New survey findings reveal Aussies prefer eating meat pies with their hands and Victoria and Tasmania are the biggest pastry fans by state.

Keeping up with Australia’s demand for baked goods as the temperature drops, family-owned bakery Mrs Mac’s has pioneered an all-new style of ‘pie’. A first-of-its kind in Australia, the new rectangular pastry bake packs the same taste as a round pie but has been expertly designed by the Mrs Mac’s pie professionals to provide the perfect ratio of pastry and filling with each bite.

With recent research showing that more than 70% of Aussies prefer eating a meat pie with their hands, this new style has been created to meet the demand of one-handed, on-the-go snacking.

Launching on the first day of winter, the savoury pastry bake comes in a choice of four flavoursome fillings: Ham & Cheese; Bacon, Egg, & Cheese; Pulled Beef; and Creamy Chicken, all wrapped in layers of Mrs Mac’s famed crispy, golden puff pastry. Available at convenience stores, supermarkets and petrol stations across Australia from 1 June.

“It’s no surprise that Aussies love a winter pie, in fact, we see pie consumption increase by 20% during the colder months. We have been perfecting pies and pastries for nearly seventy years and wanted to bring something new to this market, we see the new pastry bake as the next innovation of the popular pie – an all-new style of pastry experience on the go or a quick and easy meal at home.”.

Liam O’Neil, Mrs Mac’s Chef and Pastry Expert

Survey results

To celebrate the launch, Mrs Mac’s commissioned a survey* to reveal Aussies’ meat pie etiquette across each state and to find out more about our Australian love affair with the humble pie. Potentially fitting for a nation that debates the origins of Pavlova (and Russell Crowe) – Aussies hold the pie in such high regard that over one third (38%) wrongly believe it was invented in Australia, with only 5% correctly crediting the Ancient Egyptians for the iconic dish.

According to the survey, 70% of Aussies eat a pie at least once a month, with 30% of pie lovers eating them weekly. Almost three quarters of the nation are pie purists and choose to eat their pie with the ‘lid on’ whilst the remaining 26% prefer it deconstructed.

Where should the sauce go on a meat pie?

Surprisingly, nearly one in five Australians (17%) do not add sauce to their pie but for those that do, 85% of the time it must be tomato sauce. When it comes to where the sauce should be placed, the nation is divided with just over fifty percent (55%) preferring a dollop on top of the pie, followed by underneath the ‘lid’ (16%) and more than one in 10 (12%) opting for sauce on the side.

Nearly all Aussies (94%) agree the filling and pastry are a pie’s most defining feature, more particularly, Australians love the classic flavours, with Beef; Beef, Cheese and Bacon; and Steak taking the top three spots as most popular fillings.

Biggest meat pie lovers

The findings also revealed state-by-state differences as Victoria/Tasmanians battle the states for the title of biggest pie lovers, with one third (33%) consuming at least one pie a week. This was closely followed by those in New South Wales and ACT (32%), South Australia and Northern Territory (31%), Western Australians (26%), and Queenslanders (25%).

Other findings from the survey of over 1,000 Australian adults include:

  • 42% of Aussies prefer to eat their pies in the comfort of their own home
  • Nearly a third (32%) of Queenslanders eat a pie with the lid off
  • One in every ten Victorians, Tasmanians and Western Australians eat more than one pie per week
  • Queenslanders are most likely to eat a pie with their hands (almost 80%)
  • 1/4 Western Australians prefer their pie without sauce
  • 1% of Aussies are actually tucking into a pie at a beach!
  • Only 7% say their grandma makes the best pies (don’t tell, nana)
  • Nearly two fifths of Aussies (39%) trust Mrs Mac’s to bake their pies compared to their grandma (26%)

Mrs Mac’s products are made from 100% Aussie beef, chicken, bacon and pork with 80% of all ingredients sourced in Australia, including 100% Australian grown wheat. When it comes to flavour, the famous fillings are created thanks to Mrs Mac’s in-house spice expert in the country’s biggest hand-mixed spice pantry and all pastry is made fresh on-site every day.

Mrs Mac’s is the only Australian savoury pastry manufacturer with BRC Global Certification – one of the highest food safety standards available.