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Showing posts with label Fullers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fullers. Show all posts
Monday, 8 December 2014
Re-stocking up on the Old Joint Stock pie
Fuller's Ale and Pie House Steak Pie Review from The Old Joint Stock Pub in Birmingham City Centre
You may remember that the Pierateers did a joint pie review of the Fuller’s Ale and Pie House chain back in March 2013, with all three Pierateers enjoying the various pies that they ate at a very reasonable price of £9.75. Well fast forward 14 months to May 2014* and we decided to once again stock up on a pie from the Old Joint Stock to see how their pies were fairing on the 7 Cs.
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| Old Joint Stock Ale and Pie House - Steak Pie |
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| Old Joint Stock Pie Menu |
As the pie was brought to the table, it was clear a lot had changed since his last visit on the pie front too. Not just the price, but the shape and the pastry lid toping too! Much smaller and thinner, but also taller, than the previous pie, they had also changed from a shortcrust base and sides but big puff pastry lid effort to a shortcrust all the way round style. The summary of this was that Pierateer RAS felt the overall consistency in quality of pastry was stronger in this new version, as it had been noted the pastry varied in quality quite considerably in the last visit, but the lack of a puff pastry lid was a slight disappointment.
However how would the capacity fair? Certainly I hadn’t rated many pies with such height before, but alas when cutting through the pie the disappointment was evident. The capacity was about two-thirds at best, and certainly not the well filled pie he had hoped for, considering it was quite a small circumference to the pie.
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| Old Joint Stock Ale and Pie House - Steak Pie Review |
While the meat was very nice and tender, and the gravy added a nice flavour to the pie, the lack of content in what is quite a costly pie meal does hold it back from getting the high scores of our previous visit. I would eat it again but would certainly peruse the rest of the menu first.
Fuller’s Ale and Pie House [Old Joint Stock] Steak and ESB Ale Pie
Score: 4.61/7
[Colour 5.5, Capacity 4, Consistency 4.5, Condition 5.5, Chewiness 5, Cheapness 3.25, Content 4.5, Total: 4.61/7]
RAS
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Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Fuller’s can take the pies out of Melton Mowbray...
Pie Reviews from the Melton Mowbray Pub in Holborn, part of the Fuller's Ale and Pie House chain
They say you can take the pies out of Melton Mowbray but you can’t take Melton Mowbray out of the pie. Or come to think of it, perhaps they don’t say that and we just completely made that up... Anyways, the important thing to clarify here was that these pies were eaten in the Melton Mowbray pub, which is actually a pub in... well, London. But their “house pie” (the Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie) was brought down from Melton Mowbray, as all top pork pies should be! In any case, with another Fuller’s Ale and Pie House on the horizon, two of the Pierateers – TJP and RAS – honed in on the Melton Mowbray pub in Holborn, central London for another pie. And intriguingly, the pies on offer were all different to any of the other Fuller’s Ale and Pie Houses they had been to (bar the classic “Steak and Fuller’s Ale” pie, which you would expect at every Fuller’s establishment). And with such a variety of new pies on offer, the talk immediately turned to the Pie Tasting Board. With 5 pies – four new pies and a Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie to follow – the Pierateers were in for a busy evening!
The Steak
and Fuller’s Ale pie contained very tender pieces of steak, with some delicious
nuggets of steak-ness in nice gravy. While the Fuller’s Ale flavouring to the
gravy could have been a bit more apparent and a couple of pieces of steak were
a bit well-done and therefore dry, the overall flavour of this pie was very
good. It was certainly better than the Steak and Fuller’s Ale pie eaten in the Mad
Hatter pub previously. The capacity was very strong for such a small pie and
the meatilicious filling made it the top rated new pie of the evening.
While the
Ham and Leek pie was slightly less packed with meat than its steak neighbour,
the capacity of ham and leek goodness was apparent when cutting into this pie
(despite the size). It was an interesting choice, as there had been few pies
eaten by the Pierateers where ham played the leading role. While often second
fiddle to chicken in a joint pie, the ham was very good quality and the white
wine cream sauce complemented the ham and leek well. The main detractor from
this pie was a rather overly strong hint of mustard seed throughout this pie, which
particularly for such a small pie was slightly too much.
After
finally getting our hands on a Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie, we were intrigued
as to what it would taste like. Cutting through the pie, there was quite a
potent aroma which could be pinned down to the Somerset Brie. Within the pie,
there were some large pieces of Sweet Potato which made the capacity of the pie
particularly impressive. The Brie was primarily within the cheesy sauce which
encapsulated the sweet potato, though there was a small piece in the corner of
the pie which was quite strong. The sweet potato was quite nice, soft and not
at all mushy. The flavour idea seemed good and it was an interesting change to
the standard vegetarian pies on offer in pubs, however the flavour quickly
became rather overpowering and while a small pie was acceptable, it was
imagined that a full sized pie would be rather sickening.
continue reading "Fuller’s can take the pies out of Melton Mowbray..."
They say you can take the pies out of Melton Mowbray but you can’t take Melton Mowbray out of the pie. Or come to think of it, perhaps they don’t say that and we just completely made that up... Anyways, the important thing to clarify here was that these pies were eaten in the Melton Mowbray pub, which is actually a pub in... well, London. But their “house pie” (the Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie) was brought down from Melton Mowbray, as all top pork pies should be! In any case, with another Fuller’s Ale and Pie House on the horizon, two of the Pierateers – TJP and RAS – honed in on the Melton Mowbray pub in Holborn, central London for another pie. And intriguingly, the pies on offer were all different to any of the other Fuller’s Ale and Pie Houses they had been to (bar the classic “Steak and Fuller’s Ale” pie, which you would expect at every Fuller’s establishment). And with such a variety of new pies on offer, the talk immediately turned to the Pie Tasting Board. With 5 pies – four new pies and a Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie to follow – the Pierateers were in for a busy evening!
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| Melton Mowbray Pie Platter |
So in the
upper mezzanine overlooking the main pub area, the Pierateers eagerly awaited
their pie board for a Fuller’s piefest! And the overall first impressions were
good. While the pies were of course quite small, due to being part of a tasting
plate rather than each being a meal themselves, the presentation was very
impressive and the Pierateers were ready to dig in! The puff pastry on all the
four Fuller’s pies looked amazing and they all looked well put together. The
puff pastry lid did look a bit like a last minute addition to the pie but was
light and bursting out towards you. It complemented the thicker pastry base
holding in the content, which though quite thick, was tasty and a lot more
edible than the solid pastry served at the Old Joint Stock Fuller’s Ale and Pie
House. There was also a decent chunk of Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie to.
The only
issue that arose from the time they dug into the pies was that there had been a
bit of a mix up with the pies and we had accidentally been served two Steak and
Fuller’s Ale pies, with a Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie missing. Of
course, no-one wants to be a Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie short of a Pie
Tasting Board! So with it mentioned to the very helpful staff at the pub, a
sixth pie was produced and the Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie could join
the Fuller’s piefest!
Onto the
individual flavours then:
Fuller’s Ale
and Pie House [Melton Mowbray] Steak and Fuller’s Ale Pie
Score: 5.46/7
(RAS and TJP)
The Steak
and Fuller’s Ale pie contained very tender pieces of steak, with some delicious
nuggets of steak-ness in nice gravy. While the Fuller’s Ale flavouring to the
gravy could have been a bit more apparent and a couple of pieces of steak were
a bit well-done and therefore dry, the overall flavour of this pie was very
good. It was certainly better than the Steak and Fuller’s Ale pie eaten in the Mad
Hatter pub previously. The capacity was very strong for such a small pie and
the meatilicious filling made it the top rated new pie of the evening.
Fuller’s Ale
and Pie House [Melton Mowbray] Ham and Leek Pie
Score:
4.95/7 (RAS and TJP)
While the
Ham and Leek pie was slightly less packed with meat than its steak neighbour,
the capacity of ham and leek goodness was apparent when cutting into this pie
(despite the size). It was an interesting choice, as there had been few pies
eaten by the Pierateers where ham played the leading role. While often second
fiddle to chicken in a joint pie, the ham was very good quality and the white
wine cream sauce complemented the ham and leek well. The main detractor from
this pie was a rather overly strong hint of mustard seed throughout this pie, which
particularly for such a small pie was slightly too much.
Fuller’s Ale
and Pie House [Melton Mowbray] Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato Pie
Score: 4.25/7
(RAS and TJP)
After
finally getting our hands on a Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie, we were intrigued
as to what it would taste like. Cutting through the pie, there was quite a
potent aroma which could be pinned down to the Somerset Brie. Within the pie,
there were some large pieces of Sweet Potato which made the capacity of the pie
particularly impressive. The Brie was primarily within the cheesy sauce which
encapsulated the sweet potato, though there was a small piece in the corner of
the pie which was quite strong. The sweet potato was quite nice, soft and not
at all mushy. The flavour idea seemed good and it was an interesting change to
the standard vegetarian pies on offer in pubs, however the flavour quickly
became rather overpowering and while a small pie was acceptable, it was
imagined that a full sized pie would be rather sickening.
Fuller’s Ale
and Pie House [Melton Mowbray] Chicken and Sweetcorn Pie
Score: 3.88/7
(RAS and TJP)
While the
idea of eating a Chicken and Sweetcorn pie sounded good, and the menu made
reference to chicken broth and roasted onion to, it was unfortunately one of
the blandest and most unidentifiable pies the Pierateers had eaten. While it
may have just suffered from small pie syndrome (where a small pie does not
reflect the quality of a larger version due to lack of space to pack in a
decent level of content and thus flavour), this pie literally contained one
average sized piece of chicken and seven (yes, we counted) pieces of sweetcorn.
None of the menu-defined filling had any noticeable flavour and we were left
with a bit of a spice hit at the end simply due to the presence of a bit of spice
in the final mouthful, which did not complement the rest of the pie. A
promising sounding pie flavour was sadly let down by the quantity and quality
of the filling. [Apologies, we were so taken aback by the lack of content in this pie, we forgot to actually photograph it!]
The
Dickinson & Morris Melton Mowbray Pork Pie has of course recently been reviewed by the
Pierateers and the review can be found here, but was a good addition to the Pie
Tasting Board. It was good to see that the Melton Mowbray pub in Holborn,
London had gone straight to the top by transporting Dickinson & Morris Pork
Pie from Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe in Melton Mowbray for the good of the London
pie consumer.
Overall, it
was a good selection of pies at the Melton Mowbray pub, which expand the
variety of pies offered by the Fuller’s Ale and Pie House chain but the quality and quantity could be
slightly improved on to be one of the top rated pies we’ve eaten.
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!
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Saturday, 30 March 2013
Do they stock pie in this joint that will make us Fuller’s?
Fuller's Ale and Pie House Pie Review from The Old Joint Stock Pub in Birmingham City Centre
Chicken, Mushroom & Silver Onion Pie (£9.75)
Pierateer
RAS went for a Chicken, Mushroom and Silver Onions Pie. The chicken, mushroom
and onion content in a light white wine and cream sauce was a delicious mix
which was filling and complemented each other well. The chicken and mushroom
were perfectly cooked through, tender and not at all chewy, with a slight
crunch provided by the Silver Onions present. The creamy sauce was perfect,
keeping the content moist and lightening the overly solid sides and base of the
pie. That turned out to be the main flaw in the pie, as the puff pastry lid was
very light and tasty, but the sides and base of the pie were very difficult to
cut through, let alone chew on. All in all, a very nice pie filling and glad to
be served a pie that was fully encased in pastry, but a slightly less firm base
and sides would be preferable.
Chicken, Chorizo & Sun-Dried Tomato Pie (£9.95)
Great pie, unusual tomato taste sauce which I liked, good quality meat, could have been more chorizo. This pie was really let down by the solid pastry base as were all the pies in this establishment.
Fuller's Ale and Pie House [Old Joint Stock] Chicken chorizo sundried tomato Pie
Score: 5.57/7 (SJL)
[colour 7 consistency 6 capacity 6 chewiness 3 cheapness 5 content 6 condition 6]
Old Joint Stock House Pie (£9.75)
I opted for the Old Joint Stock House pie, which is a pie consisting of "diced gammon, hard boiled egg and sweet corn in a creamy wholegrain mustard & white wine sauce." Certainly a novel addition of the hard boiled egg there - apart from the Jumbuck's Bacon and Egg pie, I'm not sure I've seen egg featuring so prominently in a pie before. Is it an under-rated pie ingredient? No! It works well! As do all of the ingredients in this delicious house pie. The sauce was creamy, and the mustard complemented the gammon well.
I also like the look of this pie. The square lid juxtaposed against the round base gives this pie a quirky appeal. Sometimes you get the feeling that chefs put a pie on the menu because they have to. This doesn't seem to be the case in the Old Joint Stock. Here, the puff pastry bursts out flamboyantly, as if this pie really is proud to be a pie after all. There's an interesting array of pies available in this establishment - enough to keep a Pierateer coming back for more.
My only qualm really is that the pastry base was pretty solid. I found it difficult to cut without accidentally tipping the pie up onto its side and spilling the contents.
Fuller's Ale and Pie House [Old Joint Stock] House Pie (Gammon and Egg)
Score: 5.68/7 (TJP)
The three
Pierateers descended on the Old Joint Stock pub, part of the Fuller’s Ale and Pie House chain, on a rainy Birmingham evening. While not a factor in the pie
reviewing itself, it was a great setting for the Pierateers to enjoy a pie
together, on the upper mezzanine overlooking the main bar. While the weather outside
was miserable, the Pierateers were in good spirit following a highly productive
two hour Pierate AGM. Many great ideas had been discussed and shared, with the
mission still clearly to not stop eating and reviewing pies until every pie had
been added to the blog. But however high the spirits were, this was not to bias
the reviews. So let’s get eating:
Chicken, Mushroom & Silver Onion Pie (£9.75)
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| Fuller's Ale and Pie House Chicken, Mushroom and Silver Onions Pie |
Pierateer
RAS went for a Chicken, Mushroom and Silver Onions Pie. The chicken, mushroom
and onion content in a light white wine and cream sauce was a delicious mix
which was filling and complemented each other well. The chicken and mushroom
were perfectly cooked through, tender and not at all chewy, with a slight
crunch provided by the Silver Onions present. The creamy sauce was perfect,
keeping the content moist and lightening the overly solid sides and base of the
pie. That turned out to be the main flaw in the pie, as the puff pastry lid was
very light and tasty, but the sides and base of the pie were very difficult to
cut through, let alone chew on. All in all, a very nice pie filling and glad to
be served a pie that was fully encased in pastry, but a slightly less firm base
and sides would be preferable.
Fuller's Ale and Pie House [Old Joint Stock] Chicken, Mushroom and Silver Onions Pie
Score: 5.75/7 (RAS)Chicken, Chorizo & Sun-Dried Tomato Pie (£9.95)
Great pie, unusual tomato taste sauce which I liked, good quality meat, could have been more chorizo. This pie was really let down by the solid pastry base as were all the pies in this establishment.
Fuller's Ale and Pie House [Old Joint Stock] Chicken chorizo sundried tomato Pie
Score: 5.57/7 (SJL)
[colour 7 consistency 6 capacity 6 chewiness 3 cheapness 5 content 6 condition 6]
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| Old Joint Stock House Pie |
I also like the look of this pie. The square lid juxtaposed against the round base gives this pie a quirky appeal. Sometimes you get the feeling that chefs put a pie on the menu because they have to. This doesn't seem to be the case in the Old Joint Stock. Here, the puff pastry bursts out flamboyantly, as if this pie really is proud to be a pie after all. There's an interesting array of pies available in this establishment - enough to keep a Pierateer coming back for more.
My only qualm really is that the pastry base was pretty solid. I found it difficult to cut without accidentally tipping the pie up onto its side and spilling the contents.
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| You can really see the egg. |
Fuller's Ale and Pie House [Old Joint Stock] House Pie (Gammon and Egg)
Score: 5.68/7 (TJP)
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