New Zealand's top pie has been revealed, and it comes from the sunny suburbs of Tauranga.
Patrick Lam, of Patrick's Pies, won the NZ Bakels Supreme Pie Award for his gourmet roast duck, onion and mushroom combination.
In a statement, NZ Bakels said celebrity chef Al Brown started a ripple of conversation about the pie, saying it looked "pretty amazing".
"They've nailed it, beautiful pastry, great flavour."
It's the eighth time Lam has won the top prize, which is judged through blind tastings.
He also won the gold award for his vegetarian and chicken and vegetable pies, as well as a silver award for his steak and gravy pie.
Lam has stores in Bethlehem, Tauranga Crossing and Rotorua, and NZ Bakels managing director Brent Kersel said each time Lam had won there had been different people judging the competition.
“It just goes to show that if you present a stunning pie that ticks all the boxes and outshines every other pie, the judges are going to choose it."
Tauranga's Patrick Lam's won for an eighth time, admitting this time he took a risk. (Source: 1News)
Lam, who grew up in Cambodia, previously told TVNZ that he "knew nothing about pies at all" before arriving in New Zealand.
Over 4000 pies entered in 11 different categories, with judges saying the standard of the Kiwi pie keeps improving every year.
The full list of winners can be found here.
Winner reveals his secret
Patrick Lam has won the top gong eight times - and those delicious pies all have one thing in common. (Source: 1News)
Lam told Breakfast this morning that he wanted to do something a bit different for the contest.
"Our roast duck, we never entered that before and we really like to try something new," he said.
"We finally got the right flavours, a new flavour, and we're very pleased the judges were so happy with the new pie."
Lam admitted entering a brand new pie in the contest was a risk — but "they're always looking for something new", he said.
Asked about his secret, Lam pointed to one key element.
"I think our pastry is very good," he said. "They're quite happy with the pastry."
Patrick's Pies still uses the same pastry as they did for their first win 20 years ago, he said.
And it's vital to keep the top fluffy and not to overcook it, he added.
"We worked so hard for the new flavour and the result [winning] gold, we're so happy," Lam said.
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