Pie fans ahoy! With over 600 pie reviews, Pierate is surely the web's premier pie resource. We've been eating and rating pies according to the 'Seven Cs' since 2009. Follow us on @pierateers. pierateship@yahoo.co.uk
Showing posts with label Minced Beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minced Beef. Show all posts
Friday, 13 January 2017
Billy's Bakehouse - Aussie Pies from The Netherlands!
Billy's Bakehouse - Pie Reviews
You might think that after 7 years of eating and reviewing pies it has become a bit repetitive. Surely there is only so much that can happen when reviewing various pastry packages? But, like the fillings themselves, the whole experience continues to lead to the unexpected. One of these more random experiences was when an Australian from the Netherlands gave me 21 pies in Birmingham on my way to Northampton. Now let me explain...
Darren comes from a small coastal town in Australia but has been living in the Netherlands for over 20 years. Unfortunately the Dutch are not into pies and Darren missed the pies he used to get in Australia. Like us, he found many of the frozen pies he could import from the UK were not up to scratch. His Dad was a butcher and his Mum a pie lady so with this background he thought he would try and make his own. When other people tried his pies, they quickly caught on. He soon started a business making fresh pies for pubs and doing festivals during the times of year when his building work was quieter. Given that demand was varied, fresh pies would spoil before being used so Darren started making frozen pies with the emphasis on making them quick to cook on demand. The brand Billy's Bakehouse was born, marketed as producing authentic Australian pies. He also decided to make an affordable, everyday pie rather than a premium gourmet pie. The pies are small so that they can be eaten with one hand and to open up the market to younger pie fans and women who typically would want a smaller pie.
It struck me that Darren has really thought about his market, more so than most pie makers I come across. From my experience, it does feel he has identified a bit of a gap in the market. Sales are good for Darren, particularly at music festivals, but there is one problem. The Dutch have no idea about pies! A meat pie in particular is not a concept they are familiar with, so to make headway with Dutch supermarkets he has his work cut out. Hence Darren has an ambitious plan to break into the UK market somehow, be that via a franchise or importing pies. This brought him over to chat to some companies and he also decided to contact the Pierateers to get our opinion!
We met for a coffee at Birmingham New Street station. Darren said he would be easy to spot as he would be the one with the esky. Hmm.... only problem is I didn't know what that was. Turns out it is an Aussie name for a coolbox. I brought my own cool bag to take some pies with me as I was on my way to visit friends in Northampton. I didn't expect that Darren would be giving me the whole coolbox filled with 21 pies! The coolbox was a slightly random thing to turn up at someone's house with, fortunately my friend had a big chest freezer! (This event only added to my reputation as being completely obsessed with pies.)
Darren claimed to have come up with a unique way of making the frozen pastry work. He said that coming at it from a non-culinary background had allowed him to think outside the box. He didn't let me in on the secret but said it was a bit unusual. Hopefully nothing too weird though!
Darren gave me detailed instructions for how to cook the pies. They must be cooked in the foil and on a baking tray. He also specified the relatively high temperature of 200°C. It felt like it was a bit of a science experiment rather than baking a pie. I was glad he gave me 21 pies so I could make sure I got some right! It also allowed me to share some with Pierateer Rob. (I meant to give him meat pies and chicken pies but turns out they were all meat, oops.) Whilst I tried to follow the instructions, perhaps there was some variability to the oven because some cooked better than others. Some had perhaps been slightly defrosted in their travels which meant they weren't quite at their best.
When they did cook right though, the pastry was very good, especially given that it was frozen. It was slightly flaky but with a bit of crunch. There was a nice buttery taste to the pastry. As Pierateer Rob observed, it was nice that the sides and base cooked well too, there were no soggy bottoms here! It is actually quite unusual to achieve this for a frozen pie. This meant the pies held together well making them ideal to eat by hand. I can see they would work well as a festival pie.
The pies retail for €2.79 for a box of 2 in supermarkets, putting them just above £1 each at post-referendum rates. This is competitive with other companies such as Birdseye which dominate the frozen brands in this country. At festivals the offers vary but they tend to be around €3.20 each. This is cheap compared to pies at event we go to (like the football where prices tend to be #PieHighPrices).
But onto the fillings! I was given four different flavours, meat, spicy meat, chicken and veggie.
Meat
5.35/7
SJL/RAS
The meat was minced beef which is the traditional Aussie style. Darren said this is the pie he would always try first to see if a pie maker is worth their crust. Whilst we do tend to prefer bigger meat chunks on the Pierate Ship this has allowed Darren to make these pies both good quality and affordable. Whilst it was minced meat, it was still in relatively big pieces. This indicated the quality of the meat was better than most minced meat pies where the meat is ground so fine there is nothing at all to chew. The flavour was fairly simple, meaty with little seasoning, but not too much. The seasoning was different (in a good way) to the average meat pie in the UK, but my palette is not refined enough to determine what the differences were. I was, as advertised, a classic Aussie meat pie at an affordable price!
Spicy Meat
5.35/7
SJL
The same type of meat as the standard meat pie but this one packed more of a punch. To me, it tasted like someone had injected a meat pie with chip shop curry sauce and then added a bit more pepper and chili to make sure it was hot enough. Again, it didn't do anything fancy, it was simple but effective. I couldn't choose between this and the meat pie as my favourite, it depends on how you feel on the day.
Chicken & Mushroom
4.85
SJL
The flavour of this pie was so much nicer than your average chicken and mushroom pie in this price range. It was a world away from the horrible grey gloop that you often find. There was plenty of leek which added of flavour with a good amount of salt. The mushroom added nicely to the texture and variety of the pie without over powering the flavours. It seemed like a different variety of mushroom to what we typically eat in the UK. The chicken was in quite small pieces but just about big enough to get your teeth into. Unfortunately, the sauce was a bit too thin for me which, was surprising when the others had quite a thick sauce. Hence, it lost marks against Consistency. The leek was also a little Chewy which detracted from the texture. A shame when it did some aspects very well.
Potato & Sweet Potato
4.50
SJL
Given the choice of filling, it is not too surprising that this was quite a soft pie. It had a consistency like a cheese & onion pie or a butter pie. There was again, a welcome flavour from the leek, so this pie avoided being bland. There was, of course, not much to chew, this type of pie slips down too easily to be something I would choose regularly, but it was tasty enough to eat again. Perhaps as a 'side' to one of the meat pies, it would be a bit like pie and mash then!
So to summarise, the Aussie pies from the Netherlands turned out to be pretty good! The Meat and Spicy Meat both receive Pierate Recommended status. Given the business trip to UK, perhaps we will one day see Billy's Bakehouse pies on these shores, there is certainly an appetite for this kind of pie in the UK, but probably more com-pie-tition in the market place too. It strikes me that these would be
perfect pies to eat at football matches. They cook quickly, they are easy to hold in your hand and for the most part the hold together very well. For some reason in England, most football pies tend to be stodgy and gloopy affairs that make a mess everywhere. Here's hoping that a club signs this talented foreigner up! We wish Darren and Billy's Bakehouse good luck in the future.
SJL
You might think that after 7 years of eating and reviewing pies it has become a bit repetitive. Surely there is only so much that can happen when reviewing various pastry packages? But, like the fillings themselves, the whole experience continues to lead to the unexpected. One of these more random experiences was when an Australian from the Netherlands gave me 21 pies in Birmingham on my way to Northampton. Now let me explain...
Darren comes from a small coastal town in Australia but has been living in the Netherlands for over 20 years. Unfortunately the Dutch are not into pies and Darren missed the pies he used to get in Australia. Like us, he found many of the frozen pies he could import from the UK were not up to scratch. His Dad was a butcher and his Mum a pie lady so with this background he thought he would try and make his own. When other people tried his pies, they quickly caught on. He soon started a business making fresh pies for pubs and doing festivals during the times of year when his building work was quieter. Given that demand was varied, fresh pies would spoil before being used so Darren started making frozen pies with the emphasis on making them quick to cook on demand. The brand Billy's Bakehouse was born, marketed as producing authentic Australian pies. He also decided to make an affordable, everyday pie rather than a premium gourmet pie. The pies are small so that they can be eaten with one hand and to open up the market to younger pie fans and women who typically would want a smaller pie.
It struck me that Darren has really thought about his market, more so than most pie makers I come across. From my experience, it does feel he has identified a bit of a gap in the market. Sales are good for Darren, particularly at music festivals, but there is one problem. The Dutch have no idea about pies! A meat pie in particular is not a concept they are familiar with, so to make headway with Dutch supermarkets he has his work cut out. Hence Darren has an ambitious plan to break into the UK market somehow, be that via a franchise or importing pies. This brought him over to chat to some companies and he also decided to contact the Pierateers to get our opinion!
We met for a coffee at Birmingham New Street station. Darren said he would be easy to spot as he would be the one with the esky. Hmm.... only problem is I didn't know what that was. Turns out it is an Aussie name for a coolbox. I brought my own cool bag to take some pies with me as I was on my way to visit friends in Northampton. I didn't expect that Darren would be giving me the whole coolbox filled with 21 pies! The coolbox was a slightly random thing to turn up at someone's house with, fortunately my friend had a big chest freezer! (This event only added to my reputation as being completely obsessed with pies.)
Darren claimed to have come up with a unique way of making the frozen pastry work. He said that coming at it from a non-culinary background had allowed him to think outside the box. He didn't let me in on the secret but said it was a bit unusual. Hopefully nothing too weird though!
Darren gave me detailed instructions for how to cook the pies. They must be cooked in the foil and on a baking tray. He also specified the relatively high temperature of 200°C. It felt like it was a bit of a science experiment rather than baking a pie. I was glad he gave me 21 pies so I could make sure I got some right! It also allowed me to share some with Pierateer Rob. (I meant to give him meat pies and chicken pies but turns out they were all meat, oops.) Whilst I tried to follow the instructions, perhaps there was some variability to the oven because some cooked better than others. Some had perhaps been slightly defrosted in their travels which meant they weren't quite at their best.
When they did cook right though, the pastry was very good, especially given that it was frozen. It was slightly flaky but with a bit of crunch. There was a nice buttery taste to the pastry. As Pierateer Rob observed, it was nice that the sides and base cooked well too, there were no soggy bottoms here! It is actually quite unusual to achieve this for a frozen pie. This meant the pies held together well making them ideal to eat by hand. I can see they would work well as a festival pie.
The pies retail for €2.79 for a box of 2 in supermarkets, putting them just above £1 each at post-referendum rates. This is competitive with other companies such as Birdseye which dominate the frozen brands in this country. At festivals the offers vary but they tend to be around €3.20 each. This is cheap compared to pies at event we go to (like the football where prices tend to be #PieHighPrices).
But onto the fillings! I was given four different flavours, meat, spicy meat, chicken and veggie.
Meat
5.35/7
SJL/RAS
The meat was minced beef which is the traditional Aussie style. Darren said this is the pie he would always try first to see if a pie maker is worth their crust. Whilst we do tend to prefer bigger meat chunks on the Pierate Ship this has allowed Darren to make these pies both good quality and affordable. Whilst it was minced meat, it was still in relatively big pieces. This indicated the quality of the meat was better than most minced meat pies where the meat is ground so fine there is nothing at all to chew. The flavour was fairly simple, meaty with little seasoning, but not too much. The seasoning was different (in a good way) to the average meat pie in the UK, but my palette is not refined enough to determine what the differences were. I was, as advertised, a classic Aussie meat pie at an affordable price!Spicy Meat
5.35/7
SJL
The same type of meat as the standard meat pie but this one packed more of a punch. To me, it tasted like someone had injected a meat pie with chip shop curry sauce and then added a bit more pepper and chili to make sure it was hot enough. Again, it didn't do anything fancy, it was simple but effective. I couldn't choose between this and the meat pie as my favourite, it depends on how you feel on the day.Chicken & Mushroom
4.85
SJL
The flavour of this pie was so much nicer than your average chicken and mushroom pie in this price range. It was a world away from the horrible grey gloop that you often find. There was plenty of leek which added of flavour with a good amount of salt. The mushroom added nicely to the texture and variety of the pie without over powering the flavours. It seemed like a different variety of mushroom to what we typically eat in the UK. The chicken was in quite small pieces but just about big enough to get your teeth into. Unfortunately, the sauce was a bit too thin for me which, was surprising when the others had quite a thick sauce. Hence, it lost marks against Consistency. The leek was also a little Chewy which detracted from the texture. A shame when it did some aspects very well.Potato & Sweet Potato
4.50
SJL
Given the choice of filling, it is not too surprising that this was quite a soft pie. It had a consistency like a cheese & onion pie or a butter pie. There was again, a welcome flavour from the leek, so this pie avoided being bland. There was, of course, not much to chew, this type of pie slips down too easily to be something I would choose regularly, but it was tasty enough to eat again. Perhaps as a 'side' to one of the meat pies, it would be a bit like pie and mash then!So to summarise, the Aussie pies from the Netherlands turned out to be pretty good! The Meat and Spicy Meat both receive Pierate Recommended status. Given the business trip to UK, perhaps we will one day see Billy's Bakehouse pies on these shores, there is certainly an appetite for this kind of pie in the UK, but probably more com-pie-tition in the market place too. It strikes me that these would beperfect pies to eat at football matches. They cook quickly, they are easy to hold in your hand and for the most part the hold together very well. For some reason in England, most football pies tend to be stodgy and gloopy affairs that make a mess everywhere. Here's hoping that a club signs this talented foreigner up! We wish Darren and Billy's Bakehouse good luck in the future.
SJL
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
We're Making a Meal of Eel House Pies
Eel House Pies - Traditional Minced Beef Pie Review
I am quite a fan of the East London traditional pie and mash. It is a shame that the classic combination of minced beef pie, mash and liquor is now becoming more difficult to get hold of.... or is it? Step forward Eel House Pies!
Eel house pies are bringing this tradition to ANYWHERE in the UK. For £28.50 you can order a box of four pie meals, complete with mash and liquor. Your order comes in a box like this...
And in minutes you can have a pie and mash meal on your plate like this....
It is just so convenient, I think I may have just seen the future! It isn't even that expensive for what you get and considering it is delivered straight to you. Certainly worth it to share a special occasion with friends (e.g. British Pie Week).
Okay, but Cheapness is just one of the seven Cs, the important thing is what did it taste like? It seems that Eel House Pies have really gone for traditional values. This tastes to me exactly what I think traditional pie and mash should taste like. Not to say that it is perfect when compared to the whole world of wonderful pies which are out there. However, if you are looking for this kind of pie you won't be disappointed.
The pies looked just part, having gone for the classic shallow, oval shape. They arrived in good Condition and had an appealing, but non-uniform, Colour. The Capacity of the pie is fairly small because it goes for the shallower shape but it made up for it by being full of Content. There was a delicious meatiness to the filling and the minced beef was not ground up too fine like it can be with some cheap pies. This meant there was still some bite to the pie. The pastry was really quite tasty with a delicious softness on the inside. It really slipped down well. To get the ultimate texture I would have liked a bit more crispness on the outside of the pastry. They use suet pastry for the base and puff on the top. I am not sure if this is the traditional method but it sure is an excellent combination, we do love a bit of suet here at Pierate. There was a nice little instruction leaflet which asked you to sprinkle the pie in water before putting it in the oven, this was not something I had heard of before but it certainly seemed to work.
So in summary I can say that these pies were Consistently tasty, I should know, I ate a box of four!
Although it doesn't affect the score the mash and liqour also put a smile on my face. The mash was well seasoned and tasted better than I make from fresh even though it didn't have any butter or milk (because it is an old recipe). The liquor was made with real eel stock, which is very traditional and quite expensive these days. I was very impressed and it compared favourably with a pie and mash shop.
It will come as no surprise that this pie scores highly enough to become a 'Pierate Recommended' pie. I wouldn't hesitate to have one again. They are now also being served at Milwall Football Club meaning this pie can be added to our football pies list. The most exciting news is that Eel House Pies also do a lot of private hire. Weddings, parties, gigs, whatever the occasion they will do pies and everything (including equipment, staff, etc) for £6 a head (approx, don't quote us on the price). To me that just seems like a total bargain. I am almost tempted to get married just to have the world's most amazing pie reception! Many thanks to Eel House Pies and best of luck to them as they try and maintain this tradition.
Traditional Minced Beef
5.73/7
SJL
continue reading "We're Making a Meal of Eel House Pies"
I am quite a fan of the East London traditional pie and mash. It is a shame that the classic combination of minced beef pie, mash and liquor is now becoming more difficult to get hold of.... or is it? Step forward Eel House Pies!
See our article on traditional Pie & Mash Shops to understand more about the history of London Pie and Mash shops and why eels are involved!
|
Eel house pies are bringing this tradition to ANYWHERE in the UK. For £28.50 you can order a box of four pie meals, complete with mash and liquor. Your order comes in a box like this...
It is just so convenient, I think I may have just seen the future! It isn't even that expensive for what you get and considering it is delivered straight to you. Certainly worth it to share a special occasion with friends (e.g. British Pie Week).
Okay, but Cheapness is just one of the seven Cs, the important thing is what did it taste like? It seems that Eel House Pies have really gone for traditional values. This tastes to me exactly what I think traditional pie and mash should taste like. Not to say that it is perfect when compared to the whole world of wonderful pies which are out there. However, if you are looking for this kind of pie you won't be disappointed.
The pies looked just part, having gone for the classic shallow, oval shape. They arrived in good Condition and had an appealing, but non-uniform, Colour. The Capacity of the pie is fairly small because it goes for the shallower shape but it made up for it by being full of Content. There was a delicious meatiness to the filling and the minced beef was not ground up too fine like it can be with some cheap pies. This meant there was still some bite to the pie. The pastry was really quite tasty with a delicious softness on the inside. It really slipped down well. To get the ultimate texture I would have liked a bit more crispness on the outside of the pastry. They use suet pastry for the base and puff on the top. I am not sure if this is the traditional method but it sure is an excellent combination, we do love a bit of suet here at Pierate. There was a nice little instruction leaflet which asked you to sprinkle the pie in water before putting it in the oven, this was not something I had heard of before but it certainly seemed to work.
So in summary I can say that these pies were Consistently tasty, I should know, I ate a box of four!
Although it doesn't affect the score the mash and liqour also put a smile on my face. The mash was well seasoned and tasted better than I make from fresh even though it didn't have any butter or milk (because it is an old recipe). The liquor was made with real eel stock, which is very traditional and quite expensive these days. I was very impressed and it compared favourably with a pie and mash shop.
It will come as no surprise that this pie scores highly enough to become a 'Pierate Recommended' pie. I wouldn't hesitate to have one again. They are now also being served at Milwall Football Club meaning this pie can be added to our football pies list. The most exciting news is that Eel House Pies also do a lot of private hire. Weddings, parties, gigs, whatever the occasion they will do pies and everything (including equipment, staff, etc) for £6 a head (approx, don't quote us on the price). To me that just seems like a total bargain. I am almost tempted to get married just to have the world's most amazing pie reception! Many thanks to Eel House Pies and best of luck to them as they try and maintain this tradition.
Traditional Minced Beef
5.73/7
SJL
See other 'Pierate Recommended' pies in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
|
Friday, 10 January 2014
Porters Restaurant - Life Is Better With 300 Pies
Porters English Restaurant - Pie Reviews
One of the signs in Porters English Restaurant proclaims, 'Life Is Better With Pies'. As we reach the milestone of 300 pie reviews it seems that here at Pierate we have lived out this statement with the little beige delights bringing us more joy than they do for most people. However, as we keep pushing the limits of how much pastry encased filling we can consume perhaps the statement might need an extention, 'Life Is Better With MORE Pies', the more pies we consume the more things seem to be getting better with page views and interest in our blog ever increasing. It almost seems like it is an exponential relationship. We have drawn a graph below to illustrate this.
So as we continued to push the limits to reach some sort of pastry Nivarda we had to make the important decision of where to carry out our 300th pie review? Porter English Restaurant in Covent Garden, London seemed like the obvious choice. Somewhere a bit classy, a bit different but unashamedly proud of their 'World Famous Pies'. They do serve other food but with 10 different pies there is considerable menu space devoted to the object of our obsession. Porters seem to share this obsession with numerous references to pie as soon as you get in the door. Infact there are signs advertising their 'Pi-Fi', British Pie Award and 'Licence to sell pies' even before going in the door. The randomness continues inside with an overtly British theme with Union Flag umbrellas and other British paraphernalia which added to the experience.
Minced Beef, Onion, Pea and Red Wine Pie
Like all these pies the Colour was a wonderful dark golden brown, much darker than many pies. This one arrived in perfect Condition and really looked like a quintessentially English pie. Being quite tall it had a good height to width ratio and consequently a strong Capacity. The Content tasted akin to a casserole with quite a sweet taste from the wine and vegetables. It would probably count as one of your five-a-day because there were plenty of peas to be seen. However, this did mean that it wasn't as meaty as some pies. There were no complaints about Chewiness with a filling that slipped down well and pastry with a nice crunch on top and a bit of gooiness on the bottom (but not soggy). The pie was Consistently good with a nice variation to the flavour throughout due to the mix of flavours. This was a pie which left you wanting more, despite being quite large, which is surely a sign of a good pie! At £12.85 this is quite an expensive pie but comparable to other London pie restaurants. It came with a hearty meal so overall not bad value.
Porters Minced Beef, Onion, Pea and Red Wine Pie
Score: 5.71
[Condition 7, Capacity 6, Colour 7, Cheapness 4, Consistency 5, Content 6, Chewiness 5]
SJL and TJP
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| If there wasn't enough veg in the pie there is more on the side |
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| Cross section of minced beef, pea and red wine pie |
Gamekeepers Pie
This was the pie which had won Silver at the British Pie Awards, but would it win any awards from the Pierateers? In terms of Condition and Colour this pie was very similar to the Minced Beef pie, however it was slightly more expensive at £13.50 but given that game tends to be expensive it didn't gain less points for Cheapness. The Capacity was again strong for a pie of this size. The Content was a great mix, containing Pheasant, Venison, and Rabbit which left it tasting really meaty, there was not a hint of veg in this pie. The venison in particular added a strong flavour which was delicious to begin with. However, this pie was not as Consistently good because the strong flavour began to get too much after a while and it was not a pie you could eat forever. This didn't mean it wasn't a good pie, the meat was tender and not at all Chewy. The texture and taste of the pastry was again top notch. Overall this was one of the best game pies eaten on The Pierate Ship.
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| The Porters game pie looks fantastic |
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| Pie rating isn't a game! Game pie |
Porters Gamekeepers Pie
Score: 5.57
[Condition 7, Capacity 6, Colour 7, Cheapness 4, Consistency 4, Content 6, Chewiness 5]
SJL and TJP
Lamb and Apricot Pie
The Lamb and Apricot pie was eaten by Pierateer RAS and selected because it was one of the fully encased pies on the menu, with a full encasement of short crust hot raised pie pastry. The pie came with chips and a jug of gravy, which I didn’t actually use because the pie itself was moist enough and the beef gravy I had been given in the gravy jug would not have worked at all with the lamb and sweet apricot flavoured gravy inside.
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| Porters Lamb and Apricot Pie - Shame about the condition |
The capacity of this pie was quite strong, with plenty of pieces of lamb in there. The lamb was moist and quite tender, though there were a few more chewy bits too. On the flip side though, there was rather a lot of apricot too, which was soft and flavoursome but did rather bulk the content out. It was a lamb and apricot pie – I accept that – but I really wasn’t up for such a sweet fruity hit in so much of the pie, and some mouthfuls were 100% apricot. For a dinner pie, that just didn’t sit well with me. The ratio was definitely too strong in favour of the apricot. I wanted a meatilicious pie and while the apricot gave it something a bit different, I wouldn’t ever choose to have this combination again. I’d stick to lamb and mint (perhaps the lamb shank pie on the Porter’s menu) and leave the apricots for the pudding menu.
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| Porters Lamb and Apricot Pie |
All in all, there were plenty of things going for it in this pie - the lamb was succulent and the pastry pretty good, but the content mix just didn’t really work for me. I’d stick to just the lamb pie next time and then this really would be a top ranked pie.
Porters Lamb and Apricot Pie
Score: 4.71/7
[Colour 7, Capacity 5, Consistency 3, Condition 5.5, Chewiness 5.5, Cheapness 4, Content 3]
RAS
So in summary two very good pies we would recommend, one a bit less so but still not bad! Worthy pies to be our 298th, 299th and 300th pie reviews. It is commendable that with all of these pies they have tried to do something a bit different, they certainly aren't the standard fare. Overall the experience at Porters was fantastic and it is somewhere we would go back to, especially given that there are so many more pies to try! We leave you with this picture, one of many words of advice hanging on the walls at Porters. It is important to get your pie-orities right, we know where ours lie; life is better with pies!
See where these pies ended up in the London Pie Rankings, Overall Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
|
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Is Your Pie Half Full Or Half Empty?
Barmies - Potato & Mince Beef Pie Review
I thought I may have run out of small pie producers in Suffolk to review. Fortunately I found this Barmies Pie in a newsagent in Leiston. It was the only pie in the shop and I had some reservations initially as it was Potato & Mince Beef flavour. I am generally a bit sceptical about the displacement of meat in a pie by potato. It generally indicates a cheaper pie. Mince also tends to indicates worse quality meat otherwise surely it is preferable to use whole pieces of steak. Also, I cannot find anything online about Barmies pie company, I am not sure they exist!
I was glad that my prejudices were proved (mostly) wrong on this occasion. The pie overall tasted delicious. The outside was soft and melty, pastry perfection. It quite reminded me of the soft, gooey pastry of a Pukka Pie. The whole pie, including the potato, was so soft that you barely needed to chew this pie at all, I felt I could have probably drunk the filling through a straw. There was a lovely thick, peppery sauce inside the pie which was really what made it taste so good. The meat wasn’t too bad either, the pieces of mince were plentiful and big enough to know they were there. At just £1.25 this pie was also quite Cheap so you might think I was onto a winner here until you see the cross section photo....
Now for the criticism which stops it getting into the upper echelons of our pie rankings. There was quite a big Capacity as this was a tall pie, however, as can be seen there was a sizable air gap in the top of the pie. Call me a pessimist but I would say my pie was half empty rather than half full on this occasion. Also, while the meat tasted good, it wasn’t great quality and would have been overly chewy had it not been minced up.
So, a decent pie but I feel I would be letting standards slip if I endorsed a pie with such a big air gap, hence there is a glass celling on the score. You don't have to be Barmy to buy a Barmies pie, it is a solid little performer, but you might feel an air of disappointment.
P.S. I have just realised that the company is actually called 'Barnies' not 'Barmies' as I thought. They do actually exist and have a website, guess this explains why I couldn't find them! The logo isn't very clear!
Potato & Mince Beef (Barnies Foods)
4.99/7
SJL
continue reading "Is Your Pie Half Full Or Half Empty?"
I thought I may have run out of small pie producers in Suffolk to review. Fortunately I found this Barmies Pie in a newsagent in Leiston. It was the only pie in the shop and I had some reservations initially as it was Potato & Mince Beef flavour. I am generally a bit sceptical about the displacement of meat in a pie by potato. It generally indicates a cheaper pie. Mince also tends to indicates worse quality meat otherwise surely it is preferable to use whole pieces of steak. Also, I cannot find anything online about Barmies pie company, I am not sure they exist!
I was glad that my prejudices were proved (mostly) wrong on this occasion. The pie overall tasted delicious. The outside was soft and melty, pastry perfection. It quite reminded me of the soft, gooey pastry of a Pukka Pie. The whole pie, including the potato, was so soft that you barely needed to chew this pie at all, I felt I could have probably drunk the filling through a straw. There was a lovely thick, peppery sauce inside the pie which was really what made it taste so good. The meat wasn’t too bad either, the pieces of mince were plentiful and big enough to know they were there. At just £1.25 this pie was also quite Cheap so you might think I was onto a winner here until you see the cross section photo....
Now for the criticism which stops it getting into the upper echelons of our pie rankings. There was quite a big Capacity as this was a tall pie, however, as can be seen there was a sizable air gap in the top of the pie. Call me a pessimist but I would say my pie was half empty rather than half full on this occasion. Also, while the meat tasted good, it wasn’t great quality and would have been overly chewy had it not been minced up.
So, a decent pie but I feel I would be letting standards slip if I endorsed a pie with such a big air gap, hence there is a glass celling on the score. You don't have to be Barmy to buy a Barmies pie, it is a solid little performer, but you might feel an air of disappointment.
P.S. I have just realised that the company is actually called 'Barnies' not 'Barmies' as I thought. They do actually exist and have a website, guess this explains why I couldn't find them! The logo isn't very clear!
Potato & Mince Beef (Barnies Foods)
4.99/7
SJL
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