Follow the Crumbs ... 8 NZ Pâtisseries Worth Knowing

Just off the busy Parnell Road, you will find the passion project pâtisserie of husband and wife team, Sonia and Laurent Haumonté. Walking through the front doors you will be wowed by the cabinet full of delectable, delicate pastries and sweets. It’s hard to narrow down your choice to just one thing, so best to choose several. And better still, if you have a celebration on your hands, Sophie makes the most impressive cakes, that are certain to be a crowd-pleaser.

If you find yourself in Alexandre Patisserie & Chocolaterie, welcome to a slice of heaven. Here you will find a cabinet laden with tarts of all kinds, from cheesecake fillings to chocolate and pecan to the quintessential French citron. The drool face emoji definitely comes to mind when surveying these works of patisserie art. The temptations don’t stop with the tarts, with many incredible creative cakes also coming out of the kitchen here. The team at Alexandre are even partial to including a croquembouche element to a cake to give it that extra wow factor.

Calling Wanaka’s Albert Town home, Pembroke Patisserie is well known among locals and visitors alike. Not only do they have their own boutique shop, Pembroke also supplies many cafes around Wanaka with their exquisite pastries and sweets. Starting life off at Farmers Markets, owner Kirsty was very keen to keep that same sort of market set up and feeling in the store and they have definitely done this at an elevated level.

Two sisters are the masterminds behind Sweet Soul Patisserie in the Guthrey Center in Christchurch’s city centre. Taina and Ria turned their dream of opening their own patisserie into a reality and for anyone visiting Sweet Soul it is clear to see the passion they have for producing the highest quality sweet treats. There are definitely the French classics to be found but with a clear Kiwi twist and the sisters are committed to using natural and organic ingredients, only the best at Sweet Soul.

Beginning life as a farmers' market stall, the Tart Tin in Dunedin has a loyal local following. With their shopfront open Wednesday through Friday, you have to be in quick to avoid missing out on the delicious sweet treats made by owner Matt and his best mate. Featuring in the cabinet includes the stickiest of cinnamon sticky buns, insane donuts and perfectly piped cupcakes.

Plan ahead if you want to sample some of the best caneles, madeleines, macarons and tarts in Christchurch. Corentin Esquenet’s Butter operates out of the cloud kitchen spaces on Tuam Street, offering pick-up and delivery services for the picture-perfect pastries he produces. Do yourself a favour and don’t delay in placing an order for a box of these beauties to sample.

A quintessential French patisserie and boulangerie in the heart of Merivale in Christchurch, Le Panier is a favourite among locals and it’s not hard to see why. There is of course the daily section of freshly baked loaves of bread and croissants which belong in the boulangerie camp, but the patisserie section is equally as impressive. With lemon tarts and mille-feuille (aka custard slice on steroids!) just some of the standouts, make sure you go hungry!