One of the foods I have seen and enjoyed the most since being here is a meat pie, sold in places ranging from gas stations to small bakeries. It is a common, convenient meal that many people here eat regularly. I enjoy taking them with me on hikes, as they are easy to buy, filling and super light to carry!
A very popular meal or snack in New Zealand is the meat pie. These handheld, meat-filled pastries are a savory form of pie and come in a wide variety of fillings such as steak and cheese, mince, butter chicken and potato. My favorite flavor, though, is chicken. These pies are sold everywhere, from gas stations to dedicated pie bakeries, making them super accessible and encouraging a wide variety of flavors. While they originate from British savory pies, New Zealand has adapted them into something uniquely Kiwi!
Chicken pot pie was one of my favorite childhood dishes. The chicken meat pie has many similar flavors and textures, so I was immediately a big fan.
The pies begin with a pastry crust that forms the base. Various fillings are cooked separately, often as a thick, savory mixture of meat, gravy and sometimes vegetables. This filling is placed into the bottom crust, then covered with a top layer of pastry.
