Itinerant Spirits has taken out top honours in the 2024 edition of Ballarat’s Best Pie Awards.
The distillery’s wild orchard apple and Vansetter Vodka pie was awarded Ballarat’s Best Pie Grand Prize Winner, along with Best Sweet Pie.
MasterChef Australia co-host Sofia Levin was the master of ceremonies at the annual awards at Hop Temple on 3 August.
The judging panel of pie connoisseurs included Tim Bone (Good Chef Bad Chef co-host) and food writer Richard Cornish.
The winners
- Grand Prize Winner: Itinerant Spirits’ wild orchard apple and Vansetter Vodka pie
- Second place: 321 Cafe Learmonth’s lamb shank and mustard mash potato pie
- Third place: Flying Chillies’ Mum’s curry laksa pie
- Best Savoury Pie: 321 Cafe Learmonth’s lamb shank and mustard mash potato pie
- Best Sweet Pie: Itinerant Spirits’ wild orchard apple and Vansetter Vodka pie
- Best Bakery Pie: 1816 Bakehouse’s beef filet mignon pie
- Best Hero of Local Produce: Peasant’s The Urban Shepherd pie (available at Sip Champagne Bar)
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The pie trail
From 1-31 August 2024, the city’s top cafes, restaurants and bars are plated up 28 sweet and savoury pies as part of Ballarat’s Best Pie.
From twists on traditional flavours to ambitious creations, there was pies to satisfy all taste buds and palates.