Happy Pot Pie Day! This was my first attempt at pot pie (after years of Marie Callender’s from the frozen food section), yet I will say it is the best chicken pot pie I have ever had. It is decidedly an Aussie recipe (created by a MasterChef Australia contestant, calls for Continental Chicken Stock Pot which imparts a significant umami boost to the filling), and it has definitely earned a place in the pot pie hall of fame.

BRIEF: “A crispy Puff Pastry Pie with Chicken Mushroom Filling.” SOOT’S TAKE: I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the filling (I think they used shiitake). Glad I took the cue to get it after seeing there was only 1 left while the other hand pie selections had barely been touched.


Tasty repast of “pot-roasted Bannockburn free range chicken, baby leeks, white wine and English mustard cream and poppy seeds” all encased in what looks like a hot water crust.

I got 4 pies to go but discovered only after the long ride back to the Airbnb that the staff at Banksia had packed only 1 pie to go with the rest of my purchase. 😓😓😓😓 A tastier pie than the one from Flour and Stone but certainly not worth $40 for the 3 missing pies I’m owed 😭😭😭😭

Going old school local with @chickenpiekitchen’s fresh out of the oven takeout (you guessed it) chicken pie. Per the kitchen’s brief, humans began enjoying this original chicken pie recipe sometime in 1983. It seems this pie underwent several changing tides in taste along with its recipe owner’s changing tides of fortune until he was finally free to bake his signature pies as he pleased in his new pie kitchen. Perfect comfort food this is. The pie lid is uniquely (and perhaps strategically) puffed around its circumference for a touch of whimsy and as a useful slicing guide.

BRIEF: “Scrumptious chicken leg meat, button mushrooms and mixed vegetable.” SOOT’S TAKE: 👍👍

Delish!

“Scrumptious chicken leg meat, button mushrooms and mixed vegetable.” It’s scrumptious alright, not to mention the buttery flaky pastry. So good when it’s your first meal in over 12 hours!

My attempt to make up for Pi Day and also my first time doing chicken pie (Aussie version) which I prefer to the chicken pot pie, although I probably should’ve reduced the filling further 😂 I made 2 versions: 1 personal sized pie and 1 family-sized one w/o a bottom. I tried embossing Pippi & Tiger on the lid of the mini pie but the puffing of the pastry faded them out a tad. If only they could high-five like that in real life. 😺😸

BRIEF: “Wholesome homemade chicken filling wrapped in our crumbly short crust pastry.” SOOT’S TAKE: Don’t look as wholesome when you see that gaping chasm between chicken filling and crust 😕

It’s Pi Day today and when in Australia, why not dig into a Chicken, Leek and Tarragon hand pie from @flourandstone?

When you’re too tired for anything else and you settle for an Aussie stay-at-home staple…

Kind of nice but in a soggy crust, peppery filling kind of way 🙄

Pretty good for chicken pie but that’s really what it tastes like. You can’t really tell there’s abalone in there, not that it would’ve mattered.

Too peppery. Needs work.

A bit too sweet for me

Lunch

Pie crust was flaky and buttery 👍 but the chicken to air ratio left much more to be desired.

Hong Kong Style Chicken Pie Looks (aspic included) and tastes like wet cat food smells. Blech! $2.50