Why I Started Reviewing Pies 🥧 |Pie Reviews

Some people find their calling in an office or through a big idea. Mine started with a pie.

It wasn’t from a famous bakery or a fancy restaurant it was from a small café at the Liverpool Aquatic Centre. I was just a kid. My dad bought me a meat pie, and I didn’t even know how to eat it. I scooped out the filling with a spoon and left the pastry behind. My dad laughed, then ate the pastry himself.

That became our thing. Every time we had burgers, I’d only eat the patty and sauce while he finished the bun and lettuce. Looking back now, that small ritual taught me something about food that it’s never just about eating. It’s about moments, connection, and the little memories that stick with you.

By high school, pies had become part of daily life. Buying one at the local bakery was the cool thing to do. Pies, fish and chips, pork rolls those were the classics. The taste, the smell, the warmth it all just felt like Australia.

But somewhere along the way, things changed. About five years ago, I noticed pies weren’t getting the love they used to. Bakeries were closing. The good ones were hanging on, but the industry itself was struggling. The passion and pride that once defined Aussie pies seemed to be fading.

One day after work, I came home starving and grabbed a pre-heated pie from the local supermarket. It was… fine. But not the kind of pie that hits you with nostalgia. I remember thinking, “This used to mean something.”

So, I made a quick video. Nothing fancy just me talking about the pie. I hit upload, went to bed, and woke up to a flood of comments. People were tagging their local bakeries, sending suggestions, and debating their favourite pie spots. That one video started something I never planned a community built around a shared love of good pies.

Now, I spend my spare time visiting bakeries across Australia and New Zealand, meeting the people behind the ovens, and tasting the stories baked into every crust. I’ve met families who’ve been running their bakeries for generations parents handing over the keys to their kids, teaching them that making pies isn’t just about ingredients, it’s about pride.

At the Great Aussie Pie Competition 2025, showcasing an array of delicious pies. Photo by The Sydney Morning Herald.

Miss Lilly's Bakery Cafe in Newtown

These next-generation bakers are bringing back that old-school spark the golden flaky pastry, the slow-cooked fillings, the care that make

s a pie more than a quick bite. But they’re also adding a twist: new flavours, better ingredients, and creative takes that prove the pie industry is evolving, not dying.

Outside of Only Pies, I work in operations, the world of systems, processes, and technology. My professional life is built on structure. But pies are the opposite. They’re messy, nostalgic, unpredictable and that’s why I love them.

Reviewing pies isn’t just about taste for me. It’s about celebrating small businesses, keeping traditions alive, and shining a light on the bakers who keep this Aussie icon going. Every review is a thank you to the people who still care about quality, who get up at 3 a.m. to bake for their community.

What started as a random video has become something much bigger a mission to remind people what a good pie really means.

Only Pies isn’t just about pie reviews. It’s about connection between people, between generations, between memories. It’s a reminder that a humble pie can tell a story about who we are and where we’ve been.

So, whether it’s a $5 pie from a country servo or a handmade wagyu beef pie from a boutique bakery, I’ll be there, camera rolling.

Because good pies deserve their moment again.

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