Where to find the best fruit pies in New Zealand

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New Zealand’s abundance of locally-grown fruit means bakers have many options when it comes to dreaming up mouth-watering recipes for award-winning pies.

In recent years, fruit pies have fared well at the baking industry’s premier event for pie makers, the Bakels Supreme Pie Awards.

Here are the 2016 award-winning fruit pies, and recent award winners.

Best gourmet fruit pie in New Zealand

Gold (blueberry, spiced apple and apricot)

Dairy Flat Bakery

1443 Dairy Flat Highway, RD4, Auckland

Silver (caramelised walnut, Black Doris plum)

Havelock North New World

400 Heretaunga St East, Hastings

Bronze (apple)

Bakers Oven

687 Whangaparaoa Rd, Stanmore Bay, Auckland

Highly commended (Cointreau pear, apple and cherry cheesecake)

Patrick’s Pie Group Gold Star Bakery

19 Bethlehem Town Centre, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty

Other finalists

Paetiki Bakery and Cafe

30 Spa Road, Taupo

Euro Deli Bakery

557 Devon St East, New Plymouth, Taranaki

Pierces Home Bakery

78 Barrington Street, Christchurch, Canterbury

B2B Bakery and Cafe

373 Church St, Palmerston North, Manawatu

Kapiti Cakes & Bakery

9 Coastlines Parade, Paraparaumu, Wellington

Mairangi Bay Bakery

336d Beach Road, Mairangi Bay, Auckland

Past winners

2015

Gold (blueberry and spiced apple)

Dairy Flat Bakery

1443 Dairy Flat Highway, RD4, Auckland

2014

Gold

Dairy Flat Bakery

1443 Dairy Flat Highway, RD4, Auckland

2013

Gold (brandied apple and apricot with sweet grape)

Mairangi Bay Bakery

336d Beach Rd, Mairangi Bay, Auckland

2012

Gold and Supreme Award (gingered peach and pear with Cointreau)

Viands Bakery

80 Lyon St, Kihikihi, near Te Awamutu

2011

Gold and Supreme Award (plum, port and apple)

Viands Bakery

80 Lyon St, Kihikihi, near Te Awamutu

Source: Bakels Supreme Pie Awards

OUR PIE GUIDE: How to find the best pies in New Zealand  Ι  Where to find the best pies in Auckland  Ι  The best pies in Tauranga  Ι   The best vegetarian pies in New Zealand  Ι   The best Christmas mince pies in New Zealand Ι  Our favourite types of pie  Ι  The best English-style pork pies in New Zealand  Ι  The best Cornish pasties in New Zealand

Where to find New Zealand’s best cafés

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New Zealand’s best cafe serves organic coffee roasted in Dunedin and its menu includes raw and vegan dishes. And after only six months in business, it’s beaten more than 700 rivals for the title of the country’s top cafe.

The Bespoke Kitchen, Queenstown, was named the country’s top café for 2016 in the annual awards run by the Restaurant Association of New Zealand.

Owned by a group of experienced cafe owners, it’s the sister establishment to Queenstown’s well-respected Vudu Cafe and Vudu Cafe & Larder.

So what sets The Bespoke Kitchen apart from the rest?

As well as magnificent views from its hillside position above Queenstown, it serves organic coffee roasted in Dunedin and has embraced adding niche items to its menu such as raw and vegan offerings.

List of award winners:

NZ Café of the Year 2016 – Supreme Winner

The Bespoke Kitchen

9 Isle St, Queenstown

 

Best Rural (joint winners)

Red Shed Palazzo

64 Jesmond Road, Drury, Auckland

The Clareville Bakery Café

3340 SH2, Carterton

 

Best Suburban

The Bespoke Kitchen

9 Isle St, Queenstown

 

Best Metro/CBD

Elizabeth Cafe & Larder

247 Cameron Road, Tauranga

 

Classic Kiwi

Sweet Vanilla Kitchen

49 Pretoria Street, Lower Hutt, Wellington

 

People’s Choice 2016 Winner

Nick’s Café

30 Constable Road, Waiuku, Auckland, 2123

Source: New Zealand Cafe of the Year Awards, run by the Restaurant Association of New Zealand.  Factors considered by the judges including atmosphere and appearance, menu and coffee, service, staff interaction and overall impression.

OUR CAFE GUIDE: The best cafes in Auckland  Ι  The best cafes in the Coromandel  Ι The best cafes in the Bay of Plenty  Ι  The best cafes in the Waikato  Ι  The best cafes in Manawatu-Whanganui  Ι  The best cafes in Hawkes Bay  Ι  The best cafes in Taranaki  Ι  The best cafes in Wellington  Ι  The best cafes in Nelson, Marlborough & West Coast  Ι  The best cafes in Canterbury  Ι  The best cafes in Dunedin  Ι  The best cafes in Queenstown  Ι The best cafes in the South Island  Ι  Where to find New Zealand’s best coffee beans

Top 5 things Kiwis get up to at the beach

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While the rest of the world goes to the beach to chill out, Kiwis line up their favourite activities for a stay beside the sea.

A survey by travel firm Expedia shows almost two-thirds of New Zealanders plan a beach getaway in the next 12 months, mostly targeting the Christmas/New Year break.

Expedia’s global survey of 11,165 people in 24 countries showed New Zealanders wanted to remain busy on their beach break.

New Zealanders’ favourite activities are (with comparisons to the rest of the world in brackets):

  1. Walking – 77% (70%)
  2. Swimming – 68% (65%)
  3. Reading – 61% (53%)
  4. Drinking alcohol – 48% (39%)
  5. Water Sports – 26% (21%)

“Living in a culture renowned for its sun, sand and surf, it’s not surprising that Kiwis, compared to global standards, are more active when they hit the beach.” — Expedia’s Louise Crompton.

Source: Expedia’s Fly and Flop Report 2014.

Top 10 choice of names for baby girls in New Zealand

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Only one new name has joined the annual list of top 10 names given by parents to their newborn daughters in New Zealand last year. The newcomer to the list of most popular names is Ava, joining the list after being the 15th ranked name the year before.

Olivia and Charlotte remain the top two names for another year.

About 61,000 births were recorded during the year and 18,000 of them were given unique first names, reflecting the efforts of parents to find distinctive names for their children.

Favourite names

(2015 place in brackets)

1. Olivia (1)

2. Charlotte (2)

3. Isla (7)

4. Harper (3)

5. Ella (6)

6. Amelia (9)

7. Emily (5)

8. Mia (8)

9. Ava (15)

10. Sophie (4)

Source: Department of Internal Affairs, New Zealand.

New Zealanders’ favourite names for baby boys Ι  The worst names for New Zealand babies

 

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