Norman’s Proppa Pies Bakery is a new bayside establishment owned by Dave Pannell and Brad Balbi, who are also behind Sorsi e Morsi in St Kilda. The bakery offers British-style pies inspired by Pannell's grandfather Norman, a navy chef known for his shepherd’s and cottage pies. The menu includes various pie options such as beef brisket with 13 herbs and spices, a blue cheese and chili pie, and a vegetarian cauliflower pie. Additionally, the bakery serves sausage rolls and sweet pies like rhubarb and strawberry and chocolate cream pie.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Dave Pannell and Brad Balbi, owners of Sorsi e Morsi in St Kilda, have opened Norman’s Proppa Pies, a new bakery specializing in British-style pies. Inspired by Pannell's grandfather Norman, who was a navy chef known for his shepherd’s pies with lamb mince and cottage pies with beef, both topped with mashed potatoes, the bakery aims to serve some of the best pies in town. Balbi grew up in bakeries in Far North Queensland, adding his expertise to the venture. The pair decided on a pie shop because there was nothing similar nearby, and their creations are praised for being comforting yet sophisticated. Norman’s Proppa Pies offers two types of house-made pastry and features pies like lamb mince cooked with mushrooms, rosemary, and bay leaves, topped with buttery mash, ensuring a perfect blend of flavors and textures.
Written for “British Pies Bakery Opens” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
That’s the basic backstory behind Norman’s Proppa Pies, a new bayside bakery owned by Dave Pannell and Brad Balbi, the pair behind St Kilda coffee-to-spritz-to-nightcap institution Sorsi e Morsi, just around the corner.
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It’s Pannell’s childhood being channelled.
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A navy chef who would make pies for weekend caravanning trips, Norman’s shepherd’s pies (with lamb mince) and cottage pies (with beef) were specialties, both topped with mashed potato, and often inscribed with sentimental messages.
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For his part, Balbi grew up in bakeries in Far North Queensland, and was roped into pie duties on weekends.
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When the pair started thinking about a second St Kilda operation, a pie shop seemed perfect, especially because there’s nothing similar nearby.
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Everything is house-made, including two types of pastry.
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The shortcrust for the base starts with boiling water, butter and vinegar, then the liquid is worked into the flour, making for a smooth, sturdy dough.
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The puff pastry tops are extravagantly layered and buttery rich, the pastry crisp to the bite but without shattering so dramatically that you wear more than you eat.
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Beef is the bedrock, with brisket slow-braised in beef stock with 13 herbs and spices, including a secret ingredient I guessed but will refrain from sharing so I live to pie another day.
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The tender, lively stew is slurried with flour and tumbled into bases, ready for joy.
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The beefy base is also mixed with fresh jalapenos and Stilton to make a funky, spicy blue cheese and chilli pie, and a pub-style creamy green peppercorn sauce amps up another beef option.
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There’s also an excellent butter chicken number, made with whole roast chickens (the bones go into the beef stock) plus a vegetarian cauliflower pie with three-cheese sauce.
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Sausage rolls are serious business so it’s good there are two: a pork version that leans British, and an Aussie-style beef one.
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Norman took his shepherd’s pie recipe to the grave but surely he’d be proud of this one: Lamb mince is cooked for hours with mushrooms, rosemary and bay leaves, spooned into its pastry casing, and topped with a swirl of buttery mash.
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The sweet range includes a rhubarb and strawberry pie, and chocolate cream pie, an English indulgence which features custard mixed with melted chocolate to form a silky filling.
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We now know about Norman but what about “proppa”?
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To lean even more to Blighty, Pannell and Balbi are planning to open select nights to serve the “pie and pea supper”, an alternative to the post-pub spice bag.
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A couple of caveats: One time I came for a potato-topped pie and it had dried out considerably in the warmer.
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You also need to consider how well-placed you are to enjoy a pie with gravy, and especially with mushy peas.
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This is not a one-hand car situation, it’s a full-on dining project.
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Until bench seats are installed here, a home dining table with cutlery is ideal.
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Maybe that’s how it should be, anyway.
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So much work goes into these pies, it’s only proper they’re eaten with a little ceremony.
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Three more great pie shops to try
Rolling Pin Pies
This consistent award-winner has outlets around Geelong and the Bellarine.
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It just cleaned up in the gourmet categories of the Great Aussie Pie Comp with their kangaroo rendang number, the “Bombay beef” and masala mash, and a barbecued brisket, jalapeno and cheese pie.
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It’s easier than you think to strike gold at Sovereign Hill – just head to the pie shop.
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A traditional wood-fired Scotch oven is used to bake Cornish pasties with apple, various steak pies and renowned sausage rolls.
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You’ll probably need a Banbury tart (with currants) and some miner’s biscuits, too.
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A good option, whether you’re roadtripping through Yack, where the Gum Tree production kitchen is, or swinging by outposts in Wodonga or Bright.
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Vegetarians have good options, such as the Penang pumpkin and creamy cauliflower.
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10 High Street, Yackandandah, gumtreepies.com.au
Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently.
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A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.
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The Aporia
