Pieminister Tipsy Chick and Scrumpea Pie Reviews

Many of you will have enjoyed a pie from top Bristol pie makers Pieminister before. We've already rated 12 of them! With quality crisp pastry and delicious fillings, the Bristol based pie firm have done us proud many a time. However last summer something odd happened. Having produced some of the finest quality pies we've rated on the Seven Cs of pie rating, last summer they inexcusably decided to get rid of the pastry lid to their pies in making a 'lighter' summer range of... well, "pies".

Pieminister Pie Reviews

Apart from, of course, if you remove the pastry lid, they are no longer pies!!!

It bamboozled us so much that we even did some research on the comparison between these 'lighter' "pies" and the normal Pieminister pies, and found that actually the main reason they were less calories was because they were a bit lower in weight and had no pastry lid! But as you know we on the Pierate Ship are pie purists, so the lack of pastry lid hit their 'lighter' pastry products hard on the 7 Cs of pie rating. In fact it left them being some of the lowest scoring pies in our Pieminister leader board, despite the taste being quite good. You just can't ditch a pastry lid in our eyes!!!

However, the good news is that Pieminister have seemingly learnt from their error and this summer their two summer pies are fully encased in pastry! Good work Pieminister!

The two pies in their summer range are the Tipsy Chick Pie and the vegetarian Scrumpea Pie, both containing some dry cider to give them a summery but quirky flavour. So with normal pastry service resumed, how would these pies rate?


Both pies looked in great condition and at £3.50 for a cold pie from their website it is reasonably priced for a quality British pie made using British meat and quality ingredients. Golden in colour, the pie pastry was nice and crispy on top, really nice and melt in your mouth upon eating. It certainly added a good crunch to the pie experience, and the side and base pastry were lovely and crisp too.

Tipsy Chick Pieminister Pie Review

Scrumpea Pieminister Pie Review

The content of the Scrumpea pie - a pea, asparagus, parsley and fennel pie with west country cheddar and orchard pig cider - was also very good in general but let down by some overly solid fennel (or some other vegetable). It was hard to ignore, as unfortunately the vegetable was so solid that I couldn't even get my knife to cut it or my teeth to bite through it. That aside, however, the pie was fine, with the cheese a nice addition and adding some flavour to the creamy potato and pea filling. I did email Pieminister about the crunch and it appears it was probably just an unusually tough bit of fennel, as other pie eaters haven't had a problem with it. But of course I can only rate based on what I ate!

Overall I would say both pies were nice, but didn't quite blow me away like some Pieminister pies have recently. However I'm always pleased to see that Pieminister are not happy to just stick with what they have got, but regularly try out new pies and their pastry is some of the best around. Still worth buying!

Pieminister Tipsy Chick Pie
Score: 4.89/7
[Colour 5.5, Capacity 4.5, Consistency 4.75, Condition 5, Chewiness 5, Cheapness 4.5, Content 5, Total: 4.89/7]


Pieminister Scrumpea Pie
Score: 4.43/7
[Colour 5.5, Capacity 4.5, Consistency 4.5, Condition 5, Chewiness 3.5, Cheapness 4, Content 4, Total: 4.43/7]

RAS

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Pieminister “Shamrock” British Beef Steak and Irish Stout Pie Review

With a visit to Bristol to talk pie on local station BCfm Radio, only a fool would miss out on going to Pieminister in St Nics market in the heart of the city centre. Situated amongst a number of small independent stalls and food outlets, the Pieminister stall has been in the heart of Bristol for just a few years less than the original shop in Stokes Croft. They focus on free range, British meat and try to source from within 50 miles of Bristol.

Pieminister Pies in St Nics Market

And with a Shamrock pie on offer, one that I hadn’t seen before and we hadn’t rated, it immediately caught my eye. So with immediate comparisons to the “Moo” pie – the British equivalent – how would the Irish influence sway things?


The pie looked in good condition and at £3.75 for a cold pie or £4.50 to eat hot, it is reasonably priced for an “eat out” option. Golden in colour, the pie pastry was surprisingly crispy on top and yet really nice. It certainly added a good crunch to the pie experience, which is often lacking when pies have been left out in a hot cupboard for too long before serving. However with the side and base pastry being so crisp as well, this did get a bit much. While being about as far from a soggy bottom as you can get, the dryness of the pastry did get to me a bit. Unfortunately I think this is due to slight overcooking, as the other Pieminister pies we have rated were not as solid as this one.

Pieminister "Shamrock" Pie

Fortunately the content of the pie was far better. The pie had a very good viscosity of gravy, not leaking about all over the plate but noticeably there. It provided a good contrast to the crisp pastry, though the pie shell left too much work for the filling to do, and would have rated even better if the pastry encasement wasn’t so crisp all the way round. The pie had good capacity, though there were some air gaps, but a strong amount of beef which was delightfully flavoured with the hint of Irish Stout. It was very meaty and left a good impression, though I would have preferred it to be a bit bigger.

All in all, it was great to have a Pieminister pie in the home of Pieminister. They are a fine example of a local pie chain going global and set a benchmark for many of the smaller pie firms we have rated to as-pie-re to!

Pieminister “Shamrock” British Beef Steak and Irish Stout Pie
Score: 5.18/7
[Colour 5.75, Capacity 5, Consistency 5, Condition 5, Chewiness 5, Cheapness 4.5, Content 6, Total: 5.18/7]
RAS

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Pieminister have added 'Lighter Pies' to their range - seemingly in response to a growing consumer trend towards lower calorie options. The range includes "light as a feta" - a butternut squash, feta and sundried tomato pie, "kooky chook" - a free range British chicken, sweet potato, coconut and chilli pie, and "chickalito" - a free range British chicken and dry cured ham pie. But what happens when a "lighter" pie is literally lighter, yet still costs the same?

Pieminister Pie Review - Chickalito

Today, and also previously, under the Pierate knife is the Chickalito pie. It's a pie that is (literally) surrounded with controversy. With these new lighter pies, Pieminister have made the significant decision to do away with the pastry lid, instead opting for a herb and seed crumb topping. For instance, here the chickalito's chicken, ham, courgette and celeriac filling is topped off with a pine nut, sunflower seed, basil and Parmesan crumb.



Pieminister Pie Review - Light as a Feta

Retailing at £3.50, this is at the more premium end of the supermarket pie spectrum, and as already discussed, there is some controversy over pricing this 240g pie the same as a regular 270g pie. I bought this pie from a stall, and spooned only a little gravy on the top.

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Pieminister 'Pietanic' pie review

My quest to try every pie in the Pieminister range led me to their Pieminister Leather Lane store. Here they have a lovely wide range of pies, albeit at a bit of a premium price of £6 for a pie and gravy. So you think you've tried the full Pieminister range in the supermarket? Think again. Their supermarket offerings are just the tip of the iceberg. The great thing about the store is that you can find some of their rarer pies that you're less likely to come across in the high street supermarket.

One such 'rarer' pie is the Pietanic fish pie. It contains smoked haddock, salmon, pollock and prawns in a creamy sauce - but the BIG selling-point of this pie is that, unlike most other fish pies that are topped with mashed potato, the Pietanic has a filling that is totally and wholly encased in pastry. Of course, according to the British Pie Awards, this makes it a true pie.

As I've already mentioned, it's £6 for a pie and mash. But seeing as we're a "pie review website" and not a "pie-and-mash review website", I'll tell you that the price for the pie alone is £4.20. This seems to be only a modest mark-up from the £3.50 you'd expect to pay in a supermarket - and you can buy the pies from the Leather Lane store cold for £3.50 too. So £0.70 to have the pie heated and boxed for you seems quite reasonable actually.

Crispy crunchy pie crust

I really like the look of this pie, and I love the fact that it comes in a take-away box that feels warm in my hands (it's cold outside). The pie is golden, and the condition is good. As I cut through the pie with my wooden take-away knife, I note that the pastry is crispy and crunchy - in true Pieminister style.

I was quite intrigued as to what fish encased in pastry was going to taste like, but it was very nice. The fish tasted fresh, and the sauce was creamy. The pastry was nice and crunchy, and not chewy. The pie was well filled and had good capacity. The consistency Pieminister have shown in producing enjoyable pies is really quite commendable. I have to give them extra points to for not being tempted to top their fish pie with mash.

Pieminister Pietanic Fish Pie
Score: 6.03/7
TJP

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It wouldn't be right to not celebrate our Pierate anniversary with a pie party and, while last year's had to be limited to just Pierateer Rob and his support bubble (which was still a decent sized pie-rty due to all the Senior kids!), this year we are back in a pie shop and ready to celebrate the only way we know how: eating and rating pie!! 

Pierateer Rob visiting Pieminister Birmingham

So on 11th November, Pierate are going to rummage and pillage the pies at Pieminister Birmingham once again as we host a Pierateer Takeover for our 12th anniversary - just like we have done in the past during British Pie Weeks such as British Pie Week 2018!

Being held from 7pm on Thursday 11th November, the night will be a chance for friends of the Pierateers to catch up on what's been going down on the Pierate Ship, and most importantly to eat and rate some delicious pies! It's sure to be a great way to celebrate 12 years of pie rating!

Pieminister Birmingham at 16 Waterloo Street

For those who don't know, Bristol pie giant Pieminister opened up a shop in Birmingham city centre in mid-2017 and we've frequented it a number of times already. However we certainly hadn't waited until they opened a shop in Birmingham before rating one of their pies, for we have rated 19 Pieminister pies in total and one of our very first reviews over 10 years ago was from Pieminister!

Since then we've tried some of their "Pie Election" winners (when pie fans got to choose which old favourites to bring back to the menu for British Pie Week 2015) and we were even crazy enough to try their Cricket pie in 2017! Yes, that's right - it had actual whole insects in it!!

So here's the details of the pie night and how you can get involved:

Kick off 7pm

Delicious pies on offer at Pieminister - we've rated 19!

We'll be arriving at the Pieminister Birmingham shop for 7pm, where we'll have some dedicated Pierateer Takeover tables set aside for us! (We advise you book up to avoid disappointment!)

Pick your pie!
There are a whole host of pies to choose from on their menu.

Who rate all the Pies?!
During the two hours Pierateer Rob will be around to chat pies, give you a bit of info about how to rate a pie on the 7 Cs of pie rating, as well as a brief update on what we've been up to over the years! And if he can, he'll try to answer your pie-related questions (like when is a pie not a pie?!) Just look out for him in his black Pierate t-shirt and don't be afraid to come up and say hi if we haven't met yet!

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Just three weeks prior to Pierateer RAS's big day, getting married to his fiancee Andrea, the Pierateers RAS, SJL and TJP all set sail on the Pierate Ship to Cardiff, along with a motley crew of fellow Pierateers, for Pierateer RAS's stag do. While lots of fun was had playing mini golf, indoor curling and football, the real pie-light was the lunchtime stop off at Pieminister Cardiff, where Pierateer RAS rated the "Moolin Rouge" (after having enjoyed it a few times previously but never having quite made it to reviewing it!). All while dressed as a giant pie, of course...

For those who don't know, Bristol pie giant Pieminister started back in 2003 and opened up a shop in Birmingham city centre in mid-2017 which we've frequented a number of times already, including for a number of pie week or pie anniversary visits. In total we have rated over 20 Pieminister pies and one of our very first pie articles was about Pieminister back fifteen years ago in 2009!

Since then we've tried some of their "Pie Election" winners (when pie fans got to choose which old favourites to bring back to the menu for British Pie Week 2015) and we were even crazy enough to try their Cricket pie in 2017! Yes, that's right - it had actual whole insects in it!!

For his stag do pie, Pierateer RAS chose the "Moolin Rouge" pie, which is rated below alongside the scores of the 17 other stag do guests - including, of course, Pierateers SJL and TJP, who both did a great job of co-organising the stag do. Many thanks guys! In reality, with some delicious pies and great banter, everyone was a winner at Pieminister Cardiff that lunchtime!

Pieminister Moolin Rouge Pie Review

The Moolin Rouge is a British beef steak, dry cured bacon and red wine pie. The pie was classic Pieminister, with a delicious crisp outer pastry and a well filled and meaty filling. We've had a number of steak pies from Pieminister and they are always well filled with meat and have a good flavour with the accompanying gravy in the pie, whether it be an ale or in this case red wine. It gave a great flavour and complimented the tender beef steak well, creating yet another top pie filling!

Pieminister "Moolin Rouge" British beef steak, dry cured bacon and red wine pie
Score: 6.14/7
[Colour 6.25, Capacity 6.5, Consistency 6.5, Condition 6, Chewiness 6.25, Cheapness 5, Content 6.5]



During the two hours Pierateer Rob chatted pies with his friends, including giving info about how to rate a pie on the 7 Cs of pie rating. This led to Pierateer Rob recording the ratings of all 17 guest's pies too, the scores of which are as follows:


Deer and Beer (by Pierateer SJL) - 5.93/7 (Colour 6, Consistency 6.5, Capacity 6.5, Chewiness 5.5, Cheapness 5, Content 6, Condition 6)

Mooless Moo (by Pierateer TJP) - 6.21/7 (Colour 5.5, Consistency 6.5, Capacity 7, Chewiness 6.5, Cheapness 5, Content 6.5, Condition 6.5)

Free Ranger (by Anthony) - 6.21/7 (Colour 6, Consistency 6.5, Capacity 7, Chewiness 6, Cheapness 5, Content 7, Condition 6)

Deer and Beer (by Stu) - 5.14/7 (Colour 5, Consistency 5, Capacity 6, Chewiness 4, Cheapness 3, Content 4, Condition 6)

Moo (by James) - 5.21/7 (Colour 4, Consistency 6, Capacity 7, Chewiness 5.5, Cheapness 5, Content 6, Condition 3)

Deer and Beer (by Barnaby) - 4.07/7 (Colour 5, Consistency 4.5, Capacity 3, Chewiness 4, Cheapness 4, Content 2, Condition 6)

Moolin Rouge (by Xavier) - 4.86/7 (Colour 6, Consistency 4, Capacity 5, Chewiness 5, Cheapness 4, Content 4, Condition 6)

Moo and Blue (by Andy) - 5.57/7 (Colour 6, Consistency 6, Capacity 5, Chewiness 5, Cheapness 4, Content 7, Condition 6)

Moolin Rouge (by Dave) - 6/7 (Colour 6, Consistency 6, Capacity 6, Chewiness 6, Cheapness 5, Content 6, Condition 7)

Free Ranger (by Adam P) - 6.07/7 (Colour 5.5, Consistency 6, Capacity 7, Chewiness 6, Cheapness 6.5, Content 6.5, Condition 5)

Moolin Rouge (by Martyn) - 6/7 (Colour 5, Consistency 6, Capacity 7, Chewiness 6, Cheapness 7, Content 5, Condition 6)

Fungi Chicken (by Chris) - 5.43/7 (Colour 5, Consistency 5, Capacity 6, Chewiness 5, Cheapness 5, Content 6, Condition 6)

Moo (by Rob D) - 5.79/7 (Colour 6, Consistency 5.5, Capacity 6, Chewiness 5.5, Cheapness 6, Content 6, Condition 5.5)

Moolin Rouge (by Mark) - 6.21/7 (Colour 6.5, Consistency 6, Capacity 7, Chewiness 6.25, Cheapness 5.5, Content 5.75, Condition 6.5)

Moo (by Adam CW) - 6/7 (Colour 7, Consistency 5, Capacity 6, Chewiness 7, Cheapness 5.5, Content 6, Condition 6.5)

Moo and Blue (by Craig) - 6.14/7 (Colour 6, Consistency 7, Capacity 5, Chewiness 7, Cheapness 7, Content 5, Condition 6)

Maroc Star (by Adam T) - 6.29/7 (Colour 7, Consistency 7, Capacity 6, Chewiness 7, Cheapness 5, Content 6, Condition 7)


Thanks to Pieminister Cardiff for hosting our Pierateer Takeover for Pierateer Rob's Stag Do. It was a great meal and part of a great weekend of fun!

Pieminister Deer and Beer Pie Review

As an added bonus, to celebrate Pierate Pie Reviews turning 15 years old on Tuesday 12th November 2024 - on what we refer to as International Pierate Day - Pierateer RAS returned to his "local" and had the "Deer and Beer" pie at Pieminister Birmingham. Here's how that pie rated:

The "Deer and Beer" is a wild venison, milk stout, mushroom and thyme pie. Once again the pie had the textbook Pieminister delicious crisp outer pastry and a well filled and meaty filling. There was quite a decent amount of meat inside and went well with the mushroom and flavourings, however despite very much enjoying the flavour of the pie, it was hard to get much of a sense of the deer or beer flavouring itself. While I would happily eat this pie again, I was expecting a bit more deer and beer flavouring from a pie of that name! But that said, I still enjoyed the pie! 

Pieminister "Deer and Beer" Wild venison, milk stout, mushroom and thyme pie
Score: 6/7
[Colour 6.25, Capacity 6.25, Consistency 6.5, Condition 6, Chewiness 6.25, Cheapness 5, Content 5.75]


RAS

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British Pie Week is a celebration of British Pies, which we on the Pierate Ship absolutely love! In our quest to eat and rate as many pies as we can get our hands on, we’re making a Pieary (Pie Diary) of all the pies we eat this British Pie Week. Some of these are included as part of our #PiePledge commitments, promoting and encouraging pie consumption.

Pierateer RAS

With Pierateer RAS back to work on Friday (yes, sadly eating and rating pies is not a full time profession just yet!) there was light at the end of the tunnel – a package awaited him upon turning up at his desk on Friday morning. If only every workday started with a pie package!!!

The pie package contents were a pie and a “pie”, both supplied by “The Ark” catering company in Burnley. The owner Jonny has taken over a sandwich shop and is looking to diversiPIE… well, who wouldn’t want to add pie to the menu?! The “pie” in question was chilli with a cornbread crust. Quite a spicy chilli, the meat certainly tasted good and the cornbread and cheese on top was a real treat. Categorically not a pie and you certainly need a plate if you don’t want to eat it out of the foil tray, but a very nice meal.

However what you really want to know is how did the pie rate? Well the Steak and Ale was – you’ll be pleased to know – fully encased in pastry. The pastry held together well (you could pick up this pie and eat in your fingers) and the meat was very good. You’ll have to read the full review to see how it rates but it was a very good effort for someone relatively new to pie catering! He’s certainly pushed the boat out… or should I say ark?!... and it’s paying dividends!

However the other highlight of the day was coming home to find another package awaiting me – though this time not a pie but a Pieminister pie voucher instead and a Pieminister bandana! No excuse not to look like a Pierateer now! You can buy the Bandanas/Neckerchiefs online on the Pieminister shop whilst you order their pies.

We’ve reviewed plenty of Pieminister pies and you can read their reviews on the Pieminister Pie Reviews page.

Pierateer SJL

 

Pierateer TJP

- Keen to prove that you really can put anything in a pie (see the earlier attempt with the python pie), Pierateer TJP got the pastry out again and knocked up this pie:



If you're more used to putting ice cream on the outside of your pie, why not switch things round and put it inside your pie. This totally delicious ice cream pie will be the talking point of any dinner party, I can assure you.

Pierateer ARL

Pierateer ARL fulfilled her #PiePledge on Day Five by finding a tuna pie in a Eurospar in Spain. See the full review on Pierate upon her return to the UK.

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Pieminister Pie Review - Kate and Wills Beef and Brandy

If you've been so much as awake for the past few months you'll have heard of the Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. While we of course extend our congratulations to the happy couple, I've also become increasingly amused by some of the wonderfully wacky "commemorative" wedding souvenirs. And the wackiest I've come across so far is one that is the closest to my heart: a commemorative beef and brandy pie from Pieminister. Will it be any good?

Described as "British beef, wine, bacon, pearl onions, mushrooms and a dash of brandy in lovely pastry", this sounds like a premium quality pie. And at a princely sum of £3-4, I am expecting this to taste like a quality pie too!



After a bit of time in the oven, I crack open the crispy pastry to reveal the glistening brown contents. The quality is obvious as I take a bite of the beef - its melt-in-the-mouth tenderness is a real testament to the great reputation of the Pieminister brand. This pie is royally fit for a King. The pastry is indeed lovely, and the delicate notes of the wine and succulence of the beef is married perfectly with the kick of the brandy. Whatever your views on mushrooms (I am a disliker), you have to agree that they add further body to what is already a rich and original gastronomic experience.


I hope Buckingham Palace are to serve these on the wedding day - they should soon be adorned with the Royal seal of approval.

Pieminister Kate and Wills Beef and Brandy Pie - British beef, wine, bacon, pearl onions, mushrooms and a dash of brandy in lovely pastry
Score: 6.42/7
TJP

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Pieminister (Less than 440 Calories) Chickalito Pie Review

You don’t normally see the words “diet”, “low calories” and “pie” in the same sentence. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if – over 340 pie reviews in – this is the first time we have mentioned the words “low calorie pie” in a pie review. And I think there’s a reason for that, to be quite frank. Sad to say it, I don’t think a low calorie pie really exists.

For while Pieminister have attempted to create a low calorie option to their range, we sadly can’t endorse its pie status as a proper pie. For in an effort to cut the calories, they have dropped their pastry lid. This meant the pastry content was just 28% of the finished pie and the filled pastry dish was topped with natural breadcrumbs instead. The pastry itself was quite crisp and crunchy, though a bit too dry for my liking. However the thin seeded crust did make an interesting change to the typical pastry, even if I prefer the normal pastry.

Pieminister Chickalito

The content of the pie was quite a nice blend of chicken, cured ham and a few vegetables in a light sauce. However with just 12.6% chicken and 2.6% dry cured ham in the finished pies, the pies certainly lacked a meaty filling which I like in my pies. With a very dry outer pastry, the filling was at least quite moist, balancing it out reasonably well.

Pieminister Chickalito Cut Through

Eaten out at John Gordons in Cheltenham this pie alone cost £6, which for such a small non-pie was far beyond what I’d be willing to pay again (though that’s nothing against the lovely bar we ate in), and even at £3.50 on the Pieminister website I’m not convinced.


However, all in all while a novel idea – which certainly may appeal to those wanting a lighter, low calorie dinner option – unfortunately a novel idea is really where it stays for me. It was not really very filling (I could certainly have done with at least two), was not fully encased in pastry and the meat content was disappointingly low. All in all, this product seemed shackled by its attempt to remain low calorie (under 440 calories in total), which in turn diminished its rating. A reasonable dinner item – though not meaty enough for me to ever consider buying again – this is a novel idea but quite simply if I want a pie, I’ll stick to buying a nice, high calorie pie next time!

Pieminister Chickalito (Low Calorie) Pie
Score: 3.86/7
[Colour 5/7; Consistency 3/7; Cheapness 3/7; Chewiness 5/7; Condition 4/7; Content 4/7; Capacity 3/7; Total: 3.86/7]
RAS

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Pieminister Pie Review - Matador


I find myself yet again reviewing a Pieminister delight. They have a fascinating range of interesting pies - each one is so different that you just have to review them all. Today's review is on the Matador pie - which contains the distinctive combination of beef and chorizo amongst other ingredients. After baking in the oven for the appropriate amount of time, the classic pieminister pastry is crunchy and browned. Opening the pie up, you can really appreciate the pie's density and premium content. This isn't a light pie for a summer's day - this is a manly solid pie for the British weather. On eating, I note the delicious exotic taste of the chorizo and savour the moment as the smooth gravy oozes inbetween the soft melting fibres of the steak.



This pie is original and taste excellent. A little on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for.

Pieminister Matador Pie - Steak, Chorizo, Olives, Butter Beans and Sherry Pie
Score: 6.03/7
TJP

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With the eyes of the world on Russia and the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, and our eyes firmly on the pies, it’s great when the two worlds coincide.

So following the great news of Jenny Jones winning Team GB’s first medal of the Games, with a fantastic performance in the slopestyle event, it was great to see that the Bristol-based athlete had not only won a bronze Olympic medal but an offer of a nice warm pie or two awaiting her return to her home town!

Nice one @jennyjonessnow! You've definitely earned a hot pie or two on us when you're back in Bristol. #Sochi2014
— pieminister (@pieminister) February 9, 2014

Yes, Bristol-based pie company Pieminister have got caught up in the Olympic spirit and offered Jenny a free pie or two to toast her success! And if she jumps at the chance, I’m sure she won’t be left filling disappointed! We’ve rated 8 of the pies from Pieminister already and you can read about those on our Pieminister pie review page!

These 'golden' Olympic pies were the Mr Kipling Pies featured in our '12 Pies of Christmas' video

While we don’t yet know if Jenny is a fan of the pie – though to be honest, what better way to warm yourself up after a few hours hitting the slopes?! – we will let you know if we hear of whether Jenny jumps at the chance for a free pie. You know we certainly would!

In the meantime, we’ll be continuing to enjoy eating pies and cheering on Team GB as we watch the Olym-pie-cs!

RAS

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This year, as part of our Pie Pledges for British Pie Week, we decided to head up to Leeds Leeds Leeds to do a #LeedsPieTour! One place we visited was Pieminister, a pie chain we know only too well, having reviewed many of their pies in the past. However, this time we went for something a bit different.....



As you can see from our Leeds Pie Tour video, we enjoyed some take away pie options from Pieminister. We have reviewed over a dozen of their pies before but nothing quite like the British Pie Week special known as 'The Hopper'. Believe it or not, in an attempt to produce something a bit different, Pieminister have gone for a pie containing cricket insects. We have eaten many usual pies, from Python to Squirrel, but this must surely go down as one of the weirdest!


Was this just a disgusting gimmick from Pieminister or was I bowled over by the cricket pie? As you can tell from the video, it took a bit of getting used to. I had expected the crickets to be in small pieces and difficult to discern when mixed in with the rest of the filling. But, in order to not disappoint those who were looking forward to crunching on invertebrates, the pie had plenty of whole crickets in all their exoskeleton glory. That said, the pie was not overly heavy on the crickets, this was, after all a Mexican chipotle chili, black bean AND cricket pie with plenty of other ingredients. I had expected a bit of crunch from the crickets, however, they were surprisingly soft. There lay the problem, the crickets didn't really seem to add much to this pie apart from perhaps a bit of protein. They didn't seem to add any flavour or texture and I suspect they could have been replaced by more black beans without making much difference. Therefore, it does seem like this pie was a bit of a publicity gimmick. However, this didn't stop it actually being a very flavoursome pie, the smokey chipotle chili flavour went really well with the signature Pieminister crispy pastry. The only downside was that the pie was a bit soft, there wasn't much to get your teeth into. However, it was enjoyable and actually, now I am used to the creepiness of the filling, it is something I would be happy to eat again! So the shock summary from this review is that the insect pie from Pieminister actually receives a Pierate Recommended award for scoring over 5 out of 7!

The Hopper - Cricket Insect (Pieminister)
Score: 5.04/7
[Colour 6.25, Capacity 5.75, Consistency 4.50, Condition 5.75, Chewiness 2.75, Cheapness 4.50, Content 5.75]

SJL

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Pieminister “Kate and Sidney” British Beef Steak, Kidney and Craft Ale Pie Review

Pieminister Steak and Kidney Pie Review

It hasn’t escaped my attention as a pie connoisseur in England’s second city Birmingham that there has been a bit of a lack of pie shops in the city, especially following the closure of “Urban Pie” a few years back. It was therefore encouraging to see that top pie maker Pieminister – from whom we have rated sixteen pies previously, the majority of whom have been Pierate Recommended or Pierate Highly Recommended – have changed all that with a new shop opening a few months ago in the heart of the city centre.

While some of you may have noticed on Twitter that we visited early on in their first week of trading in the city a few months back, we decided to visit again more recently once they had properly settled in to their new location to get a proper reflection of the new store. Of course we weren’t disappointed, with another top rated and highly recommended pie! The store itself is decorated in standard Pieminister fashion – quite simple brick façade with neon lights. It’s great to have another pie option right in the heart of the city, just off Victoria Square at 16 Waterloo Street.



So onto the pie I had, which when I looked at the menu was becoming a struggle to find a new option we hadn’t already rated!! I went for the “Kate and Sidney” pie, which was British Beef Steak, Kidney and Craft Ale. I went for the classic meal with a super side upgrade of skin on fries, which meant my meal cost £8.50. This is a little pricey for a meal of pie, mash and gravy, but being in a new city centre store and comparing this to pie meals in pubs and shops in the city centre, I don’t think this is too unreasonable a price.

Pieminister Steak and Kidney Pie Review

As you can see from the pictures, the pie was lovely and golden on top, though certainly a lot more pale on the sides. However the sides and base were quite crisp too, alongside the golden top. The lovely Pieminister pastry one again surrounded a well filled content, with a definite focus on meaty steak chunks rather than the kidney. I was appreciative of this decent blend, as many steak and kidney pies can use the kidney as a cheap filler for a pie, but this was certainly not the case here! The balance between crisp pastry and a moist, meaty filling was delightful and I’ll definitely look to have another one soon!

Once again Pieminister have produced a Pierate Highly Recommended pie and I for one am delighted they’ve decided to sell it – alongside their other top range of pies - in the heart of England’s second city, Birmingham!

Pieminister “Kate and Sidney” British Beef Steak, Kidney and Craft Ale Pie
Score: 6.04/7
[Colour 6, Capacity 6.25, Consistency 6, Condition 6.25, Chewiness 6.25, Cheapness 5.5, Content 6]
RAS

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