I have been significantly remiss in that I have not published a review of any sausage roll since 31 October 2024. Now I have not stopped testing sausage rolls; it just means that I have not published any reviews because I spent so much time travelling, and writing about my travels, meaning writing sausage roll reviews has been put to one side. Time then to stop procrastinating.

It’s also interesting that I recently read that someone has started an online review tool for pies in New Zealand. This once again shows me that sausage rolls are being treated as a poor cousin, and therefore I need to get back on track.

Rather than write separate reviews of the six sausage rolls I have tasted, I think it’s better to catch up all in one review, so here goes.

#8 The Bakery Wakefield 31 October 2024 (78%)

The Wakefield Bakery is very well known and very popular, being a favourite stop on State Highway 6, just before you reach Richmond, and Nelson.

• The filling was tasty but not spectacular (8)

• The pastry was nice but a little bit dry and flakey (7)

• The overall taste experience was good but not quite up there (7)

• The presentation was nice (8)

• The price was excellent at $3.90 (9)

#9 Collective Cafe, Oamaru, 1 December 2024 (70%)

This cafe is part of the Oamaru historical sector and is a great place to stroll around and have a coffee and a sausage roll.

• The meat filling was ok but not memorable (7)

• The pastry was nice but a little bit dry and flakey (7)

• The overall taste experience was not memorable (7)

• The presentation was nice - fooled me a bit (8)

• The price was ok but not a bargain at $6.50 (6)

#10 Starfish Cafe, Dunedin, 23 February 2025 (56%)

This is an upmarket cafe is in St Clair in Dunedin so isn’t really the typical supplier of sausage rolls. But I was there so I had one.

• The meat filling was not sausage meat - a strange ‘gourmet’ interpretation (5)

• The pastry overwhelmed the meat - far too much and over baked (6)

• The overall taste experience was not great (5)

• The presentation was good (7)

• The price was reflective of the cafe at $9.50 (5)

#11 Richardson Truck Museum, Invercargill, 3 March 2025 (60%)

The cafe at the museum is a retro themed American diner and has a variety of foods including sausage rolls

• The meat filling was good but not great (6)

• The pastry was quite dry and flakey (6)

• The overall taste was ok, but not memorable (6)

• The presentation was nice (6)

• The price was reasonable but not cheap (6)

#12 Sandfly Cafe, Te Anau, 8 March 2025 (78%)

A really nice cafe with great service. They had two choices, but the mini sausage rolls were of a good size and very affordable.

• The filling seemed to be pure sausage meat and was juicy. (8)

• The pastry was good but could have been more buttery (7)

• The overall taste was really nice (8)

• The presentation (and the service) was really good (8)

• The price was great (but for a smaller sausage roll) (8)

#13 Jimmys Pies Roxburgh, 12 March 2025 (90%)

Many people had commented about Jimmy’s Pies, so I was delighted to stop and sample. I was not disappointed.

• The filling was almost perfect ((9)

• The pastry was just the way I like it (9)

• The taste was what I expect of a nice filling and great pastry (9)

• The presentation was great (9)

• The price was excellent at $3.90 (9)

Overall results so far (to April 2025)

The two clear leaders are Butchers Pies in Christchurch and Jimmys Pies in Roxburgh. They are two different sausage rolls but, in my mind, cannot be separated.