From our farm to fork feature

Pies on a Winter's Day is a Kiwi institution, and one small bakery is getting a name for itself in North Canterbury by putting a gourmet spin on the traditional pastry.

Amberley Pies, owned by British pastry chef Billy Hansford and wife Hayley, has been serving pies in the small service town of Amberley since October 2020.

"I think a pie, particularly on a day when it's quite cold, is the perfect food to grab on the go.

"It's quick, it's easy, it's filling," Hansford says.

The couple opened a food truck in 2018, selling gourmet burgers at events and around the small service town of Amberley.

It was once they added pies to the menu, though, that the business took off.

"We ended up doing three times as many pies as burgers.

"It got out of control, and we ended up renting the domain kitchen at the rugby club to keep up with demand."

The search began for a suitable permanent space to open a dedicated pie shop.

Eventually, with retail sites in Amberley in short supply, they were offered the site on Markham Street in a shop that was once an auto electrician.

The location was perfect. Markham Street, historically Amberley's main street, is the location of other vibrant businesses, such as the Brew Moon Brewery and Little Vintage Espresso, meaning the street was already a popular haunt for local foodies.

COVID-19 restrictions wreaked havoc in the first month of operation, but a sympathetic landlord made the challenge easier.

"We opened as we were coming out of the first initial lockdown, we started, and then the second lockdown came in.

"We were only open three or four weeks between lockdowns, and we had a big lockdown sale when we knew we would have to close again.

"Our landlord stopped our rent, and I don't think we would be here now if she hadn't done that."

With lockdown a distant memory, Amberley Pies has gone from strength to strength, so much so that the Hansfords recently decided to expand the business and open a second pie shop on Good Street in Rangiora.

"We have to have that presence to get locals coming in, and it means we have another connection with a different community."

Collaboration with local businesses and wineries, such as the Bone Line, has meant Hansford has some unique pie flavours on the menu, interspersed with the traditional crowd favourites.

"People like experiencing different things.

"With the tradies, they like the sausage rolls, mince and cheese and steak and cheese pies.

"But now we are doing things like the Bone Line smoked Beef Cheek and the Brew Moon Dark Side Ale Peppered Steak pie."

Traditional English Pork, Philly steak, Brisket Bourbon, and Pepperjack Cheese are just some of the pies on offer, as are pasties, scones, tarts, and sometimes even doughnuts.

Hansford said the community has been supportive of the business, and the town's diversity makes it a special place to live and work.

"There's a lot of poms, there's a lot of Aussies.

"We didn't really have a sense of community when I was in London.

"You get on the tube in the U.K., and no one talks to you, but over here in Amberley, you can't walk down the street without seeing someone you know and saying hello or them yelling 'Hi' from across the street.

"It's a fantastic community."

By Claire Inkson