There’s a line outside Fat Bastard Pies most days, rain or shine.

By the time the cabinet’s full and the doors open, the locals already know what’s on. And if it’s a long weekend coming up? You’ll see people loading up like they’re the last food on earth.

James Owen is the man behind it all, a chef by trade, born and raised in Invercargill. After years in Queenstown’s top kitchens, he came home with a plan: bring chef-level food to the most unpretentious format imaginable. A good pie. A Southland pie. And then make it so good people would drive across town for it. Or get it shipped across the country.

Fat Bastard Pies opened in 2015. Since then, James has been rolling pastry, testing fillings, and tweaking the bake to perfection. He’s the kind of operator who’s not chasing headlines, just quality and consistency day in, day out. The shop doesn’t open weekends. Never has. But they’ve trained the town well: stock up Friday or miss out.

The Little Fat Lamb flies out the door. So does the mutton – a true Southland classic. There’s the Big Nude Seafood packed with chowder, and the farmhouse chicken that turns even the most devout steak-and-cheese fans (in fact, there are three steak choices). Vegans have their pick too, a Thai red curry pie with just the right kick. All wrapped in crisp, golden pastry that’s built to hold.

Simon Owen, James’s cousin, helped bring the business online with the Fat Bastard Pie Club, letting people across Aotearoa get their fix by courier. It’s New Zealand’s first pie subscription and a full-on national operation now. Thousands of pies leave Invercargill every week, bringing the best of Southland to doorsteps from Ponsonby to Gore.

And it’s not just hype. These are pies made with the good stuff: quality meat, perfect pastry, and no shortcuts.

Make it a goal to be in Invercargill on a weekday. Or take the nudge from the Fat Bastard sign at the airport and order pies to be delivered to your place before you leave.