This is the Coles Homestyle Apple Pie, a shortcrust pie filled with sliced apple. The filling comprised 53% of the product and was made with 85% Bramley apples, with the top dusted in demerara sugar.

Purchased chilled, it was prepared by placing the pie on a preheated baking tray in a fan-forced oven at 160°C for 40 minutes. It was then air fried briefly to deepen the colour and increase surface crispness.

On tasting, the sugared shortcrust lid provided an audible crispness on entry, the demerara adding light caramelised crunch. Beneath this, the apple filling carried a clear tang, comparable to the sharper Granny Smith style commonly used in Australian apple pies. The sliced apples retained some bite, avoiding a jam-like texture, and tasted fresh without seeming raw or overly sweet. In contrast, the base lacked structure. It was soft and noticeably soggy, offering little resistance and diminishing the overall textural balance.

Despite the weak base, the combination of crisp, sugared top and tangy sliced apple filling was satisfying enough to repurchase, particularly in the absence of the former benchmark in this category, Sara Lee.

Overall, this was a pie with a strong top crust and well-balanced apple filling, undermined by a structurally poor base but still serviceable as a supermarket option.

This Coles Homestyle Apple Pie contained 550 g. It was produced in the United Kingdom and purchased in Sydney, Australia in 2026.