In the first week of winter, we took the hour drive from Sydney to The Apple Pie Trail, a 15 km stretch of the Bells Line of Road on either side of the township of Bilpin that’s dotted with orchards serving all sorts of apple-based products. We were there for the apple pastries (pies and turnovers) and apple juice and cider. The apple picking experience was lower down on our itinerary as we were at the tail of the apple season.

Pie in the Sky Roadhouse — located in Kurrajong Heights on the outskirts of Bilpin — was the first of the outlets on Bells Line of Road selling apple-based treats. We loved their apple pies so much that we returned in the afternoon to pick up a few more before heading back to Sydney.

This is their Apple Pie ($6.00), the most highly rated of the 11 outlets selling apple pies in the area and with good reason. The pie had a delicious, crunchy sugar crust atop the flaky pastry, while the base was a shortcrust pastry that was sturdy and crunchy without a hint of a soggy bottom. The pastry itself was neither savoury nor sweet, giving ample room for the sweet apple pie filling to shine. Its apple filling retained a soft bite and had a rich, sweet apple flavour spiced with the perfect amount of cinnamon and elevated with a touch of zesty acidity that recalled lime.

And finally, for balance, we had the Steak and Mushroom Pie ($8.50). The buttery pastry was very substantial with the top providing enjoyable flakiness and the shortcrust base providing a sturdy container for the filling, which was thick and had a deep mushroom flavour and chunks of beef despite being a touch on the salty side.

The combination of the filling with the sugar crust and pastry in the apple pie makes it our favourite of the four apple pies we picked up from Bilpin. Any trip to Bilpin should involve a stop at Pie in the Sky Roadhouse and given the opportunity, we would be keen to try the other pies on offer.

Pie in the Sky Roadhouse is located at 1858 Bells Line of Rd, Kurrajong Heights NSW 2758.