Auckland baker wins national sausage roll competition
Friday 2 October 2026 · 2 outlets · 2 reports · updated 
Bunnarith Sao from Dairy Flat Bakery has been named the 2026 Bakels Legendary Sausage Roll champion. The competition was judged in Christchurch, where the Auckland baker's recipe was voted the best in New Zealand.
Key facts
5 facts
- Bunnarith Sao of Dairy Flat Bakery won the 2026 Bakels Legendary Sausage Roll Competition
- The competition was held at Bakels NZ in Christchurch
- 200 entries arrived in the correct packaging by the deadline
- Winning entries must contain three identical 160g sausage rolls
- The competition has been held since 2020
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
Bunnarith Sao of Dairy Flat Bakery in Auckland has been named the 2026 Bakels Legendary Sausage Roll champion. Sao stated that the recipe was originally created by his brother-in-law, Sam So, who won the competition in 2023.
The competition, held at Bakels NZ in Christchurch, saw 200 entries arrive in the correct packaging by the deadline. Patrick Lam of Patrick's Pie Group in Tauranga took second place, while Michael Gray of Nada Bakery in Wellington placed third.
Judges evaluated entries based on presentation, pastry, flavour, and meat moistness. Brent Kersel, the managing director of Bakels NZ, noted that the winner won by three points, which is an unusual margin.
The competition involves strict rules, such as requiring three identical 160g sausage rolls per box. One bakery was disqualified after packaging their rolls in a box that displayed the bakery name instead of an assigned barcode.
Where reports differ
- One report notes that no South Island bakeries placed in the top 10, while another focuses on the specific margin of victory
Compiled from reports by The Press and 1News.