Gloriavale leaver’s recipe for success wins in pie awards
| Timaru Herald | Rachel Comer |
Gloriavale leaver Lianna MacFarlane started working as a cleaner at Timaru’s U-Bake three years ago.
Now a baking apprentice at the popular South Canterbury bakery, she is also an award-winning pie maker, with her chicken and leek pie coming second at the recent Apprentice Pie Maker Awards.
MacFarlane says her upbringing in the secluded community may have armed her with the skills required to create an award winner.
However, MacFarlane, a mother-of-three who worked the night shift at U-Bake, said the award came as a surprise as she rarely made pies in her job.
The award was a national competition open to all bakers studying for the New Zealand Certificate in Trade Baking and had two categories; mince and cheese, and gourmet meat, where competitors used their own discretion for the filling.
While MacFarlane’s pie won the judges over, she said just entering the competition was a huge hurdle to get over.
“I’m mainly making bread and doughnuts. Everything I know about pie-making is from Simon [Bruce, her employer],’’ she said.
MacFarlane was in her second year of a three-year apprenticeship in the NZ Certificate in Trade Baking focusing on the bread strand.
Once completed, she planned to study for the two other strands – pastry, and cake and biscuit – to become a fully qualified baker.
She said when the entry form for the competition came through, Bruce encouraged her to enter, but she was not keen as she was busy with three young children, full-time bakery work and studying.
However, Bruce believed in his apprentice’s ability, having seen her talents blossom since initially employing her as a cleaner.
Through her general interest in baking he recognised MacFarlane had talent, moved her into the bakery and offered her an apprenticeship.
“Lianna has so many skills. She’s a very talented artist,’’ he said.
“She can crochet, she can make shirts, she knows all about cooking.’’
The signs around the bakery were drawn by MacFarlane.
Bruce said when MacFarlane worked she sang at the top of her voice. However, she was not keen to offer an example to The Timaru Herald.
“She’ll be working the oven; she’ll be making soup and she makes absolutely beautiful soup; she’ll be making macaroons and she’ll have taught herself how to make them,’’ Bruce said.
“Then she’s doing the ordering.’’
He said he could not speak highly enough of her.
MacFarlane said it was was important to show her children “you can really work hard and get places in life too”.
“You’re not going to get anywhere by just giving up. I want my kids to see how hard I work for this.”
She said her upbringing in the Gloriavale community had a lot to do with the skills she has.
“We were taught really practical stuff from a really young age.’’
She said it also taught her to be a hard worker.
MacFarlane and her husband decided to leave the community with their first child, when she was 28 weeks pregnant with her second.
“Six years ago we left,’’ she said.
“Freedom is amazing.”
Beau Corric, from Euro Patisserie in Torbay, won first place with his slow-cooked venison, roast vegetables, cranberry and red wine sauce, while Benjamin Crosby, of The Baker in Tirau, was third with his slow-cooked Angus beef pie with bacon and mushroom.
In 2022, Bruce was second in the Baking Industry Association of New Zealand’s Great NZ Hot Cross Bun competition, after being third in 2021, fifth in 2020, fourth in 2019, and first in 2018.