Aussie Pies

by Keith Kellett

When asked what the Australian national dish was, a comedian once waggishly replied “Pies.” Maybe it’s not the national dish, but I’ve visited very few places where I couldn’t get one. Call it a “footy pie,” a “four-and-twenty pie” an “Aussie pie” or simply just a pie, everyone there knows what you mean.

You don’t ask what goes into it, though. American author Doug Lansky once did, and was simply told “Meat!”

There are some establishments where your pie is served on a plate, and eaten with a knife and fork. But, usually, it simply comes in a paper bag, which you use to protect your fingers as you eat.

Another is the “pie floater.” The pie is served in a dish, immersed in green pea soup. You can, at your discretion, add a swirl of sauce and a side order of chips. At the Balfour’s Pie Cart, outside the railway station in Adelaide. They say it’s the cheapest meal in Australia, which is just as well, because the gambling casino stands next to the station.

The pie floater was reputedly born in Port Pirie, South Australia, conceived by one Ern “Shorty” Bradley – but, no one knows how. Did he inadvertently drop a pie into a bowl of soup? Or maybe, it developed from the Yorkshire “pea and pie supper,” useful when you have a lot of people (e.g. at harvest time or a cricket match) to feed on a budget.

The pie carts were as much a part of the Adelaide scene as “Light’s Vision” or the Glenelg Tram. The very first one was opened by an English ex-sailor called Gibbs. He opened his pie stall in 1864 on the corner of King William and Rundle streets, looking to cater to workers in search of a wholesome, but inexpensive meal.

Obviously, the site wasn’t as busy as it is nowadays. Today it’s probably the most trafficked street corner in Adelaide, but the last place you want to stand around eating a pie.

By 1915 there were nine pie carts in Adelaide, but by 1958 only two remained. They were Cowley’s Pie Cart outside the GPO on Franklin Street, once claimed as the oldest still existing in Australia, and the already-mentioned Balfour’s Pie Cart, outside the railway station.

The pie carts, for me, sum up all that’s democratic and egalitarian about Australia. They became a meeting place where cabbies, policemen and other workers rubbed shoulders with theatre patrons in formal evening wear, musicians, politicians and businessmen.

But, to visit the most famous pie-cart of all, we must go to Sydney, and head for Wooloomooloo, where Harry’s Café de Wheels carries on the tradition of selling what they claim are the best pies going. They don’t sell pie floaters as such, however, but “Tiger,” a pie with peas, mashed potato and gravy on top, is similar to the pie and mash served in some parts of London.

Wooloomooloo is the Royal Australian Navy’s equivalent of Portsmouth, and it was near the entrance to the Navy base that Harry “Tiger” Edwards set up his pie stall in 1938. He reasoned, correctly, that sailors returning to the base after a night on the town would be hungry, and there were very few places in Sydney where a reasonably inexpensive meal could be had at that time.

As in Adelaide, theatre and concert-goers began to frequent Harry’s, too and, as in Adelaide, mixed happily with the night-workers and sailors who frequented the café. One ex-sailor recalled seeing a full captain in dress uniform sitting on a nearby wall eating his pie.

The original stall was on wheels, because a city by-law said that such establishments had to move at least twelve inches each day. So, the structure was studiously moved the specified distance, and returned to its original position the following night.

Except for one night, when some practical joker stole the wheels … and the café temporarily became the “Café de Axle.”

In 1939, the café closed while Harry was away in the Army. But, on his 1945 demobilization, he found that the Sidney eating situation hadn’t improved while he was away. The Café de Wheels was soon operating almost to capacity once again.

Somehow, the word spread, and the café found itself hosting such household names as Frank Sinatra, Robert Mitchum, Johnnie Ray and Marlene Dietrich. And, perhaps the most distinguished visitor was Colonel Harlan Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame. He ate three portions of pie and peas there, and declared Harry’s pies were the best he’d ever tasted.

Harry Edwards retired in 1970, and sold his now-thriving business. But, the café retained his name, and continued to prosper. A lot of customers still came from the Navy, and, in 1978 they decided to mark the 40^th Anniversary of the opening of the Café de Wheels in a rather unusual way.

It was officially commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as one of its unsinkable’ ships, and was called: HMAS Harry’s!

Harry died in 1979, but the Café de Wheels continued, and its fame continues to spread. Celebrities still flock there. Elton John, Kevin Costner, Brooke Shields, Olivia Newton-John, Pamela Anderson and others of that stamp know Harry’s well.

The present owner is Michael Hannah, and I rather think he may be connected with Hannah’s, the firm who makes the pies. And, very good pies they are too, as I learned when the Open-Top bus tour I was on passed through Wooloomooloo around lunchtime.

The stall isn’t the original; that can be seen in Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum. But, the ethos is still there. I watched as office workers, taxi-drivers, glaziers, telephone engineers and road menders came for their lunch. It’s easy to tell who does what, because sometimes it seems that everyone in Sydney wears a corporate uniform.

And, of course, a policeman came. He was rather disappointed, though, because I wanted to photograph him buying his pie rather than astride his motor-bike. He’d visited Salisbury, where I live, he said, and, mentioned a B&B where he’d stayed, one run by some friends of mine.

But, I didn’t see any celebrities. Maybe I came at the wrong time; maybe I should have come back in the evening. I got what I came for, though — a pie. What at an excellent pie. It was so good I bought another!

As always, Keith captures the moment — and the food. Contact him at: Keith@globalfoodie. More of his work is available on his website at: travelrat.wordpress.com.

Barossa Valley, taken by Keith Kellett

I’ve lost count of the number of people who, when I tell them I visited South Australia, ask: Did you visit the wineries in Barossa Valley?” My usual reply contains the words: “bears” and “woods.”

Of course, the Barossa Valley isn’t the only wine-producing region in Australia … or even in South Australia. But, it’s one of the most famous. For, it was here that the early pioneers such as Seppelt and Gramp first planted vines brought from their native Germany.

Sometimes, in the Rhine or Mosel valleies, it seems like grapes are planted on every piece of open ground that isn’t absolutely vertical. It’s not like that in the Barossa.

Lorraine Kellett enjoying wine and snacks at Peter Lehamann's winery. Taken by Keith Kellett.

The older wineries are established in ersatz schlosses or faux chateaux. The newer ones can be in anything from purpose-built buildings to old farmhouses. The best view, I think, is across the valley from the Bethany Winery, near Tanunda, which stands on a slight eminence. The wine’s pretty good, too!

At most places, you’ll be offered a tasting. If you’re driving, it’s best to do just that, and take only a couple of sips.

Probably the best wineries are out along Tanuda’s Para and Seppeltsfield roads. The imposing Zenda-esque fake castle at Richmond Grove, with its slick, commercialised cellar door rather put us off. But, at Whistler’s Winery, in an old farmhouse, a lady broke off from working in the garden to see what we needed.

Keith leaving the Bethany with a bottle of wine. Taken by Lorraine Kellett.

The Barossa Valley isn’t only about wine, though. We had lunch … a platter of German-style sausage, cheeses, salad and relishes at the Peter Lehmann winery. The wine, incidentally, is every bit as good as the food.

Later, we had coffee at Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop, on a balcony overlooking a placid, artificial lake. There’s a tempting range of foods offered, as well as relishes, pickles, preserves and olive oil. Mrs. Beer’s husband has a winery, too … but his wine, while not bad, isn’t outstanding.

Our last call was at the Chateau Barrosa … a mis-spelling and I believe it is deliberate – and not a very good pun. Yes, we tried some of their wine, and liked it enough to buy a couple of bottles to join the others in the car boot’s cooler. But, we’d really come to see the famous rose garden. There are nearly 30,000 roses there. And, it’s become so famous, they’ve renamed the road after the founder, Hermann Thumm Drive.

That’s is the connection between wine and roses. In Italy, they sometimes plant a rose bush at the end of a row of vines. The idea is that, if there are any “nasties” (bugs) about, they’ll strike the roses first, and the viticulturist can take any necessary action early.

We first saw this practice at the Mercouris vineyard in Greece. The vine-grower learnt his trade in Italy, and I believe the rose planting are also practices at other European and Middle Eastern wineries.

Earlier in the week, in the Adelaide Hills, attracted by the rose gardens, we called into the Chain of Ponds winery. Adelaide’s Corkscrew Road is one of the best wines I’ve ever tasted, and we bought a couple of bottles.

I told the lady about the roses, and she said she thought they’d just been planted because they looked nice. But, as we drove away from the winery, we saw another vineyard only a short distance away with a rose bush at the end of each tenth row of vines!

Vines and Roses, by Keith Kellett

No, we didn’t bring any of the Corkscrew Road home with us. It was so good, we’d drunk it all long before we got on the aircraft!

Keith Kellett is globalfoodie’s UK correspondent. He can be reached at: Keith@globalfoodie.com. For more of his work visit: www.travelrat.wordpress.com .