How To Spot The Best Pie Yet Or Even Better, Make Your Own

An Australian food icon, meat pies are a hearty and deliciously addictive dish that defines the Land Down Under. Here's how to spot the best pie yet or even better, make your own.

- Julia Sam

Meat pies are a thing of comfort - stuffed with aromatic vegetables and a protein of choice, with a rich, thick gravy held within a pastry crust. It comes in just the right size for two hands to hold and a comfortable portion to devour in one sitting.

"There are three things that make a great meat pie," shares Tim Ong, co-owner of The Masons Table. "First is the taste and texture of the pastry. Does it hold the filling and give a savouriness to the pie? The sauce would be the second; whether it has the right consistency and flavour to balance the pastry. Then the standard of the meat, its tenderness and the quality of its braise."