Balfours Meat Pie

FINALLY!!! The "Traditional" Balfours Meat Pie has made a return. Purchased from Drakes 4/12/2025. The ones in the white packet labelled "Meat Pie" are a Mrs Mac knock-off rebadged as a Balfours Meat Pie, and taste like Mrs Macs pies, which I do not like. Note to Balfours: Never ever change the recipe of this "Traditional" Balfours square… Read more

meat pie. Too many South Aussies have grown up with this taste and they are the best pies by far. Not the same as the frozen 4 pack version or the white packaged Balfours Meat Pie.

Firstly I am not a meat pie fan and don't like many pies from the supermarket. But.... against absolute popular opinion, I have loved, and generally will only eat, Balfours Pies. I have been doing this for the past few decades. They are by far my favourite but that's because of their taste, for my pallet. Peppers etc in other pies are just not… Read more

for me. I love... or should I say.... loved Balfours Pies.

So why the one start review? Because it tastes nothing like before.

Late November 2025, have bought balfours pies (still in date refer image) which are now in new packaging. Fair enough, changing the packaging is brand evolution but I am also aware of the history of the iconic SA company now owned by conglomerates elsewhere. It was on special. But that doesn't bother me, most companies have that now, but the traditional recipe and taste appears to be tampered with.

Having one meat pie I thought it tasted awful, a little extra pepper which I don't like, horrible after taste in my mouth that resonated right into my chest, almost like a heartburn feeling and I am pretty sure they have changed the recipe. It didn't look like a traditional balfours pie either, remember I have been eating them for a few decades. Thinking it was maybe a "bad egg", so to speak, I had another one, purchased separately a few days later from another shop with a different use by date. It tasted the same.

Onto here I come and yep, have found that it is not only me but others have expressed similar concerns.

I have worked for over a decade in a food manufacturing business (ice cream, nothing to do with Balfours or their competition) and understand that tweaks to recipes are made when supply costs, consumer pressure or other factors may impact on sticking with the traditional recipe. But this is a horrible change.

This is a step backwards and it hurts to say, but I won't ever be having a Balfours pie again unless they return to their traditional square meat pie both visibly and in taste.

Howdy, what have they done to their meat pies? I just purchased one from a supermarket, with expiry 09sep25, and swear to god it tasted nothing like a Balfours pie ! As soon as I opened the oddly packaged item (the new packaging looks cheap and an affront to the Balfour "rich heritage and tradition") I could see it had changed. The shape is still… Read more

square but thats where the similarity stopped. The pastry used to hand over the edge like a small shelf around the top, the rippled shelf is now gone completely. It was immediately evident the filling was clearly unevenly distributed. Once cooked as per instructions, the smell was not of the traditional pie we all knew and loved, I open the lid to put my sauce on and to check inside is hot: at this point I really had to go back to the packaging to check it was a Balfours pie. it was barely "filled" and the texture was clearly changed, the gravy was merely a rumour, not the deep rich mahaogony dark color with the oily sheen, but a matt refelction on a barely mid tone brown. And the smell, did I mention the peculiar smell - I have to go back to packaging for the name "beef" pie, which is lacking as its a "meat" pie, I wonder what the meat used is? A quick taste and it was as bland and dissapointing as I suspected. I was finally able to identify what this pie is: my very last Balfours pie, ever. I will go and lament their once tasty and manditory school canteen purchase from the 70's and 80's, and a tuck shop staple, on site food van staple, for the last 30 years.. but not any more. I realise now why the service stations no longer stock them, would be costly with the returns. I had to go out of my way to buy this one, and Im sorry I did. Please, just close if you cant keep the standard up. Kill it and let the legacy live in memory as a good thing. Dont besmirtch the reputation with the offensive item offered me today. Very sad day indeed. very sad.

Just gravy mush with no meat – Bought the square pie pack of four and it tastes bad. It has no meat particle just a mush. Show details

Salty Balfour square pie – Very salty, taste salty, the only flavour is saltyness. Mybe I got a batch that salt was not evenly blended in. Not a well made oz pie. No health rating printed on the package for reference. Show details