Holy Smoke, The Offering is the supreme winner of The Great New Zealand Toastie Takeover 2026.
The Greytown, Wairarapa cafe beat out more than 200 competitors in this year’s Great NZ Toastie Takeover with Holy Smoke, a toastie filled withslow-smoked brisket and house-made pastrami, espresso bacon jam, McClure’s Bread & Butter Pickles, cheese, sauerkraut and smoked mustard aioli and crowned with a brisket wonton. Sandwiched between two slices of toasted house-made bread dusted with parmesan cheese, the dish beat out 18 other finalists to be crowned 2026’s Supreme Winner.
“In a year where we were presented with some of the most outstanding toasties we’ve ever come across, The Offering rocked up with an exquisite blow-your-socks-off explosion,” says head judge, Kerry Tyack. “This toastie is generous and satisfying and a credit to Bevan the creator who has finally reached his toastie nirvana. His toastie wows the traditionalists who want meat and cheese, but it also strikes the careful balance of smoke and acidity, full-on flavours, and the astute use of local ingredients.”
The Offering’s owner, Bevan Morland, is a self-confessed toastie obsessive who has been working on his winning sandwich since last September. He has been a finalist four times and in 2025 had toasties from two of his eateries in the final, which was a Toastie Takeover first. This year, he entered three toasties – one for each of his eateries in the Wairarapa – showcasing beef, duck and lamb.
“Holy Smoke — we bloody won it!” says Morland. “We can finally say we make New Zealand’s best toastie. That feels pretty unreal and there may have been a few happy tears, high-fives and slightly questionable dance moves when we found out! It has taken a massive team effort, plenty of taste-testing and more conversations about brisket and pickles than most people should probably have in a lifetime. This win belongs to our incredible Offering family and to our guests and Wairarapa community, who tasted it, gave us honest feedback and backed us from the very first bite.”
Joe McClure, founder of McClure’s Pickles, sponsor of the competition, has travelled from Detroit, Michigan to award The Offering the Toastie Takeover trophy on Wednesday.
“It’s amazing to see how Kiwi eateries interpret the brief to make an original toasted sandwich,” says McClure. “In the ninth year of this mighty competition, we’ve seen fine-dining takes and spins on the classic ham-and-cheese, all of them made with love and heart. Holy Smoke is no different and I am so happy to see an entrant of so many years take away the supreme award.”
