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Ye Olde Pie & Sausage Shoppe Pie Reviews - The Shambles, York

On a recent visit to the Viking city of York I was pleased to find a proper, traditional pie shop in the heart of the city. The narrow street called The Shambles is rich in history. Some of the timber framed buildings date back to the 14th century. It is also rich in pie history with the street having previously been packed with butcher's shops. There is a high kerb running down the street. I heard was so the blood and gore could flow away down the centre of the street.... a bit different to your modern supermarket meat aisle! The street is now primarily focused on tourists with gift shops and quaint cafes. Fortunately one shop is tapping into the street's heritage, they don't even have a sign, just a picture of a pie hanging from the side of the shop. Ye Olde Pie & Sausage Shoppe has a lovely display of pies sitting proudly in the window. They also had some interesting flavours so I couldn't restrict myself to only trying one. Many of them were in the style of a pork pie and could be eaten cold but they also had pies that they could heat up for you to eat straight away. I grabbed a Scotch Pie to have hot for £1.50 then to have later I got a Pork & Black Pudding and a Wild Boar pie at £1.70 and £2.00 respectively.

Some of the pies they had made themselves and some of them were brought in. This really showed as I have never had such a mixed experience from one shop.


Pork & Black Pudding

The pork and black pudding pies and the wild boar were both clearly premium, hand-made products in excellent Condition. As you can see from the picture, the rustic appearance fit in perfectly in the Viking banquet reconstructed in the Yorkshire Museum (which was well worth a visit by the way). They had ample golden glaze giving a delicious Colour. Something I always look for in a good pork pie is a bit of a crunch to the pastry unlike the soggy fare from mass produced pies. This pie did not disappoint being incredibly crunchy. This must have been made for strong Viking jaws. At one point I wondered if I had accidentally picked up one of the fake loaves of bread from the banqueting table.

The Content certainly a bit different to your average pork pie. Instead of jelly the pie relied on the black pudding to give keep it moist. It had quiet a pungent aroma which reminded me of charcuterie and was slightly over powering. I did enjoy the black pudding which added a bit of variety which is normally lacking for a pork pie. It was let down by some of the pig meat being a bit Chewy. It had a decent sized capacity and for a premium product at a premium location, £1.70 seemed relatively Cheap.

Pork & Black Pudding (Ye Olde Pie & Sausage Shoppe [YO1 7LX])
4.87/7


Wild Boar

The Wild Boar pie looked like it had the same pastry that the Pork & Black Pudding but if anything it was even more crunchy! The pastry actually squeaked against my teeth in a very peculiar way and bordered on being a bit dry. It was a bit softer on the inside and somehow it just about worked. This pie was helped by having an excellent Content. The wild boar was cured in big, salty pink chunks that tasted a bit like gammon. The pieces of meat were firm which gave plenty to get your teeth into. There was a lot of jelly in all the gaps which kept it moist and held the fragmented filling together like a delicious glue. As you can see from the photo, it was very greasy, turning the bag translucent, like all good pork pies should! It was a bit different to your average pork pie but overall the unique Consistency worked. Another Pierate Recommended Wild Boar pie to add to a surprisingly long list. 

Wild Boar (Ye Olde Pie & Sausage Shoppe [YO1 7LX])
5.23/7




Scotch Pie

Last and definitely least was the Scotch pie. It was by far the worst Scotch pie I have ever had. You may be aware that I am quite a fan of Scotch pies, having reviewed a fair few in my search for what makes the best Scotch pie. It is relatively rare to find one in England so I thought I had to go for it but soon regretted it. There was nothing too it really. I bit into it and the lid sunk down to the base because there was barely any filling. The pastry was too dry and not enjoyable to eat. Whilst the filling was very moist, there just wasn't enough of it to soften the pastry. The filling wasn't unpleasant to eat but seemed quite watery and runny. I think it was probably beef but it was hard to say for sure. I couldn't really find anything good to say about this pie so it unfortunately goes to the bottom of our Scotch pie rankings. The only saving grace for Ye Olde Pie & Sausage Shoppe is that they didn't actually make this one, having bought it in from catering giants Bako.

Beef Scotch Pie (Ye Olde Pie & Sausage Shoppe [YO1 7LX])
2.87/7

The Scotch pie was one blip on an otherwise very enjoyable trip to York. It is a fine city with lots of interesting history, particularly Roman and Viking. Sadly the Jorvick viking museum was closed due to the terrible flooding they experienced in 2015. Due to reopen in 2017, they are trying to meet some of the cost via crowd funding, I might have to pay another visit when they reopen but will know to avoid the Scotch pie next time.



SJL

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One of the things we really enjoy on the Pierate Ship is meeting the guys and girls up and down the land who make the pies that we really enjoy eating. As such we’ve created a “Meet the Pie-ducer” series of interviews, where we lift the lid on those who are looking to piefect their trade…

“Baked today, sold today” is just one of the mottos Stephen recounts to me as we both tuck into a World Scotch Pie Champion winning pie on a sunny Thursday afternoon in British Pie Week 2016. And it’s the dedication of Stephen, his wife Rona and his wonderful 83-strong team of bakers, shop assistants and other employees that is clearly evident as we chat. Stephen has been the owner of The Kandy Bar Bakery since 1991 and despite it being just the past few years that they have really shone in the limelight with their 3 big wins at the Scotch Pie Club Awards (overall winners in 2014 and 2016, plus best football pie in 2015), he is adamant the team of workers have been doing a great job for years.

And who can deny him that, with numerous gold, silver and bronze awards over the years before their big triumphs the past few years! I asked what the title win at the Scotch Pie Club Awards, for the second time in three years, meant to him. He quickly corrected me as to what it meant for “Team Kandy Bar” – each and every one of their employees a key asset to their continued success – by responding “It’s a fantastic feeling for the whole team.”

And without wanting to exaggerate, I think it’s safe to say the double win at the Scotch Pie Club Awards has firmly put Saltcoats on the map! Traditionally a small coastal town 40 minutes away from Glasgow popular with tourists, the pie wins have led to a whole host of visitors to the town, particularly wanting to visit and try their winning scotch pie. Pies continue to be a large part of the community there.

The pies available at Kandy Bar Bakery include - alongside the Award winning Scotch pie - the Scotch Onion pie (you guessed it - a scotch pie featuring more onion than the standard version), a haggis pie, macaroni pie and apple pie. We focused on the fully encased pies on offer, rating the Scotch pie, Scotch Onion Pie and Apple pies all as Pierate Highly Recommended (above 6 out of 7), which is a great achievement and sign of true quality across their range. Do check out the review for more details of why they were so good!

On my visit I was delighted to be given a short tour of the bakery facilities, before the all-important taste test! The shells of the scotch pies are something Stephen is particularly proud of, informing me that they are a bit softer than the average scotch pie available which makes them ideal for re-heating at home to whatever crispiness the customer wants. As we all know, the customer is always right! And the Kandy Bar Bakery are able to provide a pie that is firm but soft enough pre-heating to cater for a range of pie crispiness levels, where as other naturally firmer scotch pies cannot provide a softer, less crispy finish to the pastry like the Kandy Bar ones. This is to cater specifically for the Kandy Bar customers, who prefer to take their pie home to cook and eat it, and due to a secret recipe Stephen wasn’t going to share with me, of course, but he said it is the same recipe his father used in the 1960s, which had been passed down to him.

In fact, the history of pies in Stephen’s family goes back much further than the 1960s, with his grandfather having set up a bakery in 1929, before his father decided to set up a sweet shop but one selling scotch pies! The name Kandy Bar – which does admittedly seem a slightly odd name for a bakery! – comes from the sweet shop Stephen’s father used to run and the name stuck despite Stephen reverting back to a more typical bakery offering of bread, patisseries and – most importantly – pies!



Stephen and The Kandy Bar Bakery

And boy does Team Kandy Bar make pies! Around 1,200 a day are made early in the week, with a surge to around 1,600 on a Saturday, though shortly after winning the Scotch Pie World Champion title again in 2016 there was a natural surge of customers from far afield! This is on top of the rugby clubs (Stephen is a keen rugby fan and past player), football clubs, schools and other local facilities Kandy Bar Bakery supplies to, and Stephen even recalled past deliveries to local Church Sunday School classes when he was younger!

It was certainly a long way to go but was great to have visited and met Stephen, his wife Rona and the fabulous “Team Kandy Bar”. I certainly hope to visit again sometime and wish the team all the best in their attempt later this year at the World Scotch Pie Champion hat-trick!

RAS

Rank	Pie Producer	Pie Flavour	Score	By
1	Kandy Bar Bakery	Scotch Pie	6.21	R/S
2	Kandy Bar Bakery	Scotch Onion Pie	6.21	SJL
3	Kandy Bar Bakery	Apple Pie	6.07	R/S

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The Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch Pie, Scotch Onion Pie and Apple Pie Reviews

Stephen and The Kandy Bar Bakery

There are very few pies that have had the accolades that a certain minced beef offering on the West Coast of Scotland has had. Not only did it win the World Scotch Pie Championship in 2014 but they repeated the feat again in 2016 – while the pie still won “Best Scottish Football Pie” in 2015 when they kindly let someone else have the honour of World Scotch Pie Champ! We are of course talking about the Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch Pie, sold in the family run Kandy Bar Bakery based in Saltcoats on the Scottish west coast.

Shortly after it won the World Scotch Pie Championships in 2014 – which Pierateer Sam was a judge at but in the steak pie category – the Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch pie was added to our “Pierate Pie Hit List” as one we wanted to get our hands on, though being based in southern England it had proved a logistical challenge. However upon hearing they had bagged the top title at the Scotch Pie Club Awards 2016, thus re-affirming their status as the top scotch pie producer for the second time in three years, we knew it was a pie we needed to get rating! Therefore as part of Pierateer Rob’s Pie Pledge for British Pie Week, he made the mammoth 300+ mile journey to the west coast of Scotland to find out what all the fuss was about and get a tour of the bakery by owner Stephen.



The World Scotch Pie Awards Winners Trophy

Having had a look around the bakery – which you’ll find out more about in our “Meet the Pie-ducer” article coming soon – I sat down with Stephen to talk pie and, of course, eat one! I ate one of the award winning Scotch Pies in the shop, with another eaten on the plane journey back to Birmingham – part of my “Pie in the Sky” pie pledge! I then ate another with Pierateer Sam back in Birmingham, alongside the apple pie, while Sam also tried the Scotch Onion Pie a day later. Here’s how the pies rated:

Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch Pie



Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch Pie

We have to kick off with the World Champion Scotch Pie, which was the best Scotch pie Rob had tasted and one of the best Sam had tried. Sam has purveyed a number of Scotch Pie outlets when in Scotland for the Scotch Pie Club Awards a few years back and on holiday in Scotland last year, creating our “What is a Scotch Pie?” article and leader board. He particularly noticed the softer crisp outer shell, which Stephen had already told me in my visit is intentionally softer than most other scotch pie providers. The pastry certainly wasn’t too soft though, with a noticeable crunch through the pastry rim and holding together well as we ate it by hand.

The colour of a scotch pie is generally a lot paler than traditional shortcrust or puff pastry pies, which does naturally bring the colour score down a bit when considering the whole spectrum of pies available but was still very good for a scotch pie. Likewise the content of the pie was very good for a scotch pie, though a minced beef filling - however well-seasoned - will struggle a bit with more illustrious steak fillings! Overall though, these were small criticisms of scotch pies in general, and this was a premium example of Scotch Pies done well!

Having got through the initial pastry layer, it was then that we were confronted with a lovely, juicy and packed flling. A bit of juice oozed out of the pies as we bit into them, which kinda comes with the territory with a scotch pie! To be fair it would be far too dry and taste worse without the bit of fat you get oozing out of a scotch pie! The beef mince was nicely flavoured and not at all bland, leaving a little kick in the mouth as you tucked in. What I hadn’t realised until talking to Stephen is that Scotch pies tend to be far more seasoned on the West coast of Scotland than the East coast, which does explain the range of seasoning found in many of Sam’s range of pie reviews!



Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch Pie cross-section

The filling was very good and capacity was pretty much spot on! Once aware of the juicy filling, which meant the plate I was eating off came in very handy, I thoroughly enjoyed the pie and the minced beef was very good quality. At 86p cold or £1.03 hot (due to the UK VAT laws on hot food) it’s almost rude not to take a box home with you! I was certainly glad to!

The Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch Pie
Score: 6.21/7
[Colour 5.5/7; Consistency 6.25/7; Cheapness 7/7; Chewiness 6.25/7; Condition 6/7; Content 6/7; Capacity 6.5/7]

Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch Onion Pie

Sam also tucked into the Scotch Onion pie. Often shortened to the Onion Pie – as a distinction to the more famed Scotch pie but not to be confused as being just a pie filled with Onion! – the Scotch Onion Pie was naturally very similar to Scotch pie in terms of the pastry quality, crispness and filling capacity, but with the added flavour of the onion. Sam had expected more of a strong onion flavour, it wasn't as oniony as the Simpson's one he had tried, in fact it was pretty similar to the Scotch pie with perhaps a little more flavour. There were some small pieces of onion that could be found. Many people would be pleased that that the onion wasn't overpowering. It was hard to separate the two, so we've given the Scotch pie and Scotch Onion pie the same score and will let you decide which one you'd prefer!



Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch Onion Pie

The Kandy Bar Bakery Scotch Onion Pie
Score: 6.21/7
[Colour 5.5/7; Consistency 6.25/7; Cheapness 7/7; Chewiness 6.25/7; Condition 6/7; Content 6/7; Capacity 6.5/7]

Kandy Bar Bakery Apple Pie

Kandy Bar Bakery Apple Pie

Finally, Rob had taken home a family apple pie from the bakery, which did very well to survive the flight and journey home with not even the slightest crumbling! Upon tasting it, from the first bite Rob commented this was one of the best apple pies he’d eaten and we were immediately likening it to the Pierate Highly Recommended Apple Pie we had enjoyed from Graham Aimson at Morecambe Football Club, which was not only highly rated by us but also won Supreme Champion at the British Pie Awards 2014! Sam noted that it was sweet but not too sweet with a great crunch to the pastry. The chunks of apple were tender but retained some bite.

The pie was a fair bit shallower than the apple pie at Morecambe, containing less apple filling, which divided opinion slightly with the Pierateers. Rob preferred the slightly higher ratio of sweet pastry to apple filling, while Sam would have preferred a bit more apple in the pie. But at £1.75 for the family apple pie, which would easily have catered for 4 people, we both agreed this was a great apple pie at a very reasonable price. I was certainly pleased to have picked one up on the way out of the shop! Despite being a bit hesitant as to whether it would last the flight intact, it certainly proved me wrong and was delicious! I’d love to try the rest of the fruit pie range on my next visit!

The Kandy Bar Bakery Apple Pie
Score: 6.07/7
[Colour 5.5/7; Consistency 6.25/7; Cheapness 6.25/7; Chewiness 6/7; Condition 6.25/7; Content 6.25/7; Capacity 6/7]


All that really is left to say is that – while I totally understand Stephen’s reasons for not supplying his produce outside of the family bakery he runs – I sure wish there was a Kandy Bar bakery outlet nearer to where I live! The quality ingredients and craftsmanship of all three of these Pierate Highly Recommended pies is obvious and yet the prices provide such good value. You’d be foolish if in the Glasgow area not to take a detour down to Saltcoats for a World Champion Scotch pie – or any other of the Kandy Bar Bakery’s top produce! Thanks once again to Stephen for his time with me and who knows – maybe he will be a hat-trick hero when it comes to the World Scotch Pie 2017 title? With the passion Team Kandy Bar show for quality pies, I certainly wouldn’t be surprised!

RAS and SJL

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It is getting late but this hasn't stopped Pierateer SJL from meeting his #PiePledge to bring you a pie review every day of British Pie Week 2016. However, as it is late we find that SJL has already gone to bed. The pie he has chosen to review is a Scotch Pie from a quality frozen food specialist, see the video below.


At the incredible price of only 23.2p each these pies are punching above their weight, but only just. If you are really short on cash it is better than any other similarly priced pies I have had but don't expect too much, Scotch pies are normally cheap anyway and these are quite small.

See the rest of the videos from SJL's Ways2EatPie British Pie Week challenge: Ways2EatPie #1 - Pie-nt Ways2EatPie #2 - Pie Kebab Ways2EatPie #3 - British Pie Awards Ways2EatPie #4 - Pie at Night Ways2EatPie #5 - Different Pie-spective

Beef Scotch Pie (Duncan McGregor)
Score: 3.79/7
[Condition 3.10, Colour 3.00, Cheapness 6.10, Capacity 3.60, Chewiness 4.00, Content 3.20, Consistency 3.50] 


SJL

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Loaf & Larder (made by South England Pastries) - Scotch Pie Review

We travel far and wide to find the most unusual pies to review. A recent trip took me to the end of the world, or at least a garden centre called World's End. I know this garden centre near Wendover, Buckinghamshire very well. It used to be a normal place but it has since ballooned into more of a vaguely-gardening related mega centre. There used to be one small cafe/restaurant but now it has a huge cafeteria style restaurant and a Costa coffee which are both somehow still busy. Where did all the new customers come from?! Anyway this is possibly a measure that I feel I am starting to get old, I can't deal with things changing. One good change however is that they now have let some space to deli company 'Loaf & Larder'. It isn't really my kind of place, it looks a bit like a farm shop but nothing is local so what's the point? However, what I did like was the massive range of pies. The primary supplier is Real Pie Company. We have previously really enjoyed their pies so much so that they currently occupy number 8 spot in our all time rankings! It was a great opportunity to indulge in some of these top ranked pies but something else caught my eye. A small pile of Scotch pies, looking somewhat out of place next to the bigger, premium pie which were adorned in flaky pastry. This isn't really the kind of place I expected to find a Scotch pies because they are not normally sold as premium products, even the best ones seem to be quite cheap. Perhaps because Scotch pies are less common in the South of England this is classed as an 'exotic' pie?! When I asked who made the pie I was surprised when they said it was made by South England Pastries I was expecting a more Northern company.

If you regularly read Pierate you might realise I have a bit of a facination with Scotch Pies and I am always on the look out for pies to add to our list of the best Scotch pies. Thus, I couldn't resist taking the plunge with this one. However, I should have more carefully checked the price first. This quite small pie set me back £2.99!!! Yes, some of the other pies cost a lot more, but they had the premium ingredients to justify it. As far as I could tell Scotch pie would not be a lot different to the ones you can get in Morrisons for 69p. It had better be good to justify the price.

Fortunately there were some things about this pie which lived up to expectations. It was a classic Scotch pie shape and browned up really well due to a good glaze. The filling was really tasty, and was very moist. There was a great fat content which oozed through the pie, not everyone's cup of tea but a must for a good Scotch pie. It had a rich beef flavour, complemented well by a bit of a peppery kick. Sadly though the pastry wasn't great which was ironic given that the company name indicates a specialism in pastry. Perhaps I over cooked it but the pastry was too hard and slightly chewy which was a bit odd. It also tasted a little doughy. It wasn't terrible but not good enough at this price.


It was nice to see a Scotch pie in England but the price would put me off getting it again even if they are more difficult to find in England. It wasn't consistently good enough to stand out from the supermarket competition and there are better premium options available in England (such as Piebury Corner). I contacted South England Pastries afterwards who confirmed that they make this pie. They said "all the pies we make for Loaf and Larder are made in England except for the Scotch Pie which is made at our Scottish site" so perhaps not such an English Scotch pie after all! Still it's easier than the 1000 mile round trip that some do in order to get hold of genuine Scotch pies!

Beef Scotch Pie (Loaf & Larder/South England Pastries)
Score: 4.26/7
[Condition 4.30, Colour 5.50, Cheapness 2.30, Capacity 4.00, Chewiness 3.50, Content 5.50, Consistency 4.70]


SJL

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The Little Bakery - Scotch Pie Review

Whilst in Dumfries on a cycling trip I checked the Scotch Pie Club website to see if there were any recommended Scotch Pie available near to my route. I found a company called The Little Bakery who had won Scotch Pie Club Awards Gold in 2014 for their Scotch Pie. The name 'The Little Bakery' sounded appealing, I was expecting a cute, traditional bakery shop. We were following National Cycle Route 7 and it was about a 2.5 mile detour off our route so it took a bit to convince my girlfriend it was worth it. However, the excellent traffic free cycle routes across Dumfries really helped. Unfortunately my girlfriend didn't enjoy getting completely lost in a housing estate after it turned out that the address of "2 Downs Way" that I found on Google was pretty misleading. Because we had taken such a detour I refused to give up despite Anna starting to lose a bit of patience with my constanstly optimistic belief that it was 'just around the next corner'.

Fortunately, after some time I spotted this sign hidden in the greenry.


So it turned out the address should more accurately read Unit 2A Downs Way Industrial Estate, this was not at all what I was expecting. This was once of the least glamourous locations I have ever purchased a pie from. There was a little bakery built into the front of this warehouse with a blue facade.


Once inside it was much nicer than I expected (given the location). It seemed like any high street bakery and was particularly appealing with many different pies available to eat hot or cold. For £2.30 I grabbed a hot Scotch Pie and a Macaroni Pie to give me energy on my cycling trip. Judging by the amount of grease which had oozed out of the Macaroni pie, this was a good choice if looking for a high calorie content. The Macaroni pie was as good as any I have had, it was cheesey and stodgy in pleasingly wrong amounts. Sadly it did lack a pastry lid meaning it doesn't meet our definition of a proper pie so I haven't given it a formal score. The Scotch pie was okay, but I actually found it a little disappointing. I don't know if I was just unlucky but it wasn't well filled. The flavour of the minced beef filling was a little bit bland for me. However, the texture was good, with some crunch to the pastry and a moist filling. At £1.20 it wasn't the cheapest Scotch pie (espeically as I bought it direct from where they make them) so I don't think I would be venturing into an industrial estate to have another. I think that the reason they are based in the Industrial Estate is that they supply pies wholesale to local shops so if I chanced upon another I might get one again. See how this pie fares against all the other Scotch Pies we have eaten in our list of the best Scotch Pies.
Interestingly The Little Bakery had the best Scottish Football League football pie at the Scotch Pie Club Awards 2016 at Queen of the South for their Scotch pie, congratulations to them, perhaps we were just unlucky with the one we had.

Scotch Pie

Macaroni Pie

Beef Scotch Pie (The Little Bakery [DG1 3QL])
Score: 4.37/7
[Condition 5.30, Colour 3.70, Cheapness 3.70, Capacity 3.80, Chewiness 5.00, Content 4.40, Consistency 4.70]

SJL

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Simpsons of Stranraer - Scotch Pie Review

When done well a Scotch pie can be both delicious and cheap. But when spending a pound or less on a hot pie it can be a bit hit and miss, there are probably more that are 'd’oh' than 'whoohoo'! But the search is well worth it as there are some bargains to be had. Simpsons of Stranraer is one of those establishments serving up great hot pies for just one pound. I paid them a visit recently as part of my quest to find out 'What Makes the Best Scotch Pie?'.

I went to the Newton Stewart branch on a rainy afternoon to seek some shelter. The display that greeted me warmed my spirits, a display of pies is the first thing you see as you come in the door. When I requested a Scotch Pie I was asked whether I wanted the onion version or the non-onion version. I have come across some Scotch pies with onion and some without but I haven’t normally found somewhere which does both. I opted for the onion version despite the potential for hallatosis. There are many ways that pies can help you make friends but smelling of onion is not one of them. However, when you have pies, who needs friends? This pie was a pretty good companion, it was just a shame that it didn’t last long. It was delicious and slipped down so well it was gone in moments.


Condition – 5.70 out of 7 – A pleasing shape and such sharp edges, this was a pie in high definition, no wonky handmade malarkey here. I do prefer my pies not have such big holes in the top though!
Colour – 5.60 out of 7 – A slightly flour-y outside gave this pie a matt effect, which is not normally what I look for in the ultimate pie but it still looked nice.
Cheapness – 6.70 out of 7 – For £1 this pie was absolutely packed with meaty contents. Given how cheap it was I was pleased to see a sign telling me it was 16% beef. I do wonder sometimes with these cheap pies if they bulk them up with some road kill. The meat didn’t look disgusting as it can do for other cheap pies (c.f. the Greggs Scotch Pie).
Capacity – 6.00 out of 7 – It was quite big for a Scotch pie and completely full.
Chewiness – 5.50 out of 7 – The meat wasn’t at all chewy and slipped down really well. If anything it slipped down a bit too easy, it was all a bit too soft which is really the only criticism of this pie. The pastry rim was the only part that had a bit of crunch. Given that Scotch Pies use minced meat bulked out with starch it is difficult for them to obtain the satisfying texture that I would expect the ultimate pie to have. But, there is something about them which I love anyway!
Content – 6.30 out of 7 – The filling didn’t have a lot of seasoning but it didn’t need it because it was full of flavour. It was nice that it wasn’t overly salty. The fatty, rich beef flavour and strong onion taste was reminiscence of a burger and fried onions which worked well for me, but of course if you don’t like onions then steer well clear! This was a pie so pungent if eaten in public then people will turn to see what their delicious/disgusting (delete as appropriate) smell is.
Consistency – 6.40 out of 7 – Slipped down a treat, the fat made it really moist and whilst it didn’t have any gravy, the sign of a good pie was that I wouldn’t even bother pouring gravy on even if I did have some. I just wish I had gone back to try some more of their pies! So good it currently occupies 2nd place in our all time ranking of Scotch pies!


Beef & Onion Scotch Pie (Simpsons of Stranraer) 
6.03/7

SJL

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McIntosh of Strathmore - Scotch Pie Review

I don’t quite understand supermarket deli counters. Don’t they sell pretty much the same kind of stuff that you can get in the rest of the supermarket except you can get someone to hand it to you? Does cutting the cheese off a bigger block make it fresher than the stuff you get already cut? But the main problem I have is that I don’t feel I can just look at the counter to see if there is anything I might fancy because then the person at the counter will ask me if I want something. I will then panic and feel I have to ask for something. This normally means I end up with something weird that I don’t want like a piece of dandelion meringue. But, this is probably just my inability to interact like a normal human being!

 
The reason this does happen to me quite often is that I like to have a glance at the deli counter to see if there are any interesting pies on offer. Whilst in Tesco I spotted a McIntyre Scotch Pie for 49p and thought I should give it a whirl. Given that the brand seems so popular I felt I had to review it as part of my quest to find out what makes the best Scotch pie.

What slightly baffled me was that Tesco sell the packaged version of this pie on the shelves at 2 for £1. I was surprised that this 2p saving didn’t cause people to flock to the deli counter. For the very cheap price it wasn’t too bad, it beats other similar priced Scotch Pies in our rankings but don't expect anything amazing.

Condition - 4.00 out of 7 – Pretty standard Scotch Pie shape, it was more mass-produced in appearance than most. It did look pleasingly tall and didn't have an excessively large pastry rim at the top to hide lack of filling.

Colour – 3.80 out of 7 – A little bit too pale but still appealing.

Cheapness – 6.00 out of 7 – Yes, Scotch pies tend to be cheap because they just contain mince and they are normally small. But 49p is a bit of a steal for any pie (as long as it’s edible).

Capacity – 3.10 out of 7 – Like a reverse TARDIS, this pie seemed to look quite big on the outside but small on the inside. It wasn't all that well filled, this isn’t unexpected for a cheap pie but does bring the score down.

Chewiness – 3.90 out of 7 – The mince was ground up pretty fine so it wasn’t at all chewy. However, there wasn’t really any crunch to the pastry and there could have been a bit more to get your teeth into in general.

Content – 4.00 out of 7 – Peppery and moist, the filling was nice but for me it did taste a bit too much like a sausage roll. Perhaps this could be why Tesco Dumfries cannot tell the difference between a pie and a sausage roll. The fat kept it moist but they could have probably got away with less of it. It looked a bit rank.

Consistency – 3.90 out of 7 – For the price this was not bad, it slipped down well. I think it is better than the Bell’s version who I guess are McIntosh’s main supermarket competitor.

Beef Scotch Pie (McIntyre) 
4.10/7 

SJL

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Greggs  - Scotch Pie Review

Given the recent campaign to save the macaroni pie from being dropped from the Greggs line up I thought it was about time for a Greggs pie review. As Pierateer RAS has suggested, is it even worth saving their pies when they are not know for being the best quality?

For the biggest bakery chain in the country Greggs have a pretty poor line up. In many stores you won't find any pies, just pasties and slices. In Northern England there are meat and potato pies available and in Scotland you can find Scotch Pies. I am not sure if it is just me but I have often found a lack of Scotch Pies in Greggs Scottish stores. Perhaps they just sell out before I get there. When I have seen them I have avoided them because to be honest I expected them to be pretty ropey. They look quite dried out and my previous experience with Greggs frozen pies put me right off. But on a recent sunny afternoon in Glasgow the time seemed right to grab a Greggs to review after finding a few left over after lunch time in the Trongate store. How will they compare against the other Scotch pies we have rated?



Condition - 2.50 out of 7 - I thought this pie looked pretty terrible, the rim and pastry sides looked dried out. It had a wonky appearance as if it had been made by a child.
Colour - 3.00 out of 7 - This pie had browned up too much in places but in others it was pale and pasty looking.
Cheapness - 5.00 out of 7 - At just £1 this is cheap compared to most hot pies however Scotch Pies are normally cheap. Their small size and fatty meat makes them cheaper to make than other pies.
Capacity - 4.25 out of 7 - Whilst the capacity was limited by the small size of the pie I could not deny it was almost completely filled.
Chewiness - 3.25 out of 7 - The burnt pastry sides and rim were every bit as bad as they looked. They were so dry it was almost impossible to actually take a bite. It was like this pie didn't want to be eaten. Somehow the rest of the pie was really soggy. The filling wasn't at all chewy as it was ground up so fine.
Content - 4.25 out of 7 - I wanted to hate this pie as I sometime perceive Gregg's as driving out smaller bakeries and robbing us of choice (and pies). However, there wasn't too much to criticise in the taste of this pie. It was perhaps too generic and a little salty but it was a typical beef Scotch pie flavour which I enjoy. It was clearly low quality meat as can be seen in the close up pictures, some of it looks pretty disgusting and you wonder what it is actually made of.
Consistency - 3.50 out of 7 - The trouble with many Gregg's products is that they aren't consistent. If you get one which has been sitting in the hot counter for a while it can be dried to a crisp. On this occasion the texture really let this pie down and whilst it wasn't bad I don't feel it is one I could recommend.

It is interesting that Time Out Edinburgh recently ranked all Greggs baked products and the Scotch pie was recently ranked second from bottom. This is perhaps not surprising when Gregg's seem to inexplicably neglect our favourite pastry product. Pie fans be rest assured, we will continue to give Greggs abuse about this as much as we can.


Beef Scotch Pie (Greggs) 
3.68/7

SJL

Update: I contacted Greggs to double check the pie was beef but apparently it is 17% beef and 2% mutton as well as containing Pork lard! The list of spices included is quite impressive, see the ingredients list below. Thank you to Greggs for supplying this information.

Water, Fortified Wheat Flour (Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Beef(17%), Seasoning (Rusk (Wheat), Fortified Wheat Flour (Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Salt, Lactose (Milk), Isolated Soya Protein, Starch, Potato Fibre, Malt Extract (Barley), Spices (Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Coriander, Ginger, White Pepper, Pimento), Pepper Extract), Rapeseed Oil, Palm Oil, Beef Fat, Minced Mutton(2%), Pork Lard (Antioxidant (Ascorbyl Palmitate, Tocopherols, Rosemary Extract)), Salt, Wheat Flour, Full Fat Soya Flour, Ground Rice, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate, Calcium Proprionate), Starch, Flour Treatment Agent (L-Cysteine)

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15th World Scotch Pie champion awarded next week!

Scotch Pies!

We are just days away from finding out who is awarded the 15th World Scotch Pie champion. The award will happen on Wednesday 14th January and will be presented by none other than Bay City Rollers front man and pie fanatic Les McKeown.

Of course you will remember that last year's award was won by The Kandy Bar in Saltcoats and you can read about their success and our review of the 2014 Scotch Pie Club Awards that we judged at last year.

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Missing Football Pie?

Of course we're not shy to eating a pie or two at a football match! Check out our Football Pie League for the half-time pies we've rated and find out more about our interview with BBC Sport a few months back regarding the perfect football pie!

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Pie Tweet of the Week!

A pie vending machine? Why has no-one ever thought of this before?! We're not quite convinced microwaving pies is the best way to get a top rated pie, but for sheer convenience and speed of pie purchasing, it's got to be up there! Good thinking Pukka! See all our Pukka Pies reviews here.

"@PukkaPies: Spotted: a Pukka Pie vending machine! Have you seen one near you? pic.twitter.com/RfR7uqpIiK" Wow! Seriously?! #want
— Pierate (@pierateers) January 5, 2015

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Pierate's Pie-lights of the Year

We still can't quite believe how many highlights there were to our year in 2014. It's certainly going to be hard to replicate it again, but we will pie our best! Find out more about our pie-tastic 2014 here and check out our top 6 pielights:

TOP 6 HIGHLIGHT - British Pie Week and all 55 pies consumed by the Pierateers in it! So many highlights, we had to do a whole day-by-day account of it, including a Python pie, a day of just eating apple pie and Pierateer SJL eating 21 pies - one for every meal of British Pie Week.

TOP 6 HIGHLIGHT - Pierateer SJL proving that you can eat pie and lose weight!!! Yes, we can hardly believe it either!

TOP 6 HIGHLIGHT - Pierateer TJP judging at the British Pie Awards 2014, where Pierateer RAS was media correspondent!

TOP 6 HIGHLIGHT - Our first ever TV appearance came on the Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice programme, featuring Michel Roux Jnr rating the Pierateer's Crocodile Pie!

TOP 6 HIGHLIGHT - Featuring on the BBC Sport Website in a video on the "Pies of Football" for the Price of Football Study 2014, including travelling up to Morecambe FC to rate their latest Pork and Irn Bru pie!

TOP 6 HIGHLIGHT - Our first ever Birthday Pie-rty to celebrate Pierate being 5 years old!

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If you have a story you think would be good to feature in next week's Pieday Friday, send us an email at pierateship@yahoo.co.uk or contact us on Twitter @pierateers Follow @pierateers

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In our search to find what makes the best Scotch Pie we have been looking at producers big and small. Today sees the turn of supermarket chain Morrisons to come under our proverbial pie microscope to examine if their take on this classic pie is any good. Given that I am also trying to review every pie on the Morrisons pie counter I thought I would go for a bit of a double header. Morrisons also have a Chicken Curry Pie which uses the classic Scotch Pie case and reinforces the Northern roots of the supermarket chain (see our article on what makes the best Scotch Pie to see what makes these cases different).


The Chicken Curry pie was slightly more expensive at 89p but neither of these pies were going to break the bank, both being relatively cheap. They weren't very big pies but still represented some of the cheapest pies available. They were indeed made in very similar cases with classic, crunchy Scotch Pie pastry. But which would win the much coveted title of 'Best pie in a Scotch Pie case being sold at Morrisons in 2014'????

	Scotch Pie	Chicken Curry
Condition	3.0 - Excessive boil out had caused the top of this pie to have a burnt effect. A bit too lumpy.	3.2 - The pie had a bit too much boil out to be pretty, but not as bad as the Scotch pie. There was a tinge of yellow where the curry sauce had leaked out.
Colour	4.0 - Other than the boil out there was a great golden colour to this pie.	3.7 - Very similar golden colour to the pastry, a shame about the 'hi-viz' yellow of the curry sauce, only recommended if you are eating your pie in the middle of traffic...
Cheapness	6.5 - At 69p and considering this pie was quite full of meaty content, this was great value.	4.5 - Slightly more expensive, but still quite cheap, however, there seemed to be a lack of meat in this pie which meant it felt mediocre in terms of value.
Capacity	4.2 - Not bad, the rim at the top of the pie wasn't too excessive and there was minimal airgap.	3.2 - The rim did seem to be a bit excessive on the Chicken Curry, the filling was pretty shallow despite a small airgap.
Chewiness	5.5 - A great texture, crunchy pastry coupled with a nice and moist filling, only the rim slightly let this pie down (it was a little too hard).	4.5 - Similar pastry crunch to the Scotch Pie, the filling had a slightly less pleasant texture being a bit too liquid.
Content	3.3 - A standard minced beef filling. The taste of the filling was a little disappointing, it wasn't meaty enough. It had a slightly peppery kick but was a bit bland.	2.3 - Not a filling that I would recommend, the taste of a bland chip shop curry sauce. There wasn't really much in the way of chicken but a vague taste of chicken.
Consistency	4.0 - Fatty and oily, just like you would expect. A pretty good example of a quintessential Scotch Pie (if not a great Scotch Pie). Have tried this multiple times and it is consistent.	3.0 - This pie doesn't really work, there just isn't enough attention to the filling, I did get another one to check they haven't got better. They haven't.
Total	4.36 out of 7	3.49 out of 7

The classic Scotch pie wins outright! In truth, it wasn't very difficult, the Chicken Curry pie didn't put up much of a fight. But I won't take this away from the Scotch pie. If you are quite into your Scotch pies (like me) it is a pretty good option in terms of supermarket versions. They are also quite often on offer so it is something I would buy again.

Champion!

Beef Scotch Pie (Morrisons Pie Counter)
4.36/7

Chicken Curry (Morrisons Pie Counter)
3.49/7

SJL 

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