Meet the team behind Auckland's Euro Patisserie. This year, they took home more gold awards for their pies than any other bakery.
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Owners Bunna Hout and Sopheap Long won three categories at the 2019 Bakels NZ Supreme Pie Awards. Two of these were meat: the potato-topped pie and the truckie and tradie (steak and gravy).
They also picked up a gold award for a vegetarian option, which combined broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, carrot, and spinach.
Newshub went across the bridge to the bakery in Torbay to meet the pair and see what the secret is to making the perfect pie - and why they're so passionate about it.
After moving to New Zealand in the early 2000s, Hout met Long and decided to set up a bakery. Many years later, they're still going strong - and still creating some of the best pies in New Zealand.
The couple works seven days a week. They say making the perfect pie is hard and requires lots of practice. Even changes in the weather lead to changes in the temperature and moisture in the room, which leads to changes in the pastry.
"Some people, they just make it fast and rushed. We just slow down a little bit and focus on making quality. We use quality products and make a result that's good for us," Hout says.
Euro Patisserie normally makes around 200 pies a day. However, after winning the pie competition, they've had a surge in demand and this has increased to around 250 to 300 pies a day.
Despite this, baking pies is still a labour of love.
"We love the job and we put all the patience and love in everything and when you love your job… to me you're very focused on what you're doing," Long says. "When it comes out you're really proud of yourself."
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