ASDA Rhubarb Pie Review

Here’s a photo of a rhubarb pie. Looks quite large for £1, right?!

And here’s the cross-section:

Wait, what’s that?

Is that…is that all crust?

Wowzer! That sure is some hefty crust right there. To give you some perspective, here’s what it looks like while you’re eating it.

Now, I don’t want to suggest for one minute that ASDA have been deceptive here, trying to make their pie look larger than it actually is…but I’m not going to lie, I can’t see any other advantage over having such an over-sized crust other than to “artificially inflate” the size of the pie. It’s not like having the extra crust was a benefit in any way – the pastry was dry and I left most of it.

Removing the outer crust around the edge left a central part of the pie that was actually quite moist and enjoyable, albeit rather sweet, thin and sad. The filling – what there was of it – was quite nice. I like rhubarb, and this had some acceptably-sized chunks within. But the sheer thickness of the pastry meant that this pie had a pretty poor capacity.

Overall, I was left feeling rather deceived by this pie. The addition of the practically inedible outer “wing” rather fooled me into thinking I was purchasing a larger pie than I was.

ASDA Rhubarb Pie Review
Score: 2.8/7
TJP

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ASDA blackcurrant pie review

I bought this blackcurrant pie from my local ASDA for the grand price of 25p. Well, 50p for two pies – and that was reduced from a £1 for the pair. I was very intrigued by this pie – not so much for its blackcurrant flavour, but more for what was lying beneath that bump on the right-hand side.

Here’s a cross-sectional view of the left-hand side of the pie:

And here’s the view of the right:

What’s going on here?! As you can see, the air:filling ratio on the left-hand side is quite impressive, but on the right the air:filling ratio is appalling! This is very surprising, and such a lopsided pie is not something I think I’ve personally come across before. Look at that enormous gap of air!

The content itself is okay. The blackcurrant filling has quite a jammy texture, which is quite nice but I’d have preferred a few more whole blackcurrants rather than just what was essentially jam. The pastry was a bit pale in colour and also a bit dry, but it held itself together well.

Overall, it was the enormous air gap on one side of this pie that really let it down. Perhaps if I had bought a different pack of these pies then I wouldn’t have been faced with this issue, but I have to rate what is in front of me. I also bought these pies reduced, so I have to rate these pies at the normal price of £1 for two.

ASDA Blackcurrant Pie Review
Score: 2.98/7
TJP

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Morecambe FC Apple Pie Review, following on from our pie review of 4 meat pies served to us at the Morecambe v Wycombe Wanderers match

Clearly not satisfied with hitting the back of the net with their meat pies, the Pierateers returned to their VIP (Very Important Pie-eaters) table at Morecambe Football Club at half time to find a six-piece apple pie and two custard jugs awaiting them! Having looked round and found no such pie on anyone else’s tables, we assumed it must be for pie rating and got to work digging into the apple pie.

Hos-pie-tality at the Morecambe FC match

Placing the slices of pie into our bowls, you could not possibly miss how packed full of fruit this pie was. It was top capacity at its finest, with no room for anything else! This pie really was deep and had no chance of being reprimanded like some of the supposed “deep” fruit pies we’ve eaten lately. In fact, it scored a perfect 7 on capacity! The appley content was very good too, with it not being too sweet or too sour, but just a perfect blend. It meant you got a bit of tang and knew you’d been hit with a good fruit hit, but it enhanced rather than detracted from the fruit pie experience.


This fully encased apple pie had some delicious pastry which made it immediately stand out too. It was quite light, soft and airy pastry, which could have perhaps done with being a tad crispier in Pierateer RAS’ eyes but which was pretty much spot on for Pierateer SJL (who likened it to almost being sponge-like). The one main downside to this pie was that it was a bit pale in colour. We would have liked to have seen it a bit more golden in colour, which might have made it a slight bit crispier too. However there is no doubt this was a top pie and at £3 for a restaurant desert (for this would be sold in the restaurant area, rather than to the football watching public) this seemed pretty spot on for cheapness too.

It really did taste homemade and was certainly one of the best apple pies we’ve rated. A surprise to find it sold at a football ground, but then finding out Head Chef Graham’s background in restaurants we weren't surprised he had a top apple pie up his sleeve! Delicious and well worth doubling up on pie for!

Morecambe FC Apple Pie
Score: 6.11/7
[Colour 5.5, Condition 6.25, Cheapness 6.5, Capacity 7, Consistency 6, Chewiness 5.5, Content 6, Total: 6.11/7]
RAS and SJL

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Harrods Luxurious Mini Mince Pie Selection Review



Harrods Luxurious Mini Mince Pie Selection

When it comes to the big names in shopping, few can beat Harrods. One of London’s premier stores – if not the world’s – means that any food which comes from the store’s huge food hall will get savoured across the globe and put on a pedestal of divine deliciousness. Or at least that’s the theory.

But what if that food was pie. And what if that pie got pie rated?! Would Harrods Luxurious Mince Pie selection withstand the Pierateer’s 7 Cs? Let’s find out...

The Harrods Luxurious Mini Mince Pie Selection contains nine mini pies of three different flavours, which were all eaten by Pierateers RAS, SJL and TJP for feedback but then the final scores were awarded by Pierateer RAS as follows:

Top - Fruity Almond; Left - Cranberry, Right - Pecan

Pecan Topped Mince Pie

The first item eaten from the box was topped with pecans, but unfortunately only had pastry around the sides and base. This means it doesn’t meet the Pierateer’s definition of a true pie. However while the mince meat is quite tasty and the pecans add a nice crunch, we're not able to give this pie a top score because it's not got a lid. While the mince meat and crunchy pecans do complement each other well, I probably wouldn't go for it again unless they added a pastry lid to properly complement the pie.

The pecan flavour and texture of the pecan nut was very nice and something different for a mince pie – in fact I’d go as far as to say I was quite nuts about it – but considering how small it is and at almost 100ppp, it is rather expensive and for a non-pie, it’s not really worth it in our minds.

Score: 3.64/7
[Colour 4.5, Capacity 3,5, Consistency 4, Condition 4, Chewiness 3.5, Cheapness 2, Content 4, Total: 3.64/7]


Star-topped Cranberry Mince Meat Mince Pie

You could certainly taste a difference between the mince meat in most mince pies and this Cranberry Mince Meat Mince Pie, although in terms of flavour I wouldn't have immediately put it down to the addition of cranberries. Still, it was surprisingly nice and I certainly would eat one of these pies again. The slight sourness of the cranberry added an interesting kick but was a nice addition to the flavour. The flavour was not the best of the three but a (near) fully encased pie it was and it certainly was a unique and enjoyable flavour at that.

It was however certainly too small to get a decent filling:pastry ratio. There was far too much pastry and it did drown out the filling a fair bit. That said, the pastry was very nice. At just under a pound each for a very small pie, they were certainly not going to be able to be shared round easily but they were a nice treat.

Score: 3.79/7
[Colour 4.5, Capacity 4, Consistency 4, Condition 4, Chewiness 4, Cheapness 2, Content 4, Total: 3.79/7]


Rich Fruity Almond Mince Meat With A Hint Of Brandy Mince Pie

The mix of the fruity filling and almond made this our favourite filling. You also definitely get a bit of a taste sensation with the brandy, providing a bit of a late kick. While this pie was the only fully encased pie of the three types, the ratio of pastry to mince meat was again too much on the pastry side. The capacity was not perfect but pretty good; there were some air gaps in there, which for such a small pie is disappointing, but the content was very good. It tastes nice, the crunch from the almond was good, and the flavour lingered nicely after eating. That said, it was again still rather expensive for the privilege at just under one pound each for very mini pies.

Score: 4.14/7
[Colour 4.5, Capacity 4, Consistency 4, Condition 5, Chewiness 4.5, Cheapness 2, Content 5, Total: 4.14/7]


Harrods Luxurious Mini Mince Pie Selection
RAS

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Marks and Spencer Ultimate All Butter Mince Pies Review

It doesn't take much to attract my attention to a box of pies - after all, we do very much keep our eyes on the pies at Pierate HQ! However when a box of pies is described as "Ultimate" in their title, these have got to be VERY good pies if they are to live up to their billing! So when I came across the Marks and Spencer Ultimate All Butter Mince Pies during a trip to London's Oxford Street recently, I certainly had to give them a pie rating! After all, these aren't just mince pies... these are M&S Ultimate All Butter Mince Pies...



Hand crafted Mince Pies from M&S

However the first impression I got when opening up the box of pies was that M&S seemed to be trying a bit too hard to make out these are hand crafted pies. For not only was this mentioned on the label in shiny, golden lettering, but every single pie out of the 8 I bought had the lid on wonkily. Now, I'm not going to argue that someone making pies by hand might put a lid or two on wonkily - just due to human nature and trying to get all these pies made before Christmas - but I find it hard to believe that the staff at M&S are so bad at making pies that they couldn't even get 1 of the 8 pies to have a lid that actually attached correctly! It's as if... dare I say it... the lids of these pies were intentionally put on wonkily to highlight the fact they are "hand crafted" rather than put on immaculately by a machine! Hmmm... I guess we will never know!


The Ultimate Mince Pie?!

The content gave a top, fruity flavouring, probably the best tasting mince pie filling I'd had. The full filling was mincemeat "packed with vine fruits, kirch soaked glace cherries, roasted almonds and armagnac." It was so moist and flavoursome and provided a striking, yet complimentary, contrast to the crisp pastry. You could really taste that you were getting one of your five a day here, rather than just some mincey, fruit goo leftovers. The capacity however was a bit disappointing, with several air gaps in the pie.


So ultimately, are these the best mince pies I've ever rated? I'm afraid not. In summary, I'd happily eat again, but would think twice about forking out £1 a pie for these, when there are other nice mince pies for a fraction of the price.

Marks and Spencer Ultimate All Butter Mince Pies
Score: 5.36/7
[Colour 5.5, Capacity 5.5, Consistency 6.5, Condition 5.5, Chewiness 5.5, Cheapness 3, Content 6, Total: 5.36/7]
RAS

Additional note: It must also be noted that unfortunately these pies are ridiculously hard to get hold of. Considering they are supposed to be the "Ultimate" mince pies that Marks and Spencer sell, I was thoroughly disappointed that not only was I unable to get hold of any in the huge Birmingham High Street city centre store but also that they had no idea if they would be getting a new delivery in before Christmas. In the end I had to travel down from Birmingham to London to obtain a second box of these pies for my '12 Pies of Christmas' video, which I think is pretty unacceptable but I hope at least highlights the lengths the Pierateers are willing to go to provide the pie fans with the pie reviews they crave. Here's hoping that in the future Marks and Spencer do a better job of getting their pies to the people!

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Pierate Pie Rating Demo – Mince Pie Edition

On board the Pierate Ship we are always looking for new ways to share our love of pies with the world. So when attending a Christmas Party with some friends, Pierateer RAS decided to - ins-pie-red by @aliimdadbakes cake making demo - host the first ever Pierate Pie Rating Demo!

That's right - an informative and educational whistle stop tour of how to rate a pie - the Pierate way! With three mince pies each to rate in a near blind taste test (the lights had been turned down low to create ambience in the room, which led to us having to use our mobile phones to see the plates of pies!!!) a group of wannabe Pierateers joined Pierateer RAS for a thorough brief.



Pie Rating Demo - before and after!

All ‘Pierateers in Training’ were given a copy of the 7 Cs - the way us Pierateers have been rating pies since we started four years ago - and were guided through the requirements. None of the guest Pierateers were told where the mince pies were bought from, let alone which one was which!

But before I tell you whose pie was rated highest by me and by the 'Pierateers in Training', here are the scores on the doors:

Cs	Pie A	Pie B	Pie C	Average
Colour	6	5	5.5	5.5
Capacity	4.75	5.25	6	5.3
Consistency	4.5	5	5.5	5
Condition	5.5	5	5.5	5.3
Chewiness	5.5	5.5	5.5	5.5
Cheapness	3	6	5.5	4.8
Content	5	5	6	5.3
Seven Cs Score	4.89	5.25	5.64	5.26

Name	Pie A	Pie B	Pie C	Highest Rated
Tim	4.14	5	5.5	Pie C
Ramin	1	5	4	Pie B
Tom	3.71	5	5	Pie B and Pie C
Will	4	4	5	Pie C
Brittany	2.86	5.14	3.57	Pie B
John	3	3	4	Pie C
Pierateer RAS	4.89	5.25	5.64	Pie C
Average	3.37	4.62	4.67	Pie C

And for those intrigued as to which pie was which, the results were:

Pie A = Heston from Waitrose Puff Pastry Mince Pie
Score: 4.89/7

Pie B = Tesco Mince Pie
Score: 5.25/7

Pie C = Sainsbury’s Deep Filled Mince Pie
Score: 5.64/7

So there we have it – while there were a few slight differences in scoring, we have a winner by a very small margin. Well done Sainsbury’s on winning this particular Pierate Pie Rating Demo – Mince Pie Edition! Until next time...

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Lidl Snowy Lodge Mince Pie Review

Having been highly commended by Which? Magazine in a blind taste test, but not having had any of their pies rated on www.pierate.co.uk, I stopped off at Lidl in Manchester. Purchasing both the mini pies and the standard version (thus a total of 21 pies for only £2.84) I set about rating them.



11 Lidl Mince Pies, part of the '12 Pies of Christmas' (POC)

The standard Lidl pies came in a box of 12 at just 12.4ppp. Quite remarkable really, when a lot of mince pies can be anywhere from 25ppp to £1 or more! The pies were in quite good condition, although just on picking the pie out of the silver foil case, I could see cracks appearing between the side and lid pastry, which wasn't ideal. That said, when it came to biting into the pastry it was nice and light, crumbling perfectly in the mouth and not dry at all. The pastry was golden and buttery.

The content looked on first appearance like it would be more sauce and less fruit, however upon taking a few bites I was left with a nice, slightly lingering fruity flavour but also several pieces of fruit to chew over! A little too chewy perhaps and not quite as much fruit as some mince pies I've had (and believe me, I've reviewed a few mince pies lately!!!) but that didn't stop me thoroughly enjoying this mince pie! And at less than 12.5ppp it's hard not to say "no" to another... and another... and another...



Lidl Mince Pie

It is a good, affordable Christmas treat. One that will only leave a Lidl dent in your wallet but a far greater dent on your waistline! Especially if you eat 11 of them...

Lidl Snowy Lodge Mince Pie
Score: 5.79/7
[Colour 6, Capacity 6, Consistency 5.5, Condition 6, Chewiness 5, Cheapness 7, Content 5, Total: 5.79/7]
RAS

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Tesco Mince Pie Review

With the final remaining place in the “12 Pies of Christmas” video up for grabs, I thought the fairest way to decide which of the “Big 3” supermarkets – Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco – to buy from was to ask them why I should buy their pie! However when I’d asked the three stores if I would be able to film part of my video in store, Sainsbury’s had got back to me to say that I couldn’t – as it would cause “too much disruption in their store”. This left Asda and Tesco, so when I tweeted out to them, this is what I got back:

@pierateers @asda We have an answer! The answer my friend is @Tesco #ToPieFor : )
— Tesco (@Tesco) November 30, 2013

Unfortunately Asda didn’t reply at all. Therefore with a good pie pun – even if they hadn’t actually told me why I should buy Tesco pies over any other – I purchased the 10 mince pies I needed for the video. These pies also formed part of the first ever Pierate “Pie Rating Demo” which will be reviewed on www.pierate.co.uk soon!

10 Tesco Mince Pies


So how did these Tesco mince pies rate?

Well the mincemeat was nice and flavoursome, with a good capacity. There was plenty of fruity flavour, giving a quite good consistency, and a good ratio of filling to pastry. The pastry was a bit pale in colour and quite solid, a bit dry but held together well. Upon cutting in half, the pie did however crumble and break off quite badly. The design on the pie was quite basic but did the job and at £1.00 for a box of 6 pies (making them just 16.7ppp) they are the second cheapest pies in the 12 Pies of Christmas video, but certainly not the lowest scoring.



Tesco Mince Pie

These mince pies were a very solid performer and good value at just 16.7ppp. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say I was blown away by them, I would certainly have no problem in sharing a box or two at a Christmas party I organised.

Tesco Mince Pie
Score: 5.25/7
[Colour 5, Capacity 5.25, Consistency 5, Condition 5, Chewiness 5.5, Cheapness 6, Content 5, Total: 5.25/7]
RAS

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Heston from Waitrose Puff Pastry Mince Pie Review

When supermarkets get in the big guns – and I’m talking BIG BIG, such as celebrity chefs like Heston Blumenthal - you immediately expect big things. It’s only natural! A top chef by trade, Heston can be seen Blum-ing everywhere! Which is no bad thing as the reviews of his produce are normally top notch. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here... you can read reviews of Heston’s recipes or books wherever you want, but if you want to know about his pies then you need to be on the home of the pie review - www.pierate.co.uk! It’s just that simple!

So when I heard some glowing reviews of Heston for Waitrose mince pies from last year, I had to get my hands on a box (or two) for our '12 Pies of Christmas’ video and naturally submit a review on Pierate. I picked up the Puff Pastry Mince Pies from a Little Waitrose in Birmingham (which will only feature externally in the “12 Pies of Christmas” video, as the media team at Waitrose never replied to my email about filming in store). At £2.73 per box of 6 (that’s 45.5ppp), they seemed rather pricey but I was hoping they’d live up to the cost.


Heston from Waitrose Puff Pastry Mince Pies

I opened the box to find the six pies alongside a packet of pine sugar, something I’d not come across before. It did suggest on the packet to warm the mince pies up slightly before sprinkling on the pine sugar but as we were doing our “mince pie rating demo” with mince pies straight from the box, a sprinkle of pine sugar was added to the cold pie. The first impression – I have to admit – was “Have I just been given a mince pie box with sausage rolls in?!” For I don’t know about you, but the shape of these pies did not look like any mince pies I’d ever seen before! However this in and of itself would not detract from the scoring of the pie per se, as the filling was still fully encased in pastry with clearly defined base, sides and lid.

A quick bite into the pie and I could immediately tell this pie hadn’t quite got the pastry:filling ratio right in my opinion. The first bite was pretty much all pastry and unfortunately the cross section tells its own story with too much pastry on the sides, top and bottom. Some may also query why this pie had a puff pastry lid to, as this isn’t usually the pastry use for mince pies, but I didn’t have a problem with that. I though the puff pastry tasted quite nice and a good alternative to the typical short crust, but it was a little dry and the amount of pastry made it a bit chewy.



Heston from Waitrose Puff Pastry Mince Pies

The mincemeat itself tasted nice, with a strong fruity flavour included in the recipe. The content was nice and fruity, however it was clear that there wasn’t really enough of it when you ate the pie. The pine sugar to add to the top didn’t really do anything special for me either, however fancy it sounded to be adding it. Ultimately I’d rather have a well filled pie (which the puff pastry lid didn’t really provide due to a reasonable air gap) than a fancy pie sprinkled with pine sugar. While I’m sure Heston’s mince pies will be a talking point around many a Christmas table this year, for the price involved and the ratio of pastry:filling it certainly isn’t the highest scoring mince pie, despite the big name.

Heston from Waitrose Puff Pastry Mince Pie
Score: 4.89/7
[Colour 6, Capacity 4.75, Consistency 4.5, Condition 5.5, Chewiness 5.5, Cheapness 3, Content 5, Total: 4.89/7]
RAS

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Robinsons Bakery Hand Crafted Mince Pie Review

It’s not often you find a craft bakery – let alone one as old as 1864! But that’s exactly what you get with Robinsons – the Master Bakers in Manchester. For almost 150 years – yes, that’s almost one hundred and fifty years – the Robinsons bakery has been producing the goods and so we thought it well worth a little detour out of Manchester city centre to Failsworth (in the north of the city) for a taste of their mince pies. And boy, were we in for a treat!!!



On the sixth day of Christmas the Pierateers ate for tea...

The bakery contains a huge selection of bread, cakes and most importantly pies! They have a whole range to choose from – pork pies, steak pies etc – but for my visit, I had my eyes on the mince pies! So with a couple of boxes of pies, a few short video clips taken for the ’12 Pies of Christmas’ video and a nice little chat with the staff there (with my big suitcase getting rather in the way I had to mention I’d just eaten some Italian pies When in Rome...), I set back home and eagerly awaited the right opportunity to eat them!

So here’s what I thought:

The mince pie was firm to the bite but the pastry crumbled delightfully and wasn’t crunchy, revealing a dark, fruit filled centre to the pie. The capacity was strong and you could see the pieces of fruit bursting out. The content was rich and full of flavour, without being overpowering. It was a little chewy due to the strong fruity concentration in the centre, but not in a bad way. I certainly came away with a nice fruity taste still in my mouth, unlike some mince pies I’ve had which had an after taste of quite dry, overly thick pastry.



Robinsons Mince Pies

Speaking of the pastry, it was quite light pastry and a lovely short crust flavour. It was a bit softer and more buttery than I have often tasted with mince pies and blended with the filling delightfully. My main issue with this pie, which I can’t let go without saying, is that in my mind it was a slightly shallow pie and also a bit pricey (at nearly 50p a pie, £2.99 for 6). I would have liked a bit more depth to the pie really. That said, it was a bit wider than your average supermarket mince pie. And there was no air in this pie! Oh no! Some pies we’ve reviewed have certainly been guilty of airing the gaps, but not Robinsons!

In summary, I would definitely recommend getting some of these hand crafted mince pies – they are a real treat in comparison to the far more standard supermarket bought pies. A tad expensive but well worth the effort of visiting a local craft bakers for! Thanks Robinsons!

Oh and I have an admission to make... when I bought the pies, I thought they were boxes of 3! You can only see three through the plastic window and nowhere on the box does it actually say how many pies you get... so while I thought I was buying 2 boxes of 3 (for the sixth day of Christmas...) I actually ended up buying 12 pies! Oh well... more pies for me!!!

Robinsons Bakery Hand Crafted Mince Pie
Score: 6.18/7
[Colour 6.25, Capacity 6, Consistency 6.75, Condition 6.5, Chewiness 6, Cheapness 5, Content 6.75, Total: 6.18/7]
RAS

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We Love Cake Gluten Free Mince Pie Review

I love mince pies and feel that they should be available all year round!! To avoid disappointment I always stock up on mince meat at Christmas so i can make them at other times of the year too!!  Something slightly disappointing about shop brought mince meat in jars or in pies, is that it always seems to taste the same!! Something you don't have to put up with if you make your own mincemeat from scratch. Despite this, I am still up for a shop brought mince pie every so often, which is what made me try these.


I actually quite like the packaging for this pie and the name of the company 'love cake'.  It's questionable why a cake company is making pies, but I think I'll let them off on this occasion!! Upon opening the box, every single pie was in tact!!  One comment i would make is that they weren't very golden in colour. They tasted great, and I really looked forward to trying another one the next day to see if it would be as good - and it was. The pastry was almost a bit crunchy, but its hard to get GF pastry to work!! I would definitely recommend these pies and eat one again.


Scores:
Colour = 4
Consistency = 5
Content = 5
Capacity =  5
Chewiness = 4.5
Cheapness = 5
Condition = 7

We Love Cake Gluten Free Mince Pie
Score: 5.07/7
ALE

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Left to Right, Plum & Pear, Apple & Cranberry and Rhubarb pies

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If you aren’t already aware, I’d already searched the streets of Rome for a pie in the days prior to being in Milan. After all, I’m sure we’ve all heard of the phrase "When in Rome... do as the Romans do." But of course this phrase doesn't literally limit you to doing Romanesque things while visiting Rome. It's a wider phrase referencing that you should try to accommodate the culture you're in.

However what about if you’re in Milan, not Rome? Sure, we know the Romans liked their pies, but do the people of Milan? Well there was only one way to find out – a pie hunt in Milan!

And having taken a whole day to find a pie when in Rome, it was only about 20 minutes after getting off the Metro in Porta Genova, one of the party suburbs of Milan, that we spotted “Il Forno dei Navigli” bakery - and in particular an apple pie called a “Charlotte” in their window. Of course I went and bought one...



Pie Window Shopping in Milan

The pie was sold by weight and cost just over €3 (from €20 per kg) for what was not a massive, individual pie, but certainly larger than a typical Mr Kipling pie in the UK. It came covered in sugar, rather controversially hiding whether or not it was a tart or fully encased pie! However fear not pie fans - the pastry product was fully encased in pastry and was therefore happily snapped up!

I've already mentioned the pie was not that cheap at just over €3, however the capacity was very strong, full of bite-sized apple chunks. Also, regarding the content, there was a slight hint of lemon throughout the pie, which certainly made it unique compared to other apple pies I've eaten but I think ultimately there is a reason why lemon is not traditionally added!



I had some AC-E pie when I went Inter Milan...

The colour of the pastry was slightly on the pale side, once you removed the sugar coating, but crumbled nicely upon biting and held the pie contents together well. The pie wasn't chewy and was very consistent with apple filling throughout. However I'm unsure why this pie was presented with so much sugar on top, hiding the lid, as this rather spoilt the condition.

Overall, I'm delighted to see a fully encased pie being sold in Milan but it didn't blow me away. While the Milanese pie scores slightly higher than the Roma pie due to being a fully encased pie with proper fruit filling rather than just jam, taste and cost-wise I'd rather have a Crostatine from Rome again as it felt more unique to Italy.

Il Forno dei Navigli “Charlotte” (Apple Pie)
Score: 4.43/7
[Colour 5, Capacity 6, Consistency 4, Condition 4, Chewiness 5, Cheapness 3, Content 4, Total: 4.43/7]
RAS

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When In Rome Pie Hunt result from Zucchero e Farina


The local term for them was Crostatine, which were pastry base and sides, filled with jam (in my case, strawberry) and then a pastry lattice on top. The depth wasn't huge, it has to be said, but you could tell the base and the sides apart (unlike you could with a slice). What rescued it from just being a tart (another rival to pie in the culinary world and quite popular in Rome) was the pastry lattice lid, keeping at least some of the content under wraps.

The pastry was quite crumbly and I certainly felt I left far too much pie pastry on the floor rather than in my mouth! Not ideal but at least the pastry I did eat was good! While a little dry, it held together well, securely holding the filling and allowing easy transportation. The lattice lid ensured my filling did not encase the paper bag it came in, which was good as I had big plans for taking the photo below:

VatiCAN you see the famous landmark in the background?!

So the score then:

The consistency was okay, with the thick, drier pastry and the soft, moist strawberry jam holding together nicely as I bit into the pie. The content tasted fine but with it just consisting of strawberry jam it certainly didn't give me a taste sensation. I'd have preferred they did something a bit more exciting with it than just strawberry jam!

At €1,70 this wasn't particularly cheap either for an individual pie but the shop was selling in central Rome. The condition of the pie was quite good and sold in a nice paper case, but as previously stated I couldn't fully assess the capacity as sadly wasn't fully encased. The pie certainly wasn't filled very deeply with jam though, so the score is minimal. The pie (and certainly the jam filling) wasn't chewy and the colour was good.

Zucchero e Farina Strawberry (Fragola) Crostatine
Score: 4/7
[Colour 6, Capacity 2, Consistency 4, Condition 4, Chewiness 6, Cheapness 3, Content 3, Total: 4/7]
RAS

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Simon's Simon Devilishly Delicious Chocolate and Black Cherry Pie Review

The Simple Simon's pie box arrived with four new pies to review. The first was eaten by Pierateers RAS and TJP for pudding, and was a Sinful Simon's Devilishly Delicious Chocolate and Black Cherry pie.



Simple Simon's Chocolate and Black Cherry Pie

It was nice to have a chocolate-filled pie for once. The chocolate was a very nice consistency, and complemented the cherry well. However, the richness of the pie and the inclusion of chilli peppers led to quite a sting in the throat, meaning I had to reach for the water quite a bit.

The pastry was good with a nice thickness, although a little chewy in parts. However, the pastry was certainly very tasty and worked well the the chocolate. The chocolate was runnier than I was expecting, but the pastry could mop this up.

At a little over £4, this pie is a little on the pricey side. In summary, a novel chocolate pie but just a bit too spicy in terms of content. We would certainly try another chocolate pie like this again.

Colour - 6/7 Content - 4.5/7 Capacity - 5/7 Condition - 5/7 Cheapness - 3/7 Consistency - 5/7 Chewiness - 6/7

Simon's Simon Devilishly Delicious Chocolate and Black Cherry Pie
Score: 4.93/7
RAS and TJP

See where this pie ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour. Make sure you Follow @pierateers and let us know your thoughts!

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Cherry Pie Review from Mother Mash

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Mr Kipling Apple Pies at the Aston University Charity Cake and Pie Sale for Comic Relief

After all, there’s a reason why they are called the nation’s favourite apple pies (their branding and claim to fame, not mine). Packed full of crisp apple-y goodness, and surely one of your five a day, the Mr Kipling Apple Pie ticks all the boxes and ensures it is the premier portable snack sized fruit pie.




Pierateer RAS ate 3.14 Mr Kipling Apple Pies for Pi(e) Day

And to ensure we could give you the thumbs up again, Pierateer RAS celebrated National Pi(e) Day in America (14th March - i.e. 3.14 if you write the date American-style) by eating 3.14 Mr Kipling Apple Pies! They sure tasted good! After all, they are exceedingly good pies!

Score: 6.42/7

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