Sunday 28 April 2013
British Pie Awards 2013
The British Pie Awards 2013 title of Supreme Champion was won by The Pie Kitchen with their Chicken, Chantenay Carrot and Bacon Pie. For a full list of winners click here. For our review of the day read on!
It might seem hard to believe but The Pierateers have never actually been to the British Pie Awards before. It is such a busy schedule trying to manage eating and reviewing pies with the day job that it just has never quite been possible before. That changed this year as Pierateers SJL and RAS offered their services to help out with the 2013 event. It was fascinating to see behind the scenes at what must be one of the biggest events of its kind in the world. Certainly there will be nothing like this elsewhere in the world as there is nothing like a British pie.
The venue is St. Mary’s Church in Melton Mowbray which sounds strange to hold such an event in a Church but as it is spacious this worked quite well. Melton Mowbray is an ideal location, it seems like the passion of the locals really does make it the heart of rural food production in England. They certainly put a lot of effort into hosting the British Pie Awards which is run by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie society. There were 20 categories with judges assigned in pairs with two to eight judges per category depending on the number of pies in that category. This gave a record breaking total of 983 pies!
This isn't the only time we've attended the British Pie Awards! Oh no! Find out more in our other articles here:
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The Pierateers @ The British Pie Awards 2013
It might seem hard to believe but The Pierateers have never actually been to the British Pie Awards before. It is such a busy schedule trying to manage eating and reviewing pies with the day job that it just has never quite been possible before. That changed this year as Pierateers SJL and RAS offered their services to help out with the 2013 event. It was fascinating to see behind the scenes at what must be one of the biggest events of its kind in the world. Certainly there will be nothing like this elsewhere in the world as there is nothing like a British pie.
The venue is St. Mary’s Church in Melton Mowbray which sounds strange to hold such an event in a Church but as it is spacious this worked quite well. Melton Mowbray is an ideal location, it seems like the passion of the locals really does make it the heart of rural food production in England. They certainly put a lot of effort into hosting the British Pie Awards which is run by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie society. There were 20 categories with judges assigned in pairs with two to eight judges per category depending on the number of pies in that category. This gave a record breaking total of 983 pies!
One of the most bizarre moments was the part where the Vicar of the Church announced that we were going to sing a hymn…. about pies. This was to the tune of all things bright and beautiful. It was one of those ‘is this really happening’ moments. The head judge Alan Stuart from the Scotch Pie Club gave the opening guidance to the judges on how to score the pies. This was professionally done with test pies for the judges to gauge their scoring against.
Once scoring proper began the judges would sample a small amount of the pie in their pairs. Rather than assigning a score points would then be deducted for things that were wrong with the pie. The pies were given to the judges without any identification as to what the pie was so as to ensure there was no bias. The operation to keep the judges constantly supplied with pies was no mean feat! There were a range of ovens with cold pies constantly going in as hot pies came out. The pierateers were involved in the team of volunteers taking hot pies to the judges. It was important to get each pie to the judges when it was hot and fresh which was generally achieved.
Pierateer SJL was assisting with Class 5 – Beef and Ale while Pierateer RAS was on the table with the Class 10 pies – Other Meat. There were some controversial incidents. A couple of rogue chicken pies were found in the beef and ale pies in addition to an ale free variety. Someone had also sent along a selection of 6 mini pies although it is clear that only one pie is judged in Class 5. This meant a tiny sample for the judges! In addition there were some pies with sizeable holes in them. Considering a pie should be ‘completely enclosed in pastry’ by British Pie Award rules this is a fine line to tread. However they were generally considered to not break the rules.
The event was generally organised well. It must be a bit of a logistical nightmare to sort all the pies and have enough people on hand to help. The judges generally seemed professional about scoring their pies although there were some pies the pierateers noticed were scored fairly low when we have assigned the same pie a high score ourselves. Some of the judges did have a lot of pies to score and some commented on being sick of pies by the end. I think naturally those at the end had a disadvantage but this is always difficult to avoid. The judges seemed to try to mitigate this in their scoring. It must also be noted that the Pierateers take cost into account where as the British Pie Awards don’t do this.
The judging started about 12:30 and went on for at least two hours and much longer in some categories. The fish pie category in particular seemed to have many more entries this year and only two judges so took a long time. The pierateers heard comment that there still weren’t any fish pies which stood out especially.
There were some spectacular pies, including a wedding pie in the speciality section! Take note anyone with a wedding soon! One sad thing to note was the amount of waste pie. Normally only a small amount of pie could be eaten by the judges so the rest of the pie was thrown away. There could perhaps be some way of recycling this waste pie, perhaps sending it to a local dog sanctuary. It was sad to see the creations people put so much time into going into the bin!
Once all the pies were judged the scores where collected up and the winners were announced the next day at the awards lunch. Congratulations to all the winners, especially the Supreme Champion, The Pie Kitchen with their Chicken, Chantenay Carrot and Bacon Pie (click here to see our review). At the time of the awards there were no winners which had been reviewed by The Pierateers (although we have since put that right!). This goes to show just how many pies there are out there!
SJL
Pierate is a pie review website on a search for the ultimate pie. For all the pies we have reviewed have a look at our Pie Rankings or find pies of a particular flavour under Pies: Categorised.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
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Thursday 25 April 2013
Tweeting at the British Pie Awards 2013
Hopefully many of our loyal pie fans will have been keeping up-to-date with the ins and outs of the British Pie Awards through https://twitter.com/pierateers yesterday, as two of the Pierateers lent a helping hand as "Pie Stewards" at the 5th annual British Pie Awards.
However for those of you who don't know your hashtags from your retweets, here is our take on the British Pie Awards 2013!
For the journey:
7:14AM - SJL
continue reading "Tweeting at the British Pie Awards 2013"
However for those of you who don't know your hashtags from your retweets, here is our take on the British Pie Awards 2013!
For the journey:
7:14AM - SJL
An early start to get to the #bpa13 , who knew Melton Mowbray was so far away? Watch out cos the pierateers are coming!
7:32AM - SJL
983 pies are to be judged at the British Pie Awards this year @BritishPies That is going to look and smell terrific! Hope we don't drop any.
7:34AM - RAS
Wakey wakey, rise & shine, it's time to find out which @BritishPies are divine! All set for a b-e-a-utiful day at British Pie Awards! #bpa13
8:32AM - SJL
So here it is, Merry Christm...I mean, The British Pie Awards 2013 in sunny M Mowbray! Cast your eyes over literally a thousand pies! #BPA13
9:09AM - RAS
Who would have thought it wud cost so much to get train to Melton Mowbray! Must be cos of the @britishpies Awards! #bpa13 #fortheloveofpies
9:14AM - RAS
Just exiting leicester train station toward Melton Mowbray for @britishpies Awards. I can almost smell the pies waiting to be judged! #bpa13
9:20AM - SJL
Finally on my last train from Ely to Melton Mowbray for #bpa13. It takes a while but it's all worth it if you keep your eyes on the pies.
9:38AM - RAS
9:52AM - RAS
The @BritishPies Awards host - st mary's church - is in sight! Wonder if it's pie anglican?! ;-)
British Pie Awards Build-Up
10:08AM - RAS
Quite a small area of table reserved @BritishPies Awards for cornish pasties... not that i'm trying to infer anything by that... #notapie
10:10AM - RAS
And the winner of the @BritishPies Awards 2013 is... oops, a day too early! #cantwait pic.twitter.com/bnlLwLjSfH
11:18AM - RAS
So Pierateer SJL is overseeing class 5 (beef and ale) and Pierateer RAS overseeing class 10 (other meat) @BritishPies Awards #bpa13
11:29AM - SJL
Just look at all those pies waiting to be eaten! That's only a fraction! #bpa13 pic.twitter.com/ybkq9Louup
11:31AM - RAS
Just filming at the @BritishPies Awards... as you do! Full report will be added to http://www.pierate.co.uk later! #bpa13
11:36AM - RAS
Even professional pie judges need to practise their rating! Practice pie being reviewed as we speak... #bpa13
11:55AM - RAS
A blessing is being sung over the pies... minutes from judging! #bpa13
British Pie Awards Judging
12:03PM - RAS
Judging has begun!!! #bpa13
12:26PM - RAS
Pies are being eaten, notes are being written, it's all go at the @BritishPies Awards! #bpa13
12:37PM - RAS
Slight fork shortage at the @BritishPies Awards but apart from that things are going well! #pieflyonthewall #bpa13
13:01PM - SJL
Careful judging of the beef and ale category pies at British Pie Awards #bpa13 pic.twitter.com/bpT87cckJW
13:30PM - RAS
Pie into oven, pie out of oven, pie onto table, pie into mouth, pie judged... simple as that! #bpa13
13:34PM - SJL
Controversial mini beef and ale pie "we've had bit of meat bigger than this pie" say the judges at #bpa13 pic.twitter.com/FyitTPtQEp
13:47PM - RAS
Almost two hours into helping judge and do you know what I feel like? Yep, you guessed it! Mmmm.... pie! #bpa13
14:05PM - SJL
Some of the highest scoring pies from the beef and ale category @britishpies. Can you see your pie there? #bpa13 pic.twitter.com/hNtMR9mgsi
14:13PM - SJL
Quite a big hole in this pie @BritishPies Awards #bpa13. Controversial, is it fully enclosed or is it just a vent? pic.twitter.com/GwDW9VncPp
14:28PM - SJL
Controversial when you recognise the pie! I think I know who this is #bpa13 pic.twitter.com/3k8rL28jZh
Post pie judging
14:52PM - SJL
Empty tables signal the end of judging. Now just need to wait for the top three to be annouced! Good luck #bpa13. pic.twitter.com/0fGec1gcGP
15:07PM - SJL
The pierateers made their presence felt @britishpies #bpa13, nearing the end now... pic.twitter.com/QFAX4P7J2s
16:20PM - SJL
We managed to get some pork pies to eat and now heading back home to our respective locations. Many thanks to the organisers @BritishPies
For full details and all the latest pie news (about the British Pie Awards and beyond!) follow @pierateers on twitter!
Wednesday 24 April 2013
British Pie Awards
The British Pie Awards 2013 take place on Wednesday 24th April 2013, with winners announced at an Award's lunch the following day. The BPA judges will be looking for Britain's best pie. Pierate is thrilled to announce that two of the Pierateers will be volunteering as "pie stewards" at the event. The organisers have announced that this will be the biggest BPA ever, with nearly 1000 pies entered. That's a lot of pie!
Who do you think is tipped to win? Do you have a favourite? Have a look at our Pie Rankings and see how the pie scores stack up.
ITV covered the 2012 event, and here's a video of the 2011 event:
continue reading "British Pie Awards"
Who do you think is tipped to win? Do you have a favourite? Have a look at our Pie Rankings and see how the pie scores stack up.
ITV covered the 2012 event, and here's a video of the 2011 event:
Over 150 pies reviewed at Pierate.co.uk |
Since 2013 we've been judges at the British Pie Awards in 2014 and are also covering the British Pie Awards 2015!
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Tuesday 23 April 2013
Whatever the weather a Wetherspoon pie makes you better
Wetherspoon
Pie Review for Steak Pie
So after the
controversy of ordering a pie, how did it rate?
continue reading "Whatever the weather a Wetherspoon pie makes you better"
So with it
being St George’s Day and all, I thought I’d try out a great British classic while
out for dinner. Of course, it will come as no surprise to our loyal fans that I
went for the Steak Pie! I’m sure St George would have been proud. After all,
you can’t slay dragons on a pie-empty stomach!
Did you know? Currently when you type "pie review" into Google, the top result is www.pierate.co.uk! |
However, it
has to be said that there was some controversy surrounding my choice. Because,
for those who have frequented a Wetherspoon pub in the past few weeks, they
will find – like I did tonight – that there is not actually pie on the menu at
the moment! I know! That’s what I just said – no pie on the menu!
Rather
puzzled and confused, Pierateer RAS went up to the bar to confirm he wasn’t
just losing his marbles and missing the blindingly obvious. But no, it was
confirmed by the bar staff that pie had definitely been removed from the menu.
Fortunately though, John at the bar was willing to go and check with the
kitchen, in case there was a pie from the previous menu still available, and to
the relief of his pie loving consumer, a Steak pie was found! St George could
finally slay his pie...
Wetherspoon Steak Pie |
The pie
itself was well presented. A solid, decent sized square pie, which was fully
encased and golden brown. It certainly was looking promising for a snip at
£4.99. Upon digging in, the top crust lid was deliciously light and flaky and
the gravy was nice, however it didn’t take too long for the pie reviewer to
come to some rather thick, dry outer pastry around the sides. While possible to
cut through with a standard knife and an
accompanying gravy boat to aid in softening the pastry shell, there was no
doubt that this certainly let the side down (pun intended). It was quite a
disappointment, as the top pastry was absolutely crisp and delicious. The meat
itself was relatively decent, but not as tender as some of the farm shop/farmers
market varieties out there which top our rankings table. A bit of gristle was unfortunately
found to, which never goes down well.
Overall,
while quite a decent capacity, the thick, dry pastry sides meant that this pie
didn’t quite weather the storm of pie rating. I would probably need a spoon
(and perhaps a steak knife) to get through all the pastry provided to. My
recommendations would be that a bit of lighter pastry round the edges and
slightly higher quality meat would certainly boost this pie’s appeal. However,
the old adage goes that you get what you paid for, and on a budget of £5 for a
pie meal in a pub, I don’t think you can find many that would compete on value.
For pie on a budget, I certainly wouldn’t rule out going back to a Wetherspoon
pub... oh, once they add it back onto the menu, that is!!!
Wetherspoon
Steak Pie (at the Briar Rose, Birmingham City Centre)
Score: 4.85/7
RAS
Sunday 21 April 2013
Pieminister Pie Review - Deerstalker
Back at the Pieminister Farringdon...again... |
Pieminister Deerstalker Pie Review
In our recent quest to try every Pieminister pie, I yet again returned to Pieminister in Farringdon, London - this time to hunt down the Deerstalker Pie, which is another pie like the Pietanic which is hard to come by. The Deerstalker is a venison, dry cured bacon, red wine and lentil pie - which I believe is relatively new to their range.
Compare all our Pieminister Pie Reviews - and we've reviewed a fair few in our Pie Rating careers - on our Pieminister Pie Reviews Page! |
What's in the box? |
It's a Deerstalker pie! |
Pieminister Deerstalker Pie - Venison, dry cured bacon, red wine and lentil pie
Score: 5.89/7
TJP
See where this pie ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour - as well as all the other Pieminister pies.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
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Pies – do they bake well in Bakewell?
Bakewell Tart Shop Traditional Steak Pie Review
continue reading "Pies – do they bake well in Bakewell?"
Well, we’ve all had a
Bakewell Tart, but what about a Bakewell Pie? Does a pie baked well in Bakewell
taste well good as well? To find out, I’ve travelled to Bakewell in the Peak
District, Derbyshire. But I’m not on the look out for a tart, no, for a tart is
not totally and wholly encased in pastry. Put some pastry on the top of a
Bakewell tart and I might be interested, but today is all about the pies only
please.
I spot a little outfit
called ‘The Bakewell Tart Shop’ that proudly proclaims it sells “Award Winning
Pies.” What award exactly is anyone’s guess – perhaps it was a British Pie
Award? Anyway, regardless of which award they’ve won, any shop that calls it’s
pies ‘award winning’ must be pretty proud of their pies, and so I want to try
them. There’s a sign on the wall that mentions something about Dales Pies – so these pies could be Dales Pies although I can't find any on their website that look similar. I ask the shopkeeper
behind the counter whether there was any specific pie that was particularly ‘award
winning’, and she tells me that the steak pie is probably their best seller. So
that’s it, decision made, I plump for one ‘traditional steak pie’ that comes
warmed at £2.59. Oh dear, error, that was silly. I want the pie as a take-away,
and so for it to be warmed they’re going to have to microwave it. As any pie aficionado
knows, you should never microwave a pie (unless it’s a specifically
microwaveable pie such as Pukka Pies 4 Minute Pie). Still, too late, the pie in
the microwave and I am going to have to live with my mistake.
This is the pie in
question. It’s definitely a pie, and not a tart. Before it went in the
microwave, the pastry had a bit of a matt-finish to it, but after the
microwave-job the pastry is glistening and looks a bit greasy. There’s no
crispness to the pastry anymore – it’s just a bit flabby and rubbery. I’m
fairly sure that’s the fault of the microwave, however – and that’s why you
should never microwave a pie.
Pies only please, at the Bakewell Tart |
Microwavey goodness |
Large chunks of steak |
Still, how is the pie
itself? The steak is quite nice, and you get some good sized chunks with no
gristle or fat. It’s not too chewy either. There is a favourable amount of nice
tasting gravy too, which fills the pie to nearly its full capacity. However, when
you’ve been around the pie eating block for a while, some simple steak and
gravy doesn’t really cut the mustard anymore. There wasn’t any excitement here.
It was a simple steak pie. Too simple for me. It tasted very pleasant, was
cheap for a hot pie, and was comforting, but had no pizazz or boom. The pastry
was also fairly standard pie pastry. Nothing wrong with that, but I like to see
crimping, I like to see innovative shapes, I like to see that some fun has been
had constructing that pie.
Bakewell Tart Shop Traditional Steak Pie
Score: 5.39/7
TJP
Friday 12 April 2013
When in Wales... eat Rhug Estate Pies!
Rhug Estate
Pie Reviews for a range of Steak, Chicken and Cheese Pies
And talking about serving... let’s get on to serving up the six flavours of Rhug Estate Pie...
Firstly, an overview of the pies as a whole, before the more specific pie flavour comments. You could tell these were top, homemade pies as soon as you took the first bite. They were – of course – fully encased, with a clearly defined base, sides and lid. The pastry was golden and the meat and/or cheese inside them were top quality. Like a few pies I’ve eaten recently, I’d recommend that the pieces of meat were cut up into slightly smaller chunks and more evenly dispersed throughout the pie, to avoid having bites of pie containing no meat and others that are overly-meaty. However I could not fault the meat itself, with absolutely no gristle and just tender meaty goodness. The pies were quite shallow though, which did mean there wasn’t as much content as I’d like. The capacity was very strong for the size of the pie, with the meat pieces bursting out of the pie as soon as you cut into it. However due to the shallowness of the pies, this did mean the filling to crust ratio wasn’t quite as strong as it could have been.
continue reading "When in Wales... eat Rhug Estate Pies!"
“When in
Rome...do as the Romans do” goes the old adage. Well, I wasn’t in Rome, but I
did spend my birthday in Wales. At the New Word Alive Conference in Prestatyn,
North Wales, to be precise. So while in Wales, I thought I’d do as the Welsh
pie eaters would do and order some top Welsh pies to be delivered to me while
on holiday! So having found an award winning welsh meat producer online via the
“Wales The True Taste” website, a few emails and phone calls later and the really
friendly Rhug Estate Farm Shop manager Ynyr Jones pulled up in Prestatyn with
12 pies for my birthday – the 10 that I had ordered, plus very kindly supplying
two free birthday pies. I had to use a lot of self control in waiting for my actual
birthday day to consume these pies, which had been delivered a few days prior.
Ha-pie Birthday Greetings and Pies! |
So... as it
was my birthday and as there was a competition at New Word Alive to decorate
your chalet (#chaletmakeover), I decided “who wouldn’t want to decorate their
chalet with pies?!” Of course, I had my Ha-pie Birthday banners and cards in
there to, from family and friends including the awesome NWA Under 5s team I was
serving with. It is also worth noting that these pies were eaten as part of a
three-pie-course meal on the Monday with good friends (pie starter, pie dinner and pie dessert!)
and as part of a City BBQ & pie sesh on the Wednesday.
And talking about serving... let’s get on to serving up the six flavours of Rhug Estate Pie...
Firstly, an overview of the pies as a whole, before the more specific pie flavour comments. You could tell these were top, homemade pies as soon as you took the first bite. They were – of course – fully encased, with a clearly defined base, sides and lid. The pastry was golden and the meat and/or cheese inside them were top quality. Like a few pies I’ve eaten recently, I’d recommend that the pieces of meat were cut up into slightly smaller chunks and more evenly dispersed throughout the pie, to avoid having bites of pie containing no meat and others that are overly-meaty. However I could not fault the meat itself, with absolutely no gristle and just tender meaty goodness. The pies were quite shallow though, which did mean there wasn’t as much content as I’d like. The capacity was very strong for the size of the pie, with the meat pieces bursting out of the pie as soon as you cut into it. However due to the shallowness of the pies, this did mean the filling to crust ratio wasn’t quite as strong as it could have been.
That said,
the filling that I was presented with was very good. It was a reasonably thick
crust (needed to hold in the tender meaty chunks) and with a bit more filling
these would be challenging right at the top of the pie rankings. The price was
very reasonable indeed (especially considering the delivery to) and I’d happily
pay a bit more for a deeper, larger capacity filling to go with the golden
crust in future.
So onto the
individual flavours:
Steak and
Stilton Pie – RAS – 6.10/7
This was the
award winning pie amongst the batch, with it winning the Silver Award from the Guild of Fine Food (2004). The mix of cheese and steak was a very nice
combination, with the stilton adding to the beef gravy flavour. The steak
chunks were very tender and delicious, and with a slightly more even
distribution of meat pieces this top pie would be even better, for a mouthful
of stilton/beef gravy, without any steak, was certainly a lot less enjoyable!
The filling complimented the golden crust well and was my preferred pie on the
night.
Steak and
Onion Pie – RAS – 5.95/7
The Steak
and Onion pie certainly had a strong steak flavour to it and was aided by it
being a family sized pie (the others were individual pies). The filling to
pastry ratio was therefore a lot better for this family sized pie and the
chunks of steak far better distributed. The onion was well concealed within the
pie gravy, as opposed to being large chunks of onion. It added to the gravy
flavour for those who like onion gravy but did not overpower the steak itself.
Steak Red
Wine and Mushroom – RAS – 5.95/7
There was
quite a strong mushroom flavour to this pie but the red wine gravy certainly added
to this pie’s flavour. The steak was once again lovely and tender and was well
complemented by the flavoursome gravy.
Steak and
Ale – RAS – 5.75/7
The steak
and ale pie was again full of very tender, delicious steak. The ale gravy was
good, however nothing spectacular (considering the wide range of steak and ale
pies available up and down the country). The ale taste was quite light which meant
it did not over dominate the pie flavour, however possibly to the detriment of
not really being able to taste the ale much at times.
Chicken Pie –
RAS – 4.05/7
The chicken
inside this pie was once again very tender and served the pie well. It was a
creamy sauce within this pie, rather than the more traditional white wine sauce
which frequents many a chicken pie. I personally did not really enjoy the sauce
within the pie that much, hence why this flavour doesn’t score as well as the
others. I did not feel it complemented the meat like the beef gravies
complemented the steak. However the meat and pastry were still very good.
Ruthin
Cheese Pie – RAS – 5.10/7
Featuring Llandyrnog
Mature Cheddar, you certainly did not miss the cheesy kick you got from a bite
of this pie, which did also include potatoes, Swede, carrot and onion amongst
other things. Not having had a cheese pie before to compare it to, I was pleasantly
surprised with how well it tasted, considering it was a savoury pie with no
meat content. However it must be noted that this cheese pie is unfortunately
not suitable for vegetarians due to containing lard as an ingredient. Overall,
it was a nice tasting piece of pie, but I feel it could get a bit sickly if
eaten in too large a quantity.
Overall, a
very nice batch of Welsh pies and certainly worth getting them delivered for my
birthday. Big thanks to Farm Shop Manager Ynyr Jones for his efforts and hand
delivering the pies to me. Do pop by the Rhug Estate if you’re in the area on
holiday! (A good stopping point if you’re on your way to Snowdonia National
Park!)
Rhug Estate Pie
Reviews – range of Steak, Chicken and Cheese Pies
Scores ranging
from 4.05/7 to 6.10/7
RAS
Wednesday 10 April 2013
Pontins D-I-Y pie... D-pie-Y!
Steak and Mushroom Pie Review at Pontins in Prestatyn
Once again volunteering
on a Christian holiday conference called New Word Alive, on the Pontins site in Prestatyn, North Wales, it was a delighted to see that there was a new addition
on the catered food menu. While I’d had a rather unflattering piece of cold
apple pie last year, which sadly rated very low on the Seven Cs, this year they
had added a steak and mushroom pie to the menu. Well... I say the added a steak
and mushroom pie to the menu. That was certainly what was listed on the food
menu board... however what I found when I got to the food bar was not at all
what I was expecting! As can be seen in image one, they were serving one tray
of steak and mushroom pie filling... and in another tray the puff pastry crust!
This was D-I-Y Pie! Or as I’d prefer to call it, D-pie-Y!
So here
goes...
Stage 1:
Collect your steak and mushroom pie filling and puff pastry crust
Stage 2: Cut
the puff pastry crust just below the raised puff pastry lid part (note the
clear base, sides and lid in the photo, which shows it is a true pie)Stage 3: Insert filling into the pie base
Stage 4: Enjoy your pie!
So I guess
the most important thing – whether you have to put together your own pie or not
– is what the pie actually tastes like!!! And the good news is that Pontins
have done a cracking job of upping the steaks... (get it?!) and actually
provided a very tasty pie this year. The puff pastry was really crisp and flaky
with a lovely golden colour, and a lot lighter to eat than having a fully
encased short crust pie. The filling was very nice, full of tender meaty chunks
of steak, soft mushroom and very nice beef gravy. Some of the pieces of steak
were a bit fatty but overall it was a very pleasant pie filling which
complemented the puff pastry well. The content was therefore on the whole very
good, and the main slightly confusing aspect of this pie was that the capacity
of the pie was actually up to the pie eater (and therefore not the pie maker)
to decide! I for one decided to maximise my pie filling to crust ratio,
ensuring I got plenty of meatilicious content.
In summary,
it was a very nice pie meal which I’d happily have again (as it happens, I did
actually have it twice) however I have slightly mixed feelings as to what I
think about having to make my own pie. At the end of the day, it doesn’t take
long to cut open your pastry and insert the filling, however it does puzzle me
as to why the pie maker hadn’t done this for me! But it does allow you to see
what is in your pie before you order, which in the light of horse meat scandals
across the UK is probably a good thing. And the puff pastry was delightful and
I’d certainly like to have that again. I’m not sure the puff pastry crust would
be able to cope with the amount of meatilicious content I added if it had been
cooked that way. Perhaps that’s why they decided to make a point-ins of
providing my first ever D-I-Y pie?! Maybe this will become the in-fashion way
of supplying pie, which has the capacity decided by the eater, rather than the
maker?! One thing’s for certain: D-I-Y pie is definitely better than watching
paint dry...
(As a side
point, it appears that Pontins have removed the apple pie from the menu – I
wonder if they had read the pierate review or not?!)
Pontins Steak and Mushroom Pie
Score: 5.75/7
RAS
See where this pie ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
|
Tuesday 9 April 2013
Housing the Sainsbury’s Bramley Apple Pie
Sainsbury’s
Bramley Apple Pie Review
Like its Blackcurrant and Apple Pie cousin, the Bramley Apple Pie was very good. The pastry was lovely
and crisp, giving a good firm crunch which complemented the fruity apple
content. The apple pieces were quite crunchy in parts but the apple sauce
filling was very good and not overly sweet. An own brand pie, but at the more
luxury end of the spectrum, the pie is well suited for three hungry eaters or
four more normal portions. The pastry did crumble somewhat upon cooking but
this did not detract from the delicious taste. Well worth a purchase! And here’s
to many more tasty pies in the new home!
continue reading "Housing the Sainsbury’s Bramley Apple Pie"
So on the occasion
of the house warming of ex-housemate Seth’s new home, the dessert was a welcome
home-from-home: apple pie! It’s as if he knew about my love of pies... In any
case, I certainly wasn’t going to struggle to find a “home” for the Bramley
Apple Pie by Sainsbury’s.
Bramley Apple Pie by Sainsbury's |
Sainsbury’s Bramley Apple Pie
Score: 5.1/7
RAS
Score: 5.1/7
RAS
See where this pie ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
|
Tuesday 2 April 2013
Honorary Pierateer celebrates the 25,000 page views landmark
Commitment to pies in general, and to the Pierate blog more
specifically, is something that us Pierateers take very seriously. For our
passion for pies goes beyond merely appreciating the taste of pastry and
filling, but has developed into a slight over fascination in anything related
to fillings fully encased in pastry, with a clearly defined base, sides and
lid. And for those who uphold our ideals and champion the eating of our
favourite dish, we both salute them but also wish to present them with
something that money really cannot buy: the title of Honorary Pierateer.
For those of you new to the idea of an Honorary Pierateer,
this title has only previously been bestowed on one person, by the name of tOBy walteR. Those familiar to twitter may have seen that tOBy walteR was presented
with his Honorary Pierateer certificate back in February this year, about a
year after the title was awarded* to celebrate us hitting a landmark 10,000 pageviews. (*clearly some sort of red tape or something...)
continue reading "Honorary Pierateer celebrates the 25,000 page views landmark"
Honorary Pierateer tOBy walteR |
Well I am delighted to announce that at around 3am on
Saturday 30th March 2013, our second big landmark was reached when
the Pierate blog reached 25,000 pageviews! And to celebrate this tremendous
achievement, from an additional 15,000 pageviews in approximately 15 months, we
are proud to announce our second Honorary Pierateer award to... Rosa Crawford!
Honorary Pierateer Rosa |
Rosa has been a keen follower of the pierate blog since it
began, living with one of the Pierateers for a time and partaking in a number
of pie related excursions with several of the Pierateers. However what we would
really like to recognise in presenting this award is Rosa’s great service and
dedication towards helping the people of Britain avoid what we dubbed “the pietax” (more commonly known as “the pasty tax”). We believe that with Rosa’s
great service to the nation, we – the people of Britain – are paying less for
our pies than we would have done had the UK Government had their taxation ways!
And so to you, Rosa, we thank you! And we award you the title of Honorary Pierateer!
Here’s to the next 25,000 pageviews...
Monday 1 April 2013
Eat My Pies? Okay!
Eat My Pies pie review – Pork, Apple and Leek
I’ve come to KERB, a
pop-up street food marketplace in King’s Cross London where vendors alternate
every week to bring some tasty street food to the streets of the city. This week is the turn of Eat My Pies a.k.a. Andy Bates of FoodNetwork fame. He’s turned his hand to pie making, and I’ve heard through the
grapevine that his pies are rather good. Eat My Pies is apparently about bringing Great British food to the Great British public - and with an instruction like “Eat My
Pies”, I need no further convincing to leave the office and head up to King’s
Cross for my lunch.
I find the Eat My Pies
stall, and sure enough Andy himself is there to talk me through the wide and
exciting array of pies he has on offer. I’m tempted by the chorizo pie, but in
the end I opt for a warm Pork, Apple and Leek pie. It’s £5, which can initially
seem like quite a chunk of money for a small pie, but I’m also well aware this is
gourmet pie territory (plus the pie is warm).
Topped off with an apple lid |
The first thing you might
note about this pie is that it is lacking a pastry lid. Instead, Andy has opted for an apple topping. The pie purists amongst you out there might draw
attention to the fact that a pie can be defined by having “a filling that is
totally and wholly encased in pastry”, but I’m willing to waiver that rule and give Eat My Pies the
benefit of the doubt in this instance. Certainly what the pie lacks in pastry topping, it
makes up for in extra chunky pastry sides. As you can see from this
cross-sectional view, the pastry sides are mightily thick! Probably a good
thing if you’re eating this pie with a knife and fork, but I found this made it difficult to bite into the pie with just my teeth.
Teeth marks |
How does the pie taste?
Well….
The pork is moist. And
herby. And totally, enthrallingly, mesmerizingly delicious. I’ve never had a
pork pie like it. This is not your regular pork pie: this is a true taste
sensation. In terms of taste, this pie ranks right up there as being one of the
most appealing I’ve ever had. The apple works brilliantly with the pork, which
is juicy, authentic and flavoursome. It’s a great pie that puts many others to
shame.
On the whole, the pie
looks cool and quirky. It tastes fabulous too. However, it lacks a pie lid, and
the pastry sides are a bit too thick to eat comfortably without cutlery. The
pie is also a little on the expensive side.
Forget that though, it
was delicious! Yum. I’d very highly recommend you Eat This Pie.
Please note that I would have given this pie 6.49/7, but as there is no pastry lid then it is unfortunately not possible for me to rate this pie higher than 6.
Please note that I would have given this pie 6.49/7, but as there is no pastry lid then it is unfortunately not possible for me to rate this pie higher than 6.
Eat My Pies – Pork, Apple
and Leek pie
Score: 5.99/7 (see note above about the score)
TJP
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