The battle to be crowned Ballarat’s best pie is underway, as Plate Up Ballarat joins Visit Victoria and the Western Bulldogs to determine a winner from twenty of the city’s famed restaurants and cafes.
With a focus on local produce, each featured pie must feature three local ingredients, and must be true to type and served as a plated meal. Licensed venues will also pair their pie with a locally brewed beer or cider from Red Duck Brewery, Cubby Haus Brewing, Athletic Club Brewery or 321 Cider.
The winner will be declared at the Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide match on Sunday 29 July, with the question today simple… how many can you eat?
For more information about the competition, and to make a reservation to dine ahead of the Round 19 game, click here.
Billy’s Bistro & Bar
Marrakesh Chicken Pie
Traditional slow cooked chicken from the city of Marrakesh in Morocco, marinated in a blend of spices and goat curd, cooked with dates and figs and served with an herbed couscous. Local ingredients are, free range eggs, goat curd and organic vegetables.
Price: $28
Where: Billy’s Bistro & Bar, 613 Main Rd, Ballarat
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Cafe Sidra
Pork & Cider Pie
A short cut casing, filled with slow cooked Nelson Springs pork, Learmonth potatoes and a gorgeous gravy that includes heritage cider apples grown a mere three kilometres away.
Price: $10
Where: Cafe Sidra, 321 High Street, Learmonth
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Craig’s Royal Hotel
Mushroom and Leek Pithivier Pie
This is local vegetarian produce at its finest, encased in golden, flaky pastry. Delicious Ballarat Mushroom Farm mushrooms, leek, Mount Prospect produce and Holy Goats Cheese make a hearty filling between two discs of handmade puff pastry.
Price: $28
Where: Craig’s Royal Hotel, 10 Lydiard St, Ballarat
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Eclectic Tastes
Egg & Bacon Pie
A classic egg and bacon pie made with a simple shortcrust pastry filled with Country Style Smallgood’s Bacon, Inglenook cream, Elm Grove Farm free range eggs and fresh herbs. Served with tomato relish and a choice of either a side of chips or crisp garden salad.
Price: $12.50
Where: Eclectic Tastes, 2 Burnbank St, Lake Wendouree
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The Forge Pizzeria
Moroccan Lamb Shank Pie
Slow-cooked Victorian lamb shank with Meredith Goat Cheese and baby spinach in traditional pastry crust - our Nanna Norma’s recipe, served with house-made beetroot chips.
Price: $23
Where: The Forge Pizzeria, 14 Armstrong St, Ballarat
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Freight Bar & Restaurant
Cheesy Brisket Mac & Cheese Deluxe Pie
Smoked and slowly cooked braised beef brisket with Ballarat Mushroom Farm mushrooms, topped with a mac-and-chees lid made with Inglenook Dairy Milk and Goldfields Farmhouse Cheeses.
Price: $20
Where: Freight Bar & Restaurant, 49 Mair St East, Ballarat
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Golden City Hotel
The Golden Pork Pie
Western Plains Pork encased in a delicious golden pastry. This savoury pork pie is served with a side of house made pickles, apple crisps and Bacchus Marsh leaves paired with Athletic Club Pale Ale.
Price: $18
Where: Golden City Hotel, 427 Sturt St, Ballarat
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The Healthy Hub
Curried Veggie Shepherd’s Pot Pie
A creamy curried veggie filling using Spring Creek Organics produce & Harmony Garlic, topped with a sweet potato mash and crispy, crumbly top. Served with a side of sauerkraut from The Fermentary.
Price: $18
Where: The Healthy Hub, 100 Bridge Mall, Bakery Hill
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Hop Temple
Caveman Pie
Hop Temple is delivering a signature Beef Rib Pie. Made with local beef supplied by Sinclair Meats, Creswick Farm Eggs and Daylesford Butter, with Red Duck Amber Ale to compliment the deep taste of the beef whilst providing a caramel, toffee and butterscotch through its malt bill to help round the whole pie’s flavour.
Price: $18
Where: Hop Temple, rear of 24 Armstrong St, Ballarat
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Hydrant Food Hall
Berkshire Pork & Smoked Egg Pie
Traditional Pork Pie filled with Millbrook Berkshire Pork and Stonehaven Smoked Egg. Served with house made plum chutney, Goldfields Farmhouse “St George” cheese and a green leaf salad.
Price: $20
Where: Hydrant Food Hall, 3 McKenzie St, Ballarat
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Kittelty’s at the Gallery
Coq au Vin Pie
Bannockburn Free Range Chicken, Ballarat mushrooms and hot smoked bacon from Salt Kitchen Charcuterie braised in pinot noir with a bouquet garni of home grown herbs and encased in pastry.
Price: $19
Where: Kittelty’s at the Gallery, 40 Lydiard St, Ballarat
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Nouvelle Orleans
Southern Sweet Potato Pie
The southern sweet potato pie served with maples ice cream and bacon praline. Using sweet potatoes from the kitchen garden and Mt Egerton produce. Enbom honey caramelises the sweet potato to create a deep bronze pie filling. Using lemon thyme from Central Highland Herbs to cut the sweetness. Made from scratch the pie is finger-licking served in gingerbread sweet pastry.
Price: $15
Where: Nouvelle Orleans, 28 Main Road, Ballarat
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RACV Goldfields Resort
Confit Duck & Mushroom Pie
Confit duck and mushroom pie with truffle potato mash served with a smoky tomato relish. The duck is from Nhill and the mushrooms are from Ballarat Mushroom Farm. Truffles for the mash are sourced from Black Cat Truffles and the creamy potatoes are from Mount Prospect Produce. The delicious side of relish is made from Yendon Gourmet Tomatoes.
Price: $18
Where: RACV Goldfields Resort, 1500 Midland Hwy, Creswick
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Saigon Allee
‘Banh U’ Pie
Vietnamese pie - Bánh Ú made from glutinous rice, roast almond, shredded coconut and mung bean, wood ear mushrooms, salt and pepper, all wrapped in bamboo leaves and cooked for four hours. Served with Vietnamese pickled vegetables sourced from The Fruit Shack, crispy sweet potato slices and chilli soy sauce.
Price: $15.50
Where: Saigon Allee, 30 Armstrong St North, Ballarat
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Salt Kitchen, Le Peche Gourmand, Western Plains Pork & Fika collaboration
Tourte de Porc
The filling is made in the style of a blanchette by Mick Nunn from Salt Kitchen Charcuterie. The pastry is made by expert patissier Paul Williams from Le Peche Gourmand in Creswick. Mick and Paul use the kitchen at the Ballarat Specialist School to assemble the pies and demonstrate to the students how the assembly and cooking takes place.
Price: $15
Where:
Le Peche Gourmand, 69A Albert St, Creswick
and
Fika Coffee Brewers, 36A Doveton St North, Ballarat
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The Lane @ the George Hotel
Pear, Blackberry & Rosewater Pie
Pear, blackberries and a hint of rosewater encased in handmade sweet citrus shortcrust pastry. Served with Inglenook Dairy clotted cream and Il Piccolo Gelato vanilla bean ice cream.
Price: $12
Where: The Lane @ the George Hotel, 27 Lydiard St North, Ballarat
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The Local
Comfort Pie
Shortcrust pastry, with a caponata & white bean filling, vegetables and olives locally grown with fava beans from the Wimmera. Served with a side salad & housemade chutney.
Price: $19
Where: The Local, 313 Lydiard St, Ballarat
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The Western Hotel
Lamb and Rosemary Pie
Slow cooked Waubra lamb on a bed of creamy mashed local potatoes with
mushy peas.
Price: $19
Where: The Western Hotel, 1221 Sturt St, Ballarat
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Websters Market & Cafe
Pecan & Porter Pie, Vanilla Parfait, Coffee Cream
The nutty sweetness of this pecan pie is a perfect match for the malty flavours of Red Duck Porter a dark ale. A delightful vanilla parfait, Inglenook Dairy cream and Grounded Pleasures vanilla bean it is an indulgent and delicious sweet pie.
Price: $15
Where: Websters Market & Cafe, 61 Webster St, Ballarat
