Behind the Bake: The Making of Volare’s Christmas Mince Tarts

There’s a moment in the bakery each year when things quietly shift. The spices come out, the butter starts flying, and the pastry benches fill with trays waiting to be hand-pressed, filled, and finished with Volare's beloved Christmas Mince Tarts. That’s when Christmas really begins for us — not with tinsel, but with craft.

Because these tarts aren’t a factory product. They’re a hands-on, all-in, labour-of-love kind of bake. The sort of thing you only pull off with skill, repetition, and a team who genuinely cares about getting the details right.

Pastry Made Properly

Every tart starts with a German-style pastry that’s mixed in small batches and loaded with real New Zealand butter. It’s rolled, cut, and pressed by hand – no stamped shells, no shortcuts. That’s what gives them:

• A crisp, golden edge
• A tender bite through the middle
• A clean, buttery flavour you can taste straight away

It’s simple, but not easy. And it’s the reason they don’t crumble, crack, or taste stodgy – just honest, well-made pastry.

Fruit, Brandy, Spice – Slow and Steady

The filling is cooked low and slow: apples, currants, raisins, and mixed peel simmered with brandy, cider, and Volare’s own spice blend until the fruit turns glossy and deep in flavour. Nothing rushed. Nothing artificial. Just a proper, grown-up Christmas flavour that’s rich without being overpowering.

Then comes the part everyone recognises – the star. Each one hand-cut and hand-placed. One tart at a time. It’s small work, but it’s the detail that makes them unmistakably Volare.

A Bakery in Full Swing

In the thick of production, the bakery becomes a rhythm:

• Pastry pressed
• Filling spooned
• Stars topped
• Trays baked and cooled
• Boxes packed by hand

Flour on aprons. Music on. Fast hands. Quiet focus. And a sense of pride knowing these little tarts will end up in cabinets, on Christmas tables, and beside countless morning coffees across the country.

Scale doesn’t replace craft – it relies on it.

Why They Sell Out

People come back for the same reasons every year:

• Real butter pastry
• Real fruit and spice
• Handmade start to finish
• Consistent size, shape, and flavour
• Easy to gift, serve, or snack on

They’re small. They’re simple. They’re done properly – which is rarer than it should be.

Get Yours for December

Whether you’re stocking a cabinet or filling a pantry:

Retail Customers

Order online for delivery or pick up in store:
Shop Christmas Mince Tarts →

Wholesale & Stockists

Secure December stock through the wholesale portal:
Wholesale Ordering Portal →

A Volare Christmas Tradition

Once they’re baked and boxed, the tarts head out on early delivery runs across the region — fresh, tidy, and ready for shelves, counters, and Christmas gatherings.

Thousands leave the bakery each season. But every single one starts the same way:

Flour. Butter. Fruit. Spice.
And a baker’s hands.

That’s Christmas, the Volare way.