It would be difficult to calculate the number of meat pies eaten at sporting events in Australia….especially at AFL matches..

Football and meat pies
An Aussie Tradition; football and pies!

There is an eatery in my Blue Mountains village of Blackheath regarded as a bit of an institution when it comes to a meal in a pastry case.

Bakehouse on Wentworth at Blackheath. Great for a pie.
COME ON IN!

The pies, $7.90 each, have been described  by some as Australia’s best. They are hand made on the premises, using fresh, natural  ingredients.   Customers can choose from thirteen  fillings, including Beef & Guiness; Beef, Bacon & Cheese;  Lamb, Rosemary & Garlic, Kangaroo and Tomato Goulash, and Tandoori Chicken.  The beef and guiness combination  is a favorite of mine. I tried the kangaroo this week. It was a little salty for a low salt person like myself, but very tasty.

ROO PIE

There is an unassuming eat- in area,  but for the most sublime  Blackheath pie experience it’s best to eat  one whilst walking along Wentworth Street at the height of  the village’s  autumn colour. Yes, I know… you will  have to wait until April/May for that pleasure!

Olive bread is another specialty of  The Bakehouse. This  is  not surprising,  because   Blue Mountains chefs   enjoy a unique advantage when it comes to bread making.  As  Delia Falconer  wrote  in her   lyrical   novel, The Service of Clouds  (set in the Mountains):  ‘She had read about this place; where kitchens were built at such high altitudes that the clouds drifted into bread through open windows and made it rise without the use of yeast.’

There is only one small hitch regarding the bakery. It’s situated directly opposite the medical clinic.  Locals worry about their G.P. noticing  the number of visits they  make to pick up a pie and freshly baked bread. 

A RIVAL UP THE ROAD!

Pie and a beer.
PIE AND A BEER

The New Ivanhoe Hotel at the other end of village is also celebrated for its pies, especially the chicken and mushroom variety. $10 for a pie on its own with a pot of tea. Good flaky pastry and plenty of chicken chunks in the filling.

Pie from the Ivanhoe Hotel in Blackheath.
UNADORNED!

Ivanhoe beef……a little lacking in flavor perhaps.

Pie champions from Mountain High Pies.

Final sample in my trial was made by the Vietnamese couple at Blackheath Bakery and Patisserie. They only had variations of beef, and the pies are smaller than the others (football game size) but only $4 each. The one below is beef, tomato and cheese. It was VERY nice.

Beef pie from Blackheath Bakery

UPDATE –   Strictly in the interests of impartiality I am planning a visit to Mountain High Pies,  located on the Great Western Highway at Wentworth Falls.  They have an intriguing Big Breakfast Pie, but it’s the menu of  sweet pies and tarts that I’m really interested in;  Apple and Custard Pie, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Tart and, best of all, Salted Caramel Meringue Tart. Oh dear me Wentworth Falls could usurp Blackheath  as Pie Paradise!

And as I write, September 2019, they have won multiple prizes in the Great Aussie Pie Competition, among 1,500 entries.

Mountains High Piea
Photo -Blue Mountains Gazette

I can’t resist this. Against all the odds, the Sydney AFL Giants ‘cooked’ Collingwood in the 2019 season.

A word of warning. Make sure you keep a good grip on your pie, or it might be snatched away by an Aussie vandal!

Pie thief!
PHOTO ORIGINALLY FROM ABC BRISBANE

By the way, here is the  real reason I moved to Blackheath from Sydney. haha. Escaping the ‘big smoke’.

2 Comments
  1. I love the “Tourist Tuesday” idea and what a lovely photo 🙂

    Xx

  2. Thanks Vikki

    Of course I will have to keep testing the pies now to make sure the high standard is being maintained! It’s amazing the lengths I am willing to go to for my readers.

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