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Showing posts with label GBBO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GBBO. Show all posts
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Reci-pie Review: The Great British Apple Pie Bake Off
Oh my apple pie! The Great British Bake Off is back on our TV!!!
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| What better sight than a row of freshly baked pies? |
But one thing many of you may remember from last year, away from the main Wednesday night show, was how we aboard the Pierate Ship got involved in the Bake Off - and Pie Week in particular! Not only did we have a steak pie-off between Paul and Mary that has had a whopping 1,600 views already but we also then got invited to star on Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice! Yes - those two odd people who cooked an exotic pie for Michel Roux Jnr to rate (we cooked a genuine crocodile pie, for goodness sake!!!) were in fact none other than Pierateer Rob (who has since been on BBC One's Rip Off Britain as a pie expert) and the Ship's Cook - who is about to reveal to the world how Mary and Paul's pies rate in her latest GBBO pie-off to see who will be crowned Star Baker in 2015! Bring on the pies!!!
Re-live the pielights of British Bake Off 2013's finale with their Picnic Pie Challenge! See all the pies and our Pierate analysis in our article "Great British Bake Off - The Final: Pie Review Tweets"
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Excellent news for all you cake, bread, biscuit, pastry and especially pie fans - The Great British Bake Off is back! The adverts have been counting down the days and I just couldn't resist any longer... I had to get into the kitchen and bake some pies.
You might remember that last year I pitted Paul Hollywood against Mary Berry by rating their steak pie recipes. Well it's time for a rematch and this time I've been testing their apple pie recipes.
The Recipes:
Mary Berry's Proper Apple Pie is a classic recipe - just apples, sugar and shortcrust pastry (you can find it here). Paul Hollywood, however, takes a more regional approach with a mix of apples and the surprising addition of cheese in his Yorkshire Apple and Wensleydale Pie (which you can find here).
So, which of the Bake Off judges did I crown Star Baker? Read on to find out!
Close competition: #TeamMary on the left and #TeamPaul on the right
The Seven Cs:
Colour:
Both pies were a beautiful golden brown and looked really appetising, although Paul's pies had some extra crispy patches from where the cheese had leaked out which I think just gives him the edge in this category.
Consistency:
Mary's pie was my favourite in this category, with a lovely jammy apple sauce alongside the chunks of apple. Paul's pies had a nice creamy texture from the cheese and certainly weren't dry, but they didn't have the same sauce-like quality as Mary's.
Capacity:
Both scored pretty highly in this category with plenty of filling, although if you make Paul's pies be sure to pack the slices of apple really firmly into the crust, otherwise when they cook down you get a bit of an air gap under the lid.
Chewiness:
Paul and Mary have slightly different ways of cooking the apple in their pies, but in both versions you end up with soft, mushy apple with just a little bit of bite left. The cheese in Paul's pies was soft and melted which added a nice creamy texture alongside the apple.
Cheapness:
These are both really cheap pies - some cooking apples and sugar won't cost you very much. Technically Mary wins in this category because you don't have to buy any Wensleydale, but the cheese isn't exactly going to cost a fortune!
Content:
Both pie fillings are delicious. Apples and sugar, great. Apples and cheese, also great. Paul just sneaks ahead with the novelty value of added cheese though.
Condition:
I made mini pies rather than large ones because even I can't eat two giant pies in one sitting, and they looked lovely - golden brown, the perfect round pie shape and the filling stayed put when I cut them in half. I think it's safe to assume that the full sized versions would work just as well.
#TeamMary scoring ever so slightly higher in the capacity category...
And the winner is...
So here's the thing - Paul's apple and cheese pies are seriously delicious. I could not stop eating them. They're sweet and salty and melty and just really really good. However...if I'm having apple pie for pudding I want to put ice cream or custard on it, or even ice cream AND custard. I cannot do that if you've put cheese in my pie (well, I could, but it would be terrible). So if this was just a pie Bake Off then Paul would win hands down, because cheese and pastry makes the best combination. But unfortunately for Paul this is an apple pie Bake Off, so Mary's lovely traditional pies are going to be smothered in custard and she will be pronounced Star Baker!
The Ship's Cook
Pierate is a pie review website charting a course to find 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.
Or why not check out the growing list of all the Ship's Cook Pie Recipe Reviews? Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
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Friday, 5 September 2014
Michel Roux Jr rates an extra slice of the Pierateer’s Crocodile Pie
In our first ever TV appearance, Michel Roux Jr rated the Pierateer's Crocodile Pie on NATIONAL TELEVISION!!!
In what is one of, if not the most, surreal moments in Pierate history, Pierateer Rob and The Ship’s Cook Emily were complimented for the quality of their pie pastry during an appearance on BBC Two’s Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice. Having sampled the Crocodile Pie that Pierateer Rob made, Michel Roux Jr (the acclaimed Michelin Star Chef at Le Gavroche and judge on Masterchef: The Professionals) complemented the quality of the pastry – even if the filling let us down when he found the crocodile meat a little dry. Don't think we'd have got 7/7 on our 7 Cs of pie rating!
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| The Crocodile Pie and Pastry Crocodile on the Extra Slice set |
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| Thanks for favouriting our tweets Michel Roux Jr and Shappi! |
But considering we just make and rate pies for "The love of pie", this was a massive coup for Pierateer Rob, who was in fact making his first ever pie pastry completely by hand, rather than using shop bought (it must be remembered that we are primarily Pierateers – raters of other people’s pies – rather than pie makers!) and you can read about how the Crocodile Pie was made in our reci-pie article.
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| Crocodile |
While we are of course completely biased, it came as no sur-pies that Jo and the celebrity panel were very intrigued by the Crocodile Pie that the Pierateers brought in. No strangers to exotic pie baking on their Pierate pie blog, they had previously made Zebra and Horse Pies, along with Wildebeest and Springbok Pies and a hugely unsuccessful Python Pie (or Pie-thon, as we called it!)
The panel had a mixed reaction to the Crocodile Pie, with the afore mentioned Michel Roux Jr thoroughly enjoying the pastry but Alan Johnson MP and comedian Shappi Khorsandi both refusing to eat the pie, the latter in fact claiming she had turned vegetarian in between finishing the previous meat pie being sampled and the sampling of the Crocodile pie! (Perhaps Shappi should check out our Vegetarian pie reviews page instead!)
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| The Crocodile Pie made for the Extra Slice |
But it sure is nice to get a com-pie-lement from a world renowned celebrity chef of the calibre of Michel Roux Jr every now and then! And who knows - perhaps after sampling our pie Michel will invite us round to his place for a pastry sampling at Le Gavroche sometime?!
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| Pierateer Rob and the Pierate Ship's Cook, Emily |
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| "Show us your pies!" - during the TV coverage (Screenshot from BBC, taken by Shereen) |
RAS
Pierate is a pie review website charting a course to find 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.
If watching us on the Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice has ins-pie-red you to want to get in touch with the Pierateers, please visit our Contact Us page. Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
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The Croc is coming... #GBBO
The crocodile pie is coming! Check it out tonight on BBC2's
Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice at 9pm!
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| Crocodile |
If you missed it live, you can watch our TV debut now on BBC Pie-player:
Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice (Episode 5)
However, due to time pressure, a lot of what we said in the studio was edited out of the show. So once you have watched the programme, don't forget to get the full picture by reading our article on the show!
Pierate is a pie review website charting a course to find 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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Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Reci-pie Review: The Great British Steak Pie Bake Off
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| #TeamMary Pie |
I am currently very VERY excited, and you should be too.
Why? Because the new series of Great British Bake Off is nearly here! To keep myself occupied while I wait impatiently, I’ve been conducting a reci-pie review in honour of the two great baking deities that are Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.
Yes, you read that correctly, I tested out two pies at once this time. It was the battle of the baking legends… Mary Berry vs Paul Hollywood in the GREAT BRITISH STEAK PIE BAKE OFF!
Re-live the pielights of British Bake Off 2013's finale with their Picnic Pie Challenge! See all the pies and our Pierate analysis in our article "Great British Bake Off - The Final: Pie Review Tweets"
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| #TeamPaul Pie |
The recipes:
It was difficult to choose which pies I wanted to bake because between them Mary and Paul have a pretty extensive baking repertoire. For a fair comparison I chose two steak pies – Mary Berry’s steak and mushroom and Paul Hollywood’s meat and potato.
Mary Berry’s steak
and mushroom pie – from Mary Berry’s
Complete Cookbook, p. 224
.JPG)
The filling:
I large onion, chopped
750g stewing steak, cut into 1 inch pieces
30g plain flour
½ pint beef stock
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
500g mushrooms
I large onion, chopped
750g stewing steak, cut into 1 inch pieces
30g plain flour
½ pint beef stock
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
500g mushrooms
The pastry:
Shortcrust pastry, brushed with beaten egg
Shortcrust pastry, brushed with beaten egg
The method:
Fry the onions and brown the steak, then add the flour and cook for a few minutes. Then add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and simmer for 2 hours. Add the mushrooms and simmer for a further 30 minutes before leaving the filling to cool. Meanwhile, make the shortcrust pastry. Use a thin strip around the edge of the pie dish, then top the pie with the rest –(use a pie bird in the middle). Cut off the excess pastry and crimp the edges, make sure there’s a hole in the top for the steam to come out and then brush the pastry with beaten egg. Cook at 200 degrees C for 30 minutes.
Fry the onions and brown the steak, then add the flour and cook for a few minutes. Then add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and simmer for 2 hours. Add the mushrooms and simmer for a further 30 minutes before leaving the filling to cool. Meanwhile, make the shortcrust pastry. Use a thin strip around the edge of the pie dish, then top the pie with the rest –(use a pie bird in the middle). Cut off the excess pastry and crimp the edges, make sure there’s a hole in the top for the steam to come out and then brush the pastry with beaten egg. Cook at 200 degrees C for 30 minutes.
Paul Hollywood’s meat
and potato pie – from Paul Hollywood’s
Pies and Puds, p.92
2 large onions, chopped
700g chuck steak (braising steak), cut into 1 inch pieces
400g waxy potatoes, cut into small chunks
400g floury potatoes, cut into small chunks
Salt and pepper
The pastry:
Suet pastry
Suet pastry
The method:
Put the onions, steak, salt and pepper in a pan, with just enough water to cover them. Simmer for 1 ½ hours, then add the potatoes and simmer for another ½ hour or until the potatoes are cooked. Pour off some of the liquid to use as gravy (leave enough so that the mixture still has some sauce) then leave the filling to cool while you make the pastry. Use a thin strip around the edge of the pie dish, then top the pie with the rest, cutting off the excess pastry and crimping the edges. Make a hole in the top for the steam to come out then cook at 200 degrees C for 30-40 minutes then rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Put the onions, steak, salt and pepper in a pan, with just enough water to cover them. Simmer for 1 ½ hours, then add the potatoes and simmer for another ½ hour or until the potatoes are cooked. Pour off some of the liquid to use as gravy (leave enough so that the mixture still has some sauce) then leave the filling to cool while you make the pastry. Use a thin strip around the edge of the pie dish, then top the pie with the rest, cutting off the excess pastry and crimping the edges. Make a hole in the top for the steam to come out then cook at 200 degrees C for 30-40 minutes then rest for 10 minutes before serving.
.JPG)
The Seven Cs:
Colour:
Both pies scored very highly in this category, with Mary’s pie turning golden brown and Paul’s a slightly darker brown. Both kinds of pastry looked crispy and appetising.
Both pies scored very highly in this category, with Mary’s pie turning golden brown and Paul’s a slightly darker brown. Both kinds of pastry looked crispy and appetising.
Consistency:
Mary’s pie scored
slightly higher here, as the gravy in this pie was a little bit thicker than
Paul’s, and the Worcestershire sauce made it taste just that little bit nicer.
However Paul’s does give you extra gravy to pour all over your pie/mash/chips/peas/beans/whatever,
which is a bonus, so again it was pretty close.
Capacity:
I hate to say it, but neither Paul nor Mary scored very highly here because both recipes call for a top crust only. Technically there was plenty of filling in the pie dish, but I’m writing for pie purists here so I’m going to have to deduct some points for the lack of pastry bottom and sides.
I hate to say it, but neither Paul nor Mary scored very highly here because both recipes call for a top crust only. Technically there was plenty of filling in the pie dish, but I’m writing for pie purists here so I’m going to have to deduct some points for the lack of pastry bottom and sides.
Chewiness:
Luckily, Paul and Mary have redeemed themselves here with top marks. The beef in both pies is deliciously soft and melts in your mouth, the mushrooms in Mary’s pie and the potatoes in Paul’s pie add an interesting texture and the onions in both are soft and melty and delicious. I kept eating both fillings while I was waiting for them to cool because they were so tasty.
Luckily, Paul and Mary have redeemed themselves here with top marks. The beef in both pies is deliciously soft and melts in your mouth, the mushrooms in Mary’s pie and the potatoes in Paul’s pie add an interesting texture and the onions in both are soft and melty and delicious. I kept eating both fillings while I was waiting for them to cool because they were so tasty.
Cheapness:
There really isn’t much in this. Both pies are very reasonable, with only a few ingredients that aren’t store-cupboard staples (in fact as I usually have mushrooms, onions and potatoes for other recipes the only things I needed to buy were beef and suet). You also get massive pies so you can either feed all your friends and family or hang onto the leftovers for future meals, so you’re going to get good value either way.
There really isn’t much in this. Both pies are very reasonable, with only a few ingredients that aren’t store-cupboard staples (in fact as I usually have mushrooms, onions and potatoes for other recipes the only things I needed to buy were beef and suet). You also get massive pies so you can either feed all your friends and family or hang onto the leftovers for future meals, so you’re going to get good value either way.
Content:
I’ll be honest, neither of these scores points for originality, but the classics are classics for a reason. Both pies are delicious. In our house Mary Berry won (but only just) because we liked the gravy in her pie better, but no self-respecting pie fan is going to turn their nose up at either of these.
I’ll be honest, neither of these scores points for originality, but the classics are classics for a reason. Both pies are delicious. In our house Mary Berry won (but only just) because we liked the gravy in her pie better, but no self-respecting pie fan is going to turn their nose up at either of these.
Condition:
Both pies came out of the
oven looking beautiful, and they held together really well when we served them.
Top marks for both.
And the winner is…
I’m just not sure I can choose – it’s going to have to be one of those rare Bake Off weeks where no contestants are sent home. When I tasted the fillings I was pretty sure Mary had won this one – I cannot oversell that delicious gravy. Unfortunately the competition was made more complicated when I tried the pastry…don’t get me wrong, I love shortcrust pastry on a pie, but Paul’s suet pastry was just so golden and crispy, with such a lovely flavour from the beef suet, that I kept going back to both pies for more!
I’m just not sure I can choose – it’s going to have to be one of those rare Bake Off weeks where no contestants are sent home. When I tasted the fillings I was pretty sure Mary had won this one – I cannot oversell that delicious gravy. Unfortunately the competition was made more complicated when I tried the pastry…don’t get me wrong, I love shortcrust pastry on a pie, but Paul’s suet pastry was just so golden and crispy, with such a lovely flavour from the beef suet, that I kept going back to both pies for more!
I’d definitely encourage
you to try these pies and see which you think is best, though I bet you won’t
be able to choose either! To be honest, I think the ultimate pie would use
Mary’s filling with Paul’s pastry – which just goes to prove that they make as
good a partnership when it comes to pie as they do when it comes to Bake Off
judging!
The Ship's Cook
The Ship's Cook
.JPG)
Pierate is a pie review website charting a course to find 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.
Or why not check out the growing list of all the Ship's Cook Pie Recipe Reviews? Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
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Thursday, 24 October 2013
Great British Bake Off - The Final: Pie Review Tweets
Thanks to Bake Off stars Frances, Beca and Ali for taking the time to read our blog!
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So you may have heard of a little show on BBC Two called "The Great British Bake Off"? Just a few million (well, 9.1 million to be precise) tuned in to watch at least part of the final and for those who didn't - it's still on BBC Pie-player right now!
One of the challenges for our bakers in the final was to make a Picnic Pie. Of course, no soggy bottoms would be permissable by Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry if they wanted to have the perfect pie! Sadly we weren't invited to be able to fully rate the pies on the Seven Cs. But what did the Pierateers think of the pies on show? Well, I'm glad you asked! Here's our tweet by tweet pie review. And if you don't want to find out who made the best pie and who won the whole bake off... it's best to look away now!
Ok guys: just catching
up on @BritishBakeOff on BBC
pie-player! If you don't want to find out about the pies, look away now! #GBBO #bakepie
Alternatively, if you
want to see the Pierateers viewpoint on @BritishBakeOff then just follow
the hashtag #bakepie And we're off!
Sorry @sueperkins but you've already made a
mistake 10 seconds in! For a summer party, a classic ingredient you need is
pie! #bakepie
Why does EVERY reality
contest show start with a "And the winner of (insert title here)
is..." montage? @BritishBakeOff
#GBBO #bakepie
Looking forward to the
wildcard pie of the @BritishBakeOff
tent! #bakepie
Consistency in baking
is key once you've got a top pie recipe @PaulHollywood "That's 1 of
the nicest pies I've had" @BritishBakeOff
#bakepie
Creative baking! We
like creative pies on http://www.pierate.co.uk - but need style and substance! @BritishBakeOff #GBBO #bakepie
"I need to bake my
flipping socks off!!!" - what every pie maker should think when the
Pierateers come for pie! @BritishBakeOff
#bakepie
From @sueperkins - "We'd like you to
make a savoury picnic pie" - so do I!!! Your making me hungry again! @BritishBakeOff #GBBO #bakepie
Short crust pastry,
elaborate looking, when you cut into it we want some design inside, presented
out of the tin - sounds amazing! #bakepie
"We want to see
pastry again" - @PaulHollywood
"We want no #soggybottoms" - Mary Berry. These
judges know their stuff! #GBBO #bakepie
"The filling
should be in definite layers so that as you cut through it they...don't spill
into each other" Mary @BritishBakeOff
#bakepie
"You're looking
for a nice crispy shell... a beautiful golden brown colour" - @PaulHollywood knows the 7 Cs! http://www.pierate.co.uk/p/the-seven-cs.html … #bakepie
"Good flavour,
good texture, good appearance...they've got to be perfect!" - Mary knows
about the 7 Cs to! http://www.pierate.co.uk/p/the-seven-cs.html … #bakepie
"The rainbow
inside Frances' pie..." - seriously, my jaw is on the floor already! @BritishBakeOff #GBBO #bakepie
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| Frances' Rainbow Picnic Pie - Screenshot from BBC |
"Frances grew up making cakes for friends..." err... and pies?! Don't let me down! @BritishBakeOff #GBBO #teampie #bakepie
"Ruby's picnic
basket is a vegetarian pie..." - interesting choice, though already
questioning the lack of meat from @SouthendsRock
#bakepie
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| Ruby's Picnic Basket Pie - Screenshot from BBC |
"It's the battle of the baskets!" - Mel on @BritishBakeOff - Classic!!! #GBBO #bakepie
"The picnic pie
pastry needs to be just short enough to crumble when eaten" - Amen to
that! @BritishBakeOff #GBBO #bakepie
"...but strong
enough to support the weight of the filling without being overworked &
tough." - Can't forget that! @BritishBakeOff
#bakepie
"A white pastry, a
green pastry...and a pink one." - are you being serious?! Get me that
pie...now! @BritishBakeOff #bakepie
What are you doing with
pink pastry? Oh... making pink pastry pigs! For your chicken and pig pie! Of
course! @BritishBakeOff #GBBO #bakepie
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| Kimberley's Chicken and Pig Pie - Screenshot from BBC |
"Tins lined with pastry, the finalist must prepare their fillings!" - Biggest enemy is moisture - no #soggybottoms! @BritishBakeOff #bakepie
Cooking the filling
first... interesting #pietactics @BritishBakeOff #GBBO #bakepie
If only everyone could
cook pie that quickly! Looking great though - even if they need a bit of
"wafting" @BritishBakeOff
#GBBO #bakepie
Uh oh!!! #soggybottom alert!!! "Step away
from the piggies Kimberley!" @BritishBakeOff
#bakepie
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| Frances' Rainbow Picnic Pie - Screenshot from BBC |
Pierateer feedback for
Frances: impressive top crust & colour, looks crisp, colourful content,
consistent filling. Great work! #bakepie
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| Kimberley's Chicken and Pig Pie - Screenshot from BBC |
Pierateer feedback for
Kim: pastry spoilt by the moisture, content sounds good but too wet! Very soft
looking texture. Needs work. #bakepie
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| Ruby's Picnic Basket Pie - Screenshot from BBC |
Pierateer feedback for
Ruby: Wow! Look at the filling layers! Not sure I'd enjoy the filling as much
but crust held together well! #bakepie
Sadly I can't give a
full 7 Cs assessment without tasting the pie itself. Maybe we'll be invited
along next year! @BritishBakeOff
#bakepie
Right... not gonna lie!
Skipping to the final 10 minutes to hear the result! @BritishBakeOff #GBBO #bakepie
Wait a second...why
aren't they carrying their pies out to friends & family?! Oh good... it's
already on the table! @BritishBakeOff
#bakepie
And the winner of the
2013 Great British Bake Off is... PIE!!!
Oops... I
mean...Frances! Well done! @BritishBakeOff
#GBBO #bakepie
What?!?! Ali still
hates fruit pies? No offence mate but you won't be getting an invite to the
next Pierate Pie Contest! #GBBO #bakepie
Well done to Team Bake
Off! Cracking example of pie making! We'll continue loving pie at http://www.pierate.co.uk @BritishBakeOff #bakepie
So there we have it! The Great British Bake Off is complete for another year, and while I feel Ruby made the best looking pie, sadly the cake let her down and Frances won the title. Of course, we'd be happy to test any of their future pie productions (as long as it didn't have a soggy bottom!) After all... we have rated a few pies in our time!
RAS
See our full list of pie reviews in our Pierate Pie Rankings or find pies in your favourite pie flavour in our Pies: Categorised lists.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
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