Starter, Main & Jelly for Dessert

Dickinson & Morris and Walker & Son Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Reviews

The British Pie Awards offer a great opportunity for the Pierateers to find out about where some great pies are to be found. This year the pierateers even attended the event which is held in Melton Mowbray. This was a chance not to be missed, the Pierateers asked where the best Melton Mowbray Pork Pies could be found. Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe was recommended as the place to go.


Owned by Dickinson & Morris this was certainly a quaint old pork pie shop and I can see why they call it a 'shrine to pies'. Pork pies in all shapes and sizes greet the eye as you walk into the lovely old building. There is even the chance to learn how the facinating Melton Mowbray Pork Pie is made. I learnt that a proper Melton should have grey meat instead of pink which is how to spot them. Dickinson & Morris have a proud history and are one of the founding members of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie association. Also, their managing director Stephen Hallam does great work organising the British Pie Awards. I opted for a pack of mini pork pies so that I could take some in to share with my colleagues at work. At £2.40 this wasn't a bad price for a pack of six and I love their advert (see below).

I was very glad I paid a visit to Dickinson & Morris as these were fantastic pork pies. The experience with most pork pies starts from the first bite. However, these pork pies also had a fantastic smell which was calling me to eat them all the way home. The pastry was really soft and the filling melt in the mouth. The capacity was great for these small pies and they were full of content. Certainly some of the best pork pies I have ever eaten.

All well and good but what I needed now was to try another up market pork pie to compare it to. I picked up a pack of four Walker & Son Mini Pork & Pickle pies in my local Morrisons for £1.50, slightly cheaper per pie but a comparable price. These were very similar to the Dickinson & Morris with a smooth texture and delicious moistness. However, I loved the sourness of the pickle contrasting with the slightly sweet pork. This one comes in as the winner in this heavyweight contest between Melton Mowbray Pork Pie producers.

It is no surprise that Walker & Sons came in as winners in the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie category at the British Pie Awards. In fact they are regular winners and this year made all the top three pies. What did surprise me was that the the winner was made by Walker & Son but sold under the Dickinson & Morris brand. What surprised me even more is that they are in fact the same company called Samworth Brothers who also make Ginsters products. There was me thinking these were small pie producers! In the end it wasn't really much of a contest, no wonder the pies were very similar. Recently they have started supplying these pies to large stores. I only hope they continue to produce them to such high quality as genuine Melton Mowbray pies are produced in ever larger quantities to meet the growing demand for this geographically protected product.



Mini Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (Dickinson & Morris)
6.14/7

Mini Pork & Pickle Pie (Walker & Son)
6.23/7

SJL

See where these pies 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!