The New South Wales Southern Highlands have once again transformed into the "pie-lands", as bakeries, cafes and restaurants cook up filling fare for the region's award-winning pie festival.

Key points: Pie Time is based in the Southern Highlands, but the competition is open to bakers across NSW and the ACT

Pie Time is based in the Southern Highlands, but the competition is open to bakers across NSW and the ACT A Pie Trail encourages visitors to sample locally made hero pies from more than 30 local outlets

A Pie Trail encourages visitors to sample locally made hero pies from more than 30 local outlets Judges say a pie's pastry-to-filling ratio is just as important as the taste

All things pies are celebrated throughout June, beginning with Pie Fest in Bowral and the Pie Time competition, which is open to bakers across the state and the ACT.

Vanessa O'Hanlon is relishing her role as Pie Time ambassador, and says it's making her rethink her preference for pepper steak pies.

"After spending time in the Southern Highlands, I've fallen in love with the lamb cutlet pie," she said.

"I think it has something to do with the presentation."

Vanessa O'Hanlon is delighted with her appointment as Pie Time ambassador. ( Supplied: Threesides Marketing )

It's an award-winning pie with a bone sticking out of the top, complemented with a sprig of rosemary.

"It's a knife-and-fork experience, so you need to sit down and eat it on a plate," Ms O'Hanlon said.

She suggested visitors put a plan together by visiting the website to see the offerings for each day of the festival.

"So far, I've been down and had a look around places like Mittagong, Bowral and the Don Bradman Centre, who have a cherry pie in honour of the cricket ball.

"One of my favourite activities last year was visiting the vineyard at Centennial ... it's really just a month of eating for me."

Mark Stone's Superman pie is his 2019 hero entry for the competition. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss )

Five main categories

Ron Taylor has been in the pie game for more than 20 years, and as chief judge he sampled well over 100 pies for this year's festival.

"There are some amazing pie makers in the Southern Highlands; to follow around the pie trail and buy a pie from here, there and everywhere, well, it's fabulous," he said.

The competition offers five commercial categories: red meat, white meat, vegetarian, seafood and sweet.

Ron Taylor (right) has been judging pies for more than 20 years. ( Supplied: Threesides Marketing )

"I've seen incredible changes, with gourmet pies and all different sorts of flavours, and we've had some fabulous pies over the years, but I traditionally stick to the beef," Mr Taylor said.

"I can gauge one beef pie from another so easily, whereas it's not as easy to do chicken as to vegetable or whatever.

"If anyone asks me, I say, 'You want the filling to be like your mother's casserole' — just beautiful, nice and soft, no big chewy lumps at all."

And sauce is a no-no.

"Absolutely not. It hides the taste," Mr Taylor said.

How to judge a pie

He said the quality of a pie was judged based on a number of categories.

"The eye appeal is where you start ... you eat with your eyes.

"Traditionally it's made from two different types of pastry — there's a savoury short-pastry base with a puff-pastry top.

"You like it to be nice and crisp. You don't want it soggy or oily or fatty.

"We look at the pastry top to see if it's got nice laminations to it, and the base to make sure it's not too thick, to make sure the top and the base are cooked through."

The pastry is important not just for appearance, but also taste and consistency. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss )

Cooking the pastry thoroughly was one of the biggest pitfalls, Mr Taylor said.

"It's one of the faults ... pie manufacturers just don't get the pastry cooked through enough. We don't blind bake them, there isn't time."

Then the judges examine the filling.

"We look at the filling-to-pastry ratio to make sure the pie is nice and full," Mr Taylor said.

"The next part of it is the taste of the filling itself — I'm saying filling rather than … well, there's that many different categories, it's not beef all the time now."

This meat-and-potato pie proved to be soft, aromatic and, frankly, sensational. ( ABC Illawarra: Sarah Moss )

And the winners are ...

Heatherbrae's in Sutton Forest claimed first place with its steak mince pie, which also won for them Best Pie in the Southern Highlands.

Putting up a good showing as runner-up in the Community/Home Baker — Sweet category was The Disability Trust with its spiced pumpkin pie, while the winner of the vegetarian category was Moonacres Kitchen with its big potato pie.

Pie Time 2019 runs until June 30.