Pie Day can be found at Capital Region Farmers Market (top) and Southside Farmers Market (bottom)
is a popular bakery located on Bunda Street in the centre of the CBD. This bakery is also a
café, with a large outdoor seating area and a small inside area with cute little booths. There are always people coming and going from
Dobinsons, for their huge and delicious sausage rolls and variety of pies, as well as their cakes and cream-filled treats. This venue has become so popular, they also have a smaller outlet inside the
Canberra Centre. This venue is popular for both its pies and sausage rolls, with everything super-sized within their cabinets. See website
here.
Try a tasty Dobinson Pie. Image: Original photos supplied by Dobinsons Facebook
If, like me, you enjoy checking out different places to find your own personal favourite pie shop, there are many tucked away in local shops and off-the-beaten track locations. Try
The Flute Bakery and Patisserie (Fyshwick),
EQ Bakehouse (Deakin),
Elaine's Gourmet Pies (Fyshwick and
Dickson),
Hawker Village Bakery (Belconnen) and
210 Degrees (Hughes) - to name a few. Everyone will have their own opinion on where to find the
best pie or sausage roll in Canberra, however give these four a try and discover more for yourself. Of course, the biggest question to ask yourself is - will you have sauce or no sauce?
Definitely sauce!
Huge sausage rolls, pies and cakes at Dobinsons Bakery and Café, CBD
