Ashby Pies has turned a suburban bakery on Ashby Avenue in St Heliers into a destination for pie lovers from all over Auckland. It opened in 2020, and owner Darren Jarrett has built a loyal following by reworking classic Kiwi pies with generous fillings and plenty of imagination. He is also a devoted Warriors fan, and that passion spills into the bakery’s social media, where changes to the pie warmer are announced as tongue in cheek rugby league news: veterans are granted releases, star recruits make their debuts and rival bakeries are said to be circling the cabinet’s biggest names. It is a playful way of telling customers what to look for, and it has helped the shop earn something close to cult status.
The mince and cheese is the benchmark, filled to the brim with mince in a beer infused gravy, mozzarella and béchamel, so that one pie comfortably makes a meal. Beef cheek and cheese pairs slow cooked beef cheek and rich gravy with a cheese sauce, and the low and slow barbecue pork and kumara pie starts its pork in the smoker before a long, gentle cook. The line up keeps evolving, too. Lamb birria with corn chip queso has become a crowd favourite, buffalo chicken with blue cheese has joined the warmer, steak and blue cheese is part of the squad, and a beef cheek and creamy mushroom pie has been teased, so each visit can turn up something different.
Sausage rolls get the same care. The pork and jalapeño version hides a touch of cream cheese to soften the chilli kick, while the beef sausage rolls are studded with smoky bacon and drizzled with barbecue sauce. Cheddar cheese scones offer another savoury option, and the sweet baking is just as tempting: cinnamon buns made from brioche dough and topped with cream cheese icing, custard twists rolled in cinnamon sugar and raisins under baked custard and a vanilla glaze, brown butter chocolate chip cookies, slices, and a chocolate brownie made with Callebaut chocolate that happens to be naturally gluten free.
Plenty of orders leave the shop by the tray. Office morning teas are catered with mini pies such as mince and cheese, beef cheek and cheese and butter chicken, along with mini cinnamon buns and half size sausage rolls, and online orders need a day’s notice, with weekday delivery to nearby suburbs and central Auckland. Pies can also be bought to finish at home, kept in the fridge for a couple of days or frozen, then baked in a hot oven when it suits. For anyone keen to try the recipes themselves, Jarrett’s cookbook, Dazza’s Cooked, collects his pies alongside corner bakery favourites, snacks, sides and desserts such as banoffee pie and lemon meringue pie.
Address: 91 Ashby Avenue, St Heliers, Auckland 1071
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