Samuel Gee's Pies and Pastries and Heatherbrae's Pies Sutton Forest win plenty of medals at the 2020 Australia's Best Pie and Pastie competition

So it takes something special to create an award winning pie.

This is just what two Highlands businesses have done, with Samuel Gee's Pies and Pastries along with Heatherbrae's Pies winning plenty of medals at the recent 2020 Australia's Best Pie and Pastie competition.

Samuel Gee's won a total of 15 medals which included eight silver and seven bronze.

Owner Nerida Rudolph said it was a great achievement.

"We won a medal for every pie we entered," she said.

"I've got two young bakers and it's given them a boost. With Covid, everyone needed a boost."

With more than 1300 entries, Nerida said there were plenty of pie shops that came away empty handed.

"The boys are so stoked we got something."

A new business, named after the family's Labrador, Samuel Gee's will celebrate its first birthday next month and after a year full of challenges, including fires, floods,hail and coronavirus, Nerida said she was pleased they were still going strong.

"We're hanging in there and I've still got all my staff. For a new business if you can get through everything we've been through, you're doing okay.

"[And] it says a lot about your product." Nerida said they planned to enter the Great Aussie Pie Competition later this year.

Heatherbrae's Pies picked up 11 medals between its two bakeries, with the Sutton Forest one winning three silver and two bronze.

Owner Russell Cox said they were pleased with the result but still a little disappointed they hadn't managed to claim the title of best pie.

"We're always striving to take out the best pie in Australia," he said.

"But I think it's good for our customers to see we're up there with the industry best and striving to produce the best pies we can."

Heatherbrae's Pies Sutton Forest is a regular in the competition and while they were unable to enter as many pies as usual, Mr Cox said they hoped to enter more in the Great Aussie Pie Competition.

He said they were pleased with the two silver medals the Sutton Forest bakery picked up in the gluten free category with its vegetarian and spiced walnut pie.

"We've started gluten free products. Working with non gluten pastry is a lot more challenging and we managed to do quite well.

"From what we can see the launch [of the gluten free products] has been really well received."

Samuel Gee's Pies and Pastries

Heatherbrae's Pies Sutton Forest

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