★ Victoria’s best pies

Annie Smithers Du Fermier Gourmet Pies

With Melbourne residents as fanatic about food as they are about Australian Rules Football, what to consume during the finals this October is as important a question as which team will win.

Pies have been a part of the football culture since the first Four ‘N Twenty meat pies were invented in Bendigo in 1947.  The humble pie has since evolved to become synonymous with country living and most regional town centres will offer its own take on the increasingly gourmet snack.

Here are seven of the best pies to try in Victoria:

1. Vegetarian Pie by Conways piesThis award-winning pie includes all the nutrients needed to explore the rugged peaks and valleys of stunning Grampian’s region. The pie has broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, red capsicum, onions and carrot baked in a mild curry sauce. Other pies from the family-owned family-owned and operated bakery café and coffee shop include bolognaise , garlic prawn, lamb shank and seafood.  51 Pynsent St, Horsham. Ph: +613 5382 0847

2. Great Ocean Duck & Orange Pie from Craig’s Royal HotelThis decadent pie from Ballarat’s Craig’s Royal Hotel is a classic pie from a classic town. A play on the French classic, duck a l’orange, the pie is filled with free range duck and local winter vegetables, seasoned with fresh herbs and then slowly cooked to create a rich, flavoursome filling. The duck mixture is encased in a savoury crepe and then placed in the pastry to bake ensuring a crisp, flaky shell and mouth-wateringly moist filling. 10 Lydiard Street South, Ballarat. Ph: +613 5331 1377

3. Brekkie Pie from Annie SmithersSold as du Fermier Gourmet Pies at both the Kyneton (2nd Sat of Month) and Daylesford (1st Sat of Month) Farmers markets, these pies baked in the kitchen at Annie’s Trentham Restaurant, du Fermier, do this gourmet pocked of Victoria proud. The pies come in beef, lamb and pork with ingredients locally sourced and ethically grown.  Winner of Australia’s best pie in 2013/14 for the brekkie pie: bacon, eggs, sausage, baked beans and tomato. 42 High St, Trentham. Ph: +613 5424 1634

4. Beef Burgundy pie The Gladysdale Bakehouse and Tea RoomsUsing Angus Beef and red wine from Yarra Valley Gateway Estate, master baker, Jason Rush produces a Beef Burgundy pie for The Gladysdale Bakehouse and Tea Rooms on the fringe of the gourmet food and wine Yarra Valley region. The Tea Rooms also pay Homage to the Pie with winter dinners in partnership with local breweries such as the Slow Braised beef and original Ale pie using locally Brewed Original Ale from Coldstream Brewery. Gladysdale Bakehouse, 2568 Warburton Hwy, Yarra Junction  3797, (03) 5967 2727. Yarra Valley Gateway Estate, 667 Maroondah Hwy, Coldstream. Ph: +613 9739 0568

5. Beef Bourginon Pie by Parker PiesA red wine region wouldn’t be complete without a rich, slow-cooked Beef Bourginon pie. Tender, chunky hunks of beef with mushrooms in a rich Rutherglen Red wine sauce. Parker Pies is a family owned business located in the heart of the Rutherglen wine region in Victoria’s High Country. Their award-winning traditional pies and gourmet pastries include the popular lamb, Jolly Jumbuck, venison or kangaroo and have won more than 200 awards. A number of the pies use local Rutherglen wine. 88 Main Street, Rutherglen. Ph: +612 6032 9605

6. Butter Garlic Prawn Pie by Merwans PiesFrom the bayside city of Frankston comes this scrumptious seafood pie from multi-award-winning pie makers, Merwans. Ingredients include large Australian prawns, celery, garlic, tomatoes and more secret herbs and spices. When Merwan’s first opened their scallop pie was a drawcard for locals and visitors as it was something different and seem to speak to the Australian love of seafood. The prawn pie is the second of their seafood series of pies. 1/397 McClelland Drive, Langwarrin. Ph: +613 9789 5122

7. Duck, 5 Spice and Wine Pie by Red Hill Bakery Local wine is the inspiration for the Red Hill Bakery range of pies, with wine an ingredient in all of them. Made from scratch every day, the recipes – which use mostly local ingredients and are wrapped in delicious trans fat free pastry – have been lovingly developed by the bakery chefs over the last 15 years. The signature slow braise of the meat ensures tenderness and full flavour with the traditional ‘lamb and rosemary’ and the ‘duck, five spice and wine’ being two of the most popular pies on the menu. 3050 Frankston-Flinders Rd, Balnarring. Ph: +613 5931 3125