The Flavour of Melbourne Pie Recipe

The people of Melbourne have voted and have chosen their favourite pie flavour!

The Flavour of Melbourne is Beer, Beef & Bacon, made with 100% hormone free chunky beef, free range pork & delicious beer, baked in a delicious buttery short crust pastry and topped with a creamy mashed potato and bacon pieces.

Michael Plarre, Executive Pastry Chef and 4th generation baker at Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses has opened his recipe book and let us in on the secret of how the Flavour of Melbourne pie comes together. To make the recipe easy to re-create at home he has modified the recipe to be pastry free.

For the filling you will need:
  • 650 grams of premium chuck Steak – Diced into cubes
  • 250 grams of smoky bacon – Sliced into thin strips
  • 3 tablespoons of plain flour
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 brown onion – Thinly diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic – Crushed and Chopped
  • 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme
  • 1 x 400 grams can of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 & a half cups of beer (plus whatever is required to lubricate the chef)
  • 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
Method:
  1. Toss the diced beef with flour, then add salt and pepper to taste
  2. Place oil, onion, garlic and thyme in a saucepan and cook until onions are soft.
  3. Add the bacon and cook for a further 5 minutes, then add beef and cook until brown
  4. Lastly, stir in tomatoes and beer and bring to a simmer.
  5. Reduce heat and slow cook on stove top uncovered for a further 1.5 to 2 hours, until beef is soft and tender.

Whilst the pie filling is cooking, its time to move onto the top of the pie.

To recreate the yummy Flavour of Melbourne Pie topper, you will need the following:

  • 5 large potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 1 knob of butter
  • 200ml of milk
  • 100 grams of smoky bacon, thinly sliced and diced

As with the pie filling, making the topper for the pie is simple. Here’s how:

  1. Boil the diced potatoes until cooked through – test by placing a fork into the centre, if it goes in easily they are ready.
  2. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain the water from the pot
  3. Add the butter, and gradually add the milk to the pan of potatoes. As you are adding the milk, mix and mash the potatoes until they are fluffy.
  4. In a seperate pan fry the bacon until slightly crispy

Once you have your delicious pie filling and topper, you’re ready to start putting the Flavour of Melbourne Pie together!

First of all, you’ll need a pie or casserole dish to place your pie into, then start ladling your filling into the dish.

When the dish is full, start placing your potato mash on top of the Beef, Beer & Bacon pie filling, making sure to fluff the potato into peaks, then sprinkle your crispy bacon onto the top of the pie.

From here, the choice is simple, and depends on how hungry you are! You can either pop your pie into the oven for a slightly crispier top, or you can get stuck in right away.

Of course, if you’d much rather not go through all of this hassle, simply order a delicious Beer, Beer & Bacon pie from the professionals at Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses, because with more than 110 years of experience, we know how to bake the best!