Best pies? A topic almost as contentious as best coffee or best vanilla slice. You be the judge.

Right, if you only try one pie in Forster, make it the Carolina Barbecue Brisket from Forster Bakehouse.

It picked up a national gold medal a few years back, and while the newsworthiness of that has faded, the pie itself hasn’t, slow cooked brisket, proper barbecue depth, and a pastry that holds its shape right to the last bite.

Their cauliflower and cashew mornay is the other one worth knowing about, a genuine national gold and silver winner too, in the vegetarian category, and proof that a meat free pie can still make a carnivore jealous.

And if seafood encased in perfect pastry is your favourite thing, then their Indo Fish Curry pie is a gold award-winner in the seafood pie category. Delish fish!

Oh, and I probably should mention the gold awards received for their Orange Duck, Pepper Steak and Brisket, Bacon & Brussel Sprouts pies. So many choices!

Just across the bridge in Tuncurry, Tunners Bakehouse is the other multi award winning local bakery.

Where Forster Bakehouse leans bold, Tunners plays it a little more classic, their rosemary lamb and rich mushroom beef are the two I’d point a visitor towards first, proper flaky pastry doing exactly what flaky pastry should.

And if you like it a bit more interesting, you can’t go wrong with their award-winning Spicy Pork or Brisket & Jalapeno.

If breakfast is more your pie moment, and honestly why shouldn’t it be, Butterfingers Bakery in Tuncurry has built a small cult following around a bacon, egg and hash brown pie that needs two hands and a napkin, and possibly a lie down afterwards.

That’s genuinely it. Three bakeries, three piestops worth planning your day around. There are other options around town, plenty of them decent, but these are the ones I’d actually send a friend to.

Where’s your favourite? Have we missed one?

Heading further north along the coast? Hallidays Point and Old Bar have their own pie rewards worth stopping for too.