Fairlie Bakehouse

What began as a tiny family business with a team of four thirteen years ago, has grown to be one of the best known and most awarded pie-shops in the country – Fairlie Bakehouse.

After years of working in high-end hospitality, trained chef and owner Franz Lieber set out to create a retirement job for himself. He never imagined he’d be producing around 2,500 pies a day and end up working with a team of fifty.

The secret behind the success of the Fairlie Bakehouse is the uncompromising quality of ingredients and handmade pastry that is hard to beat. All the ingredients that go into the pies are fresh, local where possible and of the absolute best quality available. The bakery has its own butchery, yet on top of the crowd favourite meat pies, such as Pork Belly & Apple, it thrives to follow sustainable practices and has an extensive vegetarian range as well as one of the best vegan pies you’ll come across.

On top of the flaky parcels of goodness, Fairlie Bakehouse creates a huge variety of baking from cronuts to raspberry cheesecake and beyond. Coffee is brewed with Christchurch based Prima Roastery beans, which is possibly the most earth-friendly roaster in the country.

The Bakehouse plans on extending the business to include a butchery, where customers can pick up many of the fresh ingredients that go into the much-loved pies. An app for contactless pick up is also in the works to ensure everyone can have their pie fix.

There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, and a few cute bakery cats roaming around that like a gentle pat. Dogs are welcome in the outside seating area too. Next time you find yourself in Fairlie, make sure to stop by and taste test the famous Fairlie pies or check the bakehouse’s website for your nearest stockist.