In a country where the meat pie sits close to the heart of everyday life, Auckland's Tart Bakery has shown that the familiar can be reimagined without the animal at its centre. Its chicken and mushroom pie, a fully plant-based creation, was named Supreme Winner at the 2026 Vegan Pie Awards run by the Vegan Society, a contest that drew more than seventy entries. Judges, including comedian Tom Sainsbury, found in the field a remarkable inventiveness, suggesting that the old bakery traditions are quietly being rewritten by those who choose not to use animal products.
Auckland's Tart Bakery Takes Top Honours at 2026 Vegan Pie Awards With 'Chicken' and Mushroom Pie
A bloody good pie, and not a scrap of chicken in it
Mark
So a vegan pie won a pie award, and it's called a chicken pie. What's the story here?
Mimi
Tart Bakery in Auckland took the Supreme title at the 2026 Vegan Pie Awards with its chicken and mushroom pie. It also won the Chicken category and Steak and Cheese.
Luke
Worth saying the chicken is plant-based. The category names sound un-vegan, but the entries are all vegan.
Mark
What did the judges actually like?
Mimi
They called it dense, decadent and rich. More broadly they praised flaky pastry, generous fillings and inventive flavours.
Luke
That's the judges' verdict, though. The report doesn't say how scoring worked or how many judges there were, beyond Tom Sainsbury being on the panel.
Mark
Anyone else dominate?
Mimi
Richoux Patisserie won Vegetable, Gourmet and Sweet, and was runner-up in several categories.
Luke
The report lists results but not why Richoux did so well, so I wouldn't read too much into it.
Mark
And the emerging chefs section?
Mimi
Cici Pu won Vegetable and the section's Supreme prize with a mushroom pie. Hery Sakti and Jessica Heng won Gourmet and Sweet.
Luke
Sainsbury calling it incredible for innovation is one judge's view. The 70-plus entries is the firmer number we have.
Il Polso
- A pie called 'chicken' takes the top prize at the Vegan Pie Awards, raising eyebrows across the country.
- More than seventy entries flooded the competition, pushing judges to weigh flaky pastry, generous fillings and bold flavours.
- Tart Bakery swept multiple categories, claiming Supreme, Chicken and Steak and Cheese, leaving rivals scrambling for second place.
- Richoux Patisserie and Wild Grain Bakery pressed hard behind the leaders, with Richoux collecting wins in Vegetable, Gourmet and Sweet.
- The field keeps widening, with fish pies, curries and desserts now standing alongside the classic meat-style lineup.
In a country where the meat pie sits close to the heart of everyday life, Auckland's Tart Bakery has shown that the familiar can be reimagined without the animal at its centre. Its chicken and mushroom pie, a fully plant-based creation, was named Supreme Winner at the 2026 Vegan Pie Awards run by the Vegan Society, a contest that drew more than seventy entries. Judges, including comedian Tom Sainsbury, found in the field a remarkable inventiveness, suggesting that the old bakery traditions are quietly being rewritten by those who choose not to use animal products.
Auckland's Tart Bakery has been crowned Supreme Winner at the 2026 Vegan Pie Awards, run each year by the Vegan Society. Its chicken and mushroom pie, a plant-based take on a classic, won over judges who described it as dense, decadent and rich. The 'chicken' in the name is, of course, not chicken at all, and the category names reflect how entrants are recreating New Zealand bakery favourites without animal products.
The competition drew more than seventy entries. Comedian Tom Sainsbury, one of the judges, said he has eaten a great many pies, but this year's field was incredible for innovation. Judges praised the flaky pastry, generous fillings, inventive flavours and thoughtful presentation.
Tart Bakery did more than take the top title. It also won the Chicken category with the same pie and took Steak and Cheese. Richoux Patisserie had a strong night of its own, winning Vegetable with a green curry pie, Gourmet with a Texas beef and mac and cheese pie, and Sweet with a raspberry chocolate mousse pie. Other winners included Kai Pai in Commercial Wholesale, the Fairlie Bakery Bakehouse in Mince and Cheese, Pioneer Pies in Gluten Free and Logan MacLean in Café Boutique.
The student and emerging chef section also had its moment, with Cici Pu taking Supreme there with a mushroom pie. Together, the results suggest a vegan pie scene that keeps widening, from curries to desserts to fish pies.
Auckland's Tart Bakery has been named Supreme Winner at the 2026 Vegan Pie Awards, taking the top honour with a chicken and mushroom pie. The 'chicken' in question is, of course, not chicken at all. The judges called the pie dense, decadent and rich, and described it as a bloody good pie.
The awards are run each year by the Vegan Society and drew more than 70 entries this time. The category names read oddly for a competition built around plant-based food: mince and cheese, steak and cheese, chicken. Entrants are making versions of the classic New Zealand bakery lineup without the animal products.
The judging panel included comedian Tom Sainsbury. He and his fellow judges praised the overall standard, pointing to perfectly flaky pastry, generous fillings, inventive flavour combinations and thoughtful presentation. Sainsbury said he has eaten a lot of pies, but that this year was incredible for innovation.
Tart Bakery did not win only the supreme title. It also took the Chicken category with the same chicken and mushroom pie, and won Steak and Cheese. Wild Grain Bakery was runner-up in that category, while Richoux Patisserie's chicken and cranberry pie was runner-up in Chicken.
Richoux Patisserie had a strong night across the field. Its vegetable green curry pie won the Vegetable category, with Wild Grain Bakery's vegetable pie second. Its Texas beef and mac and cheese pie won Gourmet, and its fish and chip pie was runner-up there. In the Sweet category, Richoux took the win with a raspberry chocolate mousse pie, and its apple rhubarb crumble with coconut cream came second. Piccolo Morso received an honourable mention for a pear and ginger pie in light butterscotch.
Elsewhere, Kai Pai won Commercial Wholesale with its vegetarian pie, with its roast vege curry pie as runner-up. The Fairlie Bakery Bakehouse won Mince and Cheese, ahead of Euro Patisserie. Pioneer Pies took both places in Gluten Free: its caramelised onion, mushroom and red wine pie won, and its Lentil Fundamental was runner-up. Logan MacLean won Café Boutique with a smoked fish pie.
The awards also have a section for students and emerging chefs. Cici Pu won the Vegetable category there with a mushroom pie, and went on to be named Supreme Winner of the section with the same pie. Hery Sakti won Gourmet with The Great Escape, and Jessica Heng won Sweet with a blueberry cheesecake pie with coconut cream.
With entry numbers above 70 and a judge who has eaten plenty of pies calling the innovation remarkable, the awards suggest the vegan pie field keeps widening, from curries to desserts to fish pies.
Citazioni salienti
Dense, decadent and rich - a bloody good pie!— Judges, 2026 Vegan Pie Awards
I've eaten a lot of pies, but I have to say this year's been incredible for innovation.— Tom Sainsbury, comedian and judge
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