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
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Count On Morissons For More Pies
Morrisons Pie Counter - Pie Reviews
It is surely the case that Morrisons are the supermarket of choice for the pie lover. It is always a delight to visit the pie counter where the pies are free and unboxed. I would say a normal supermarket is like going to a pie zoo. The pies are cooped up in boxes, people say they are happy but how can you know? More often than not you can't even see the pies themselves. Whereas Morrisons is like a pie safari. The beef and onion is free to terrorises the sausage rolls. The chicken curry proudly displays its golden pastry, glowing under the artificial lights. If you are lucky you might catch a glimpse of the king of the pie counter, the steak and ale, lording it over his fellow pastry products because he knows his line was the best selling last year, is best selling this year and will sell the best again next year. He is just an unstoppable force of nature and awe inspiring to behold.
I have recently moved house and the fact that I am now near a Morrisons is not quite the reason I moved here but it certainly adds a little extra joy to life. It is great to visit every week. Sometimes I don't even buy anything from the pie counter but just enjoy window shopping. The guy at the counter perhaps thinks I'm a bit weird as I stand salivating at the pies. My high expectations were perhaps the reason I was a bit disappointed recently. I chose a fantastic looking Steak, Mushroom & Bacon square pie which was puffed up proudly, promising a pie packed with content. However upon cutting it open, I was disappointed to find this was not the case. About half the pie seemed to be empty. This pie was a bit more expensive than most so I would expect better. However it was a fairly big pie so overall it wasn't such bad value. The filling tasted okay although the meat was a bit chewy. Thankfully the combination of short crust pastry side and puff pastry lid was to a very high standard. The shortcrust in particular held its shape well but at the same time managed to be lovely and gooey. So overall not a bad effort.
I decided to tweet about this pie to Morrisons, indicating that while it wasn't bad it was a bit disappointing. I was surprised that Morrisons took this so seriously, sending me vouchers to get another pie. It is commendable that they are listening to their customers so closely. If only all companies were so good! It was by no means a formal complaint, it just shows how seriously Morrisons take their pies.
So I tried again with a Chicken, Ham and Leek pie and two rather gourmet looking medium Pork Pies. I still had money left over from the £3 vouchers I was sent after buying these three indicating they were great value.
Firstly the Chicken, Ham and Leek pie. I almost fell off my pie reviewing stool when I got home and saw the pie had been labelled as a 'pasty'! It certainly was not a pasty having well defined sides, base and lid. They really need to be more careful with this very important distinction. It was very stressful for a moment when I thought I had bought a pasty by mistake!
Fortunately this was a pie and once I delved in this golden delight it was a return to form for Morrisons. There was a lovely thick sauce oozing out with actual proper chucks of meat. While the capacity of the pie was still big this time it was really packed with content. I felt like I was getting a great value pie experience. Again the pastry was great; Morrisons certainly know how to mix their flour and fat. This was almost the perfect pie, however it just needed a bit more of a full on flavour, a shame as it did everything else so well. However, for the price this was still one of the best value supermarket pies I have had.
The hand crimped pork pies were also rather special. These weren't like traditional pork pies. You can see from the photos that they had an ergonomic shape which meant they were rather satisfying to hold in the palm of the hand. I spent a while just admiring this pie not wanting to ruin its delicate edges. You might think that it seems like it has too much pastry given that pastry for a pork pie is often rather solid. However the pastry for this pork pie was quite soft and light and the extra pastry was a pleasure to eat. The meat was pink, unlike the grey of a melton mowbray pork pie, and it had a taste somewhat reminiscent of a sausage roll except it had a much more satisfying texture because it wasn't at all mushy. It also lacked the jelly of a traditional pork pie which made it seem much less fatty. Overall it was a lighter, flakier version of a pork pie, but because it still retained wonderful solidness it was perfect for a summer picnic.
So, after a slight disappointment Morrisons show their Northern Soul with two fantastic pies. It is great that we can still rely on the only supermarket with a pie counter. However, Morrison are not the only ones to have a pie counter. The Pierateers also have a pie 'counter' which has just ticked over 200 pies reviewed. We can count on more Morrisons pies to get us to 300.
Steak, Mushroom & Bacon (Morrisons Pie Counter)
4.12/7
Chicken, Ham & Leek (Morrisons Pie Counter)
5.76/7
Hand-Crimped Pork Pie (Morrisons Pie Counter)
5.55/7
SJL
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Grabbing a Sainsbury's pork pie for the journey home
Sainsbury's Medium Crusty Bake Pork Pie Review
You buy the pork pie...
...and then you eat the pork pie.
Well let me draw your attention to the first image again. This is a new Sainsbury's "medium crusty bake pork pie". It's the nature of the pastry that is the main draw here. Note in the final image just how thick and crusty this pastry is, especially round the sides of the pie. Aside from apparently being incredibly calorific (the red wheel of death informs me that there are 561 calories in just half a pie), the meat isn't anything special and the jelly is rather absent. What sells it for me though is the thick crusty pastry.
Sainsbury's Medium Crusty Bake Pork Pie
Score: 4.54/7
TJP
See where these pies ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
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Monday, 15 July 2013
Who will eat all the pies?
Who will eat all the pies? That is the question being asked
as we prepare for the first ever Pierate Pie Contest in a couple of weeks time!
The hall (with kitchen!) is booked and there are rumours in the air of people practising
their pie recipes, as plans are being finalised for the Birmingham Pierate Pie
Contest. Even the Pierateers themselves are making an entry, though they want
to categorically confirm that they are more pie eaters than pie makers! Though
to mix things up a bit, they are planning to make a “Beast from the East (side
of Africa)” pie – make of that what you will!
And to whet people’s appetite even more, the exciting news
is that Gary, who works for Paul’s Pies, will be there to share his fine, high scoring pies and help with the judging of this informal pie contest. We’re
looking forward to tucking into some top pie, discussing the fine arts of pie
making and reviewing and seeing what the people of Birmingham have to offer the
pie world! Oh, and knowing us, we’ll have a bit of pun and games along the way!
Of course, photos and reaction will be making their way on
to the @pierateers twitter feed and there will be feedback right here on the
number one pie reviewing blog! Keep your pies peeled for that!
Sunday, 7 July 2013
200 Pie Reviews – A Higgidy celebration
Pie Reviews from Higgidy
When you’re reaching a big landmark in pie reviewing, you need a pie that says “quality” all over it. And when that said quality pie is given to you for free, well... how can you resist?! For that was the proposition when Higgidy, the pie ***mutters under breath “and other pastry products”*** manufacturer contacted the Pierateers on twitter and offered to send them free pie vouchers to eat and rate their pies. Well, they had certainly come to the right place if they wanted their pies reviewed! And while it has been a little while since the vouchers were sent and the pies were found and eaten, we thought the 200th pie review deserved something a bit special. So here it is: the 200th, 201st and 202nd pies eaten and reviewed on surely the world’s leading pie reviewing blog: www.pierate.co.uk
After searching around a number of stores, Pierateer RAS found his Higgidy pie in Co-op Stirchley (Birmingham). The packaging was very attractive, with a number of intriguing features including how the pie was made and the background love story behind the Higgidy brand, and a cheeky see through plastic glimpse of the pie in question. It immediately appealed and I couldn’t wait to get it in the oven. What must be pointed out, which you can’t tell from the photo, is the intricacy of the design of the pie, from the perfect shape to the small pastry pimples on the base of the pie which slightly lift the base from the baking tray to aid in the cooking process. These people clearly love their pies! The box states the pie was “lovingly made in Shoreham, West Sussex” and I can definitely feel the love!
Onto the eating, after I take the golden pastry pie out of the oven, and my first impression when I cut open the pie is the steak slowly oozing out of the pie as I cut into it. The pastry is golden and perfectly held together. The pie is fully encased in pastry, with short crust pastry sides and base and a buttery puff pastry lid. It’s a delightful combination that works so well and this pie really pulled it off brilliantly. The pastry was not heavy at all and the lid perfectly crisp. The steak was tender and delicious, with my main query being a lack of bacon taste and a slight over packing of mushroom for my liking. The chunks of steak were quite big to and could have been slightly better spread throughout the pie. The gravy certainly had a bit of a kick to it, with thyme and other flavourings adding to the gravy flavour. This certainly wasn’t your standard steak and ale but full flavour behaviour!
While the pie could have been a bit bigger for the price (£3.49 for a 250g pie), it was certainly being sold as and delivered as a pie on the top end of the market. A bit more meat would have boosted it ever so slightly higher in the rankings, as it wasn’t at full capacity when you cut into the pie, but all in all this was a pie I certainly hope to eat again.
While not part of the actual pie eating, it is worth noting that this Pierateer actually found it rather tricky to get his hands on this buried treasure! Rather than sailing the seven seas, it was more a case of searching the seven stores, as one by one I failed to find Higgidy pies on sale in numerous stores in central Birmingham. It does make me wonder why they aren’t more readily available, as they certainly score highly in my eyes and it was frustrating not to get my hands on these pies more easily! Here’s hoping the Higgidy marketing team get their pies out to the masses soon!
Higgidy Slow Cooked Steak & Red Wine Pie
Score: 6.35/7 (RAS)
Sweet potato, feta cheese and pumpkin seed Pie Review from Higgidy
Introducing the sweet potato, feta cheese and pumpkin seed pie from Higgidy. Although difficult to source, this pie will have you asking why you didn't seek out a vegetarian Higgidy pie sooner. With a similar quirkiness to Pieminister, the box looks jolly and the pie looks tasty. And so it should, at a retail price of £3.49 ( although the nice folks at Higgidy were kind enough to spare us the expense, thank you!). It might be pricey, but the pie doesn't let you down. The feta gives a wonderful creaminess and the high quality pastry is lovely and crunchy.
However, you'll note that the pie has no top crust! The Pierate rules on pie crust are quite strict, following the lead of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association and the British Pie Awards. I have to say also that the colour of the inside of the pie is a bit strange, don't you think? However the pie arrived in excellent condition. The creaminess of the pie allows for a very smooth consistency. I am impressed, but not being fully encased in pastry is quite a downer.
Higgidy sweet potato, feta cheese, pumpkin seed pie
Score: 5.76/7 (TJP)
(Note: in 2015 our vegetarian pie reviewer, Pierateer ARL, reviewed this pie giving it a score of 4.2 out of 7. This gives an average score of 4.98)
Chicken Pot Pie with Ham and Leek Pie Review from Higgidy
It took a long time to track one of these pies down but I finally found one in Co-op near Liverpool Street station. I could only find reduced pies because they were all on their sell by date. However the pie was still over £3 and seemed quite expensive for an individual pie. I picked up a chicken pot pie with ham and leek.
However upon opening it the pie had an excellent height, which gave it the capacity one would expect from an up market pie. It looked resplendent once it came out of the oven, certainly one of the best presented pies I have seen in a long time. The shortcrust base and sides gave it a wonderful solidness. There was absolutely no collapsing in the oven from this one. This is, in my opinion, a quintessential example of how to make a proper pie.
It also provided one of the best cross-sections I have ever seen in a pie. The filling had such viscosity that it stayed within the sliced pie. With a lovely golden colour it was already very high scoring on capacity, colour and condition.
First impressions were that this pie had a full on flavour. Higgidy had opted for a cream and cheese based sauce rather than a traditional stock based sauce. It was consequently quite cheesy. There was also quite a kick of mustard in this pie which left it anything but bland. The meat was great quality and the numbers game shows that it was around two thirds chicken, ham and leek. Hugely impressive to have so much filling compared to pastry and sauce. The pastry had a good texture although it was pretty low key when compared to the filling.
The Dijon style mustard, cinnamon, pimento and white wine vinegar left quite a continental taste in the mouth rather than what would be expected from a British pie. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing. It did taste nice, although the flavour verged on over powering. However it wasn't quite what I would be expecting when buying this pie. In fact it wasn't the kind of flavour I would expect from a pie at all. It comes as no surprise to me that Higgidy are primarily quiche makers and their quiches are much more widely available. I can't say that the choice of flavour particularly appealed to me. It was a bit too cheesy and after just a small amount I just didn't really want any more. It wasn't that it tasted bad but a pie should really leave you wanting more. Such a shame when it did other things so well.
I was left with the inevitable question, would I buy this pie again? It is not the kind of pie you would expect to have in a pub with a pint of beer. While it is spectacular in its appearance it is too small to serve at a dinner party to impress guests with this refined specimen. However, it almost feels gratuitous to buy and eat such a gourmet pie by yourself. Perhaps then it is for taking on a picnic? However having to cook it, cool it down and slice it up doesn't seem practical. In fact this is perhaps an occasion that you might buy a Higgidy quiche for.
At the price it comes as no surprise that I could only find this pie in London where people will pay to look like they have refined taste no matter what the cost. Would I pay full price for this pie? I think I might buy it again if only because of its archetypal pie appearance. However next time I might try another flavour to see if I can combine this classic pie look with a classic British pie flavour.
Higgidy Chicken pot pie with ham and leek
Score: 4.87/7 (SJL)
continue reading "200 Pie Reviews – A Higgidy celebration"
When you’re reaching a big landmark in pie reviewing, you need a pie that says “quality” all over it. And when that said quality pie is given to you for free, well... how can you resist?! For that was the proposition when Higgidy, the pie ***mutters under breath “and other pastry products”*** manufacturer contacted the Pierateers on twitter and offered to send them free pie vouchers to eat and rate their pies. Well, they had certainly come to the right place if they wanted their pies reviewed! And while it has been a little while since the vouchers were sent and the pies were found and eaten, we thought the 200th pie review deserved something a bit special. So here it is: the 200th, 201st and 202nd pies eaten and reviewed on surely the world’s leading pie reviewing blog: www.pierate.co.uk
 |
| Higgidy Slow Cooked Steak and Red Wine Pie |
Slow Cooked Steak & Red Wine Pie Review from Higgidy
After searching around a number of stores, Pierateer RAS found his Higgidy pie in Co-op Stirchley (Birmingham). The packaging was very attractive, with a number of intriguing features including how the pie was made and the background love story behind the Higgidy brand, and a cheeky see through plastic glimpse of the pie in question. It immediately appealed and I couldn’t wait to get it in the oven. What must be pointed out, which you can’t tell from the photo, is the intricacy of the design of the pie, from the perfect shape to the small pastry pimples on the base of the pie which slightly lift the base from the baking tray to aid in the cooking process. These people clearly love their pies! The box states the pie was “lovingly made in Shoreham, West Sussex” and I can definitely feel the love!
Onto the eating, after I take the golden pastry pie out of the oven, and my first impression when I cut open the pie is the steak slowly oozing out of the pie as I cut into it. The pastry is golden and perfectly held together. The pie is fully encased in pastry, with short crust pastry sides and base and a buttery puff pastry lid. It’s a delightful combination that works so well and this pie really pulled it off brilliantly. The pastry was not heavy at all and the lid perfectly crisp. The steak was tender and delicious, with my main query being a lack of bacon taste and a slight over packing of mushroom for my liking. The chunks of steak were quite big to and could have been slightly better spread throughout the pie. The gravy certainly had a bit of a kick to it, with thyme and other flavourings adding to the gravy flavour. This certainly wasn’t your standard steak and ale but full flavour behaviour!
 |
| Cross section of the Higgidy Steak Pie |
While not part of the actual pie eating, it is worth noting that this Pierateer actually found it rather tricky to get his hands on this buried treasure! Rather than sailing the seven seas, it was more a case of searching the seven stores, as one by one I failed to find Higgidy pies on sale in numerous stores in central Birmingham. It does make me wonder why they aren’t more readily available, as they certainly score highly in my eyes and it was frustrating not to get my hands on these pies more easily! Here’s hoping the Higgidy marketing team get their pies out to the masses soon!
Higgidy Slow Cooked Steak & Red Wine Pie
Score: 6.35/7 (RAS)
Sweet potato, feta cheese and pumpkin seed Pie Review from Higgidy
Introducing the sweet potato, feta cheese and pumpkin seed pie from Higgidy. Although difficult to source, this pie will have you asking why you didn't seek out a vegetarian Higgidy pie sooner. With a similar quirkiness to Pieminister, the box looks jolly and the pie looks tasty. And so it should, at a retail price of £3.49 ( although the nice folks at Higgidy were kind enough to spare us the expense, thank you!). It might be pricey, but the pie doesn't let you down. The feta gives a wonderful creaminess and the high quality pastry is lovely and crunchy.
 |
| Higgidy Sweet potato, feta cheese and pumpkin seed pie |
However, you'll note that the pie has no top crust! The Pierate rules on pie crust are quite strict, following the lead of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association and the British Pie Awards. I have to say also that the colour of the inside of the pie is a bit strange, don't you think? However the pie arrived in excellent condition. The creaminess of the pie allows for a very smooth consistency. I am impressed, but not being fully encased in pastry is quite a downer.
Higgidy sweet potato, feta cheese, pumpkin seed pie
Score: 5.76/7 (TJP)
(Note: in 2015 our vegetarian pie reviewer, Pierateer ARL, reviewed this pie giving it a score of 4.2 out of 7. This gives an average score of 4.98)
Chicken Pot Pie with Ham and Leek Pie Review from Higgidy
It took a long time to track one of these pies down but I finally found one in Co-op near Liverpool Street station. I could only find reduced pies because they were all on their sell by date. However the pie was still over £3 and seemed quite expensive for an individual pie. I picked up a chicken pot pie with ham and leek.
However upon opening it the pie had an excellent height, which gave it the capacity one would expect from an up market pie. It looked resplendent once it came out of the oven, certainly one of the best presented pies I have seen in a long time. The shortcrust base and sides gave it a wonderful solidness. There was absolutely no collapsing in the oven from this one. This is, in my opinion, a quintessential example of how to make a proper pie.
 |
| Higgidy Chicken pot pie with ham and leek |
First impressions were that this pie had a full on flavour. Higgidy had opted for a cream and cheese based sauce rather than a traditional stock based sauce. It was consequently quite cheesy. There was also quite a kick of mustard in this pie which left it anything but bland. The meat was great quality and the numbers game shows that it was around two thirds chicken, ham and leek. Hugely impressive to have so much filling compared to pastry and sauce. The pastry had a good texture although it was pretty low key when compared to the filling.
The Dijon style mustard, cinnamon, pimento and white wine vinegar left quite a continental taste in the mouth rather than what would be expected from a British pie. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing. It did taste nice, although the flavour verged on over powering. However it wasn't quite what I would be expecting when buying this pie. In fact it wasn't the kind of flavour I would expect from a pie at all. It comes as no surprise to me that Higgidy are primarily quiche makers and their quiches are much more widely available. I can't say that the choice of flavour particularly appealed to me. It was a bit too cheesy and after just a small amount I just didn't really want any more. It wasn't that it tasted bad but a pie should really leave you wanting more. Such a shame when it did other things so well.
I was left with the inevitable question, would I buy this pie again? It is not the kind of pie you would expect to have in a pub with a pint of beer. While it is spectacular in its appearance it is too small to serve at a dinner party to impress guests with this refined specimen. However, it almost feels gratuitous to buy and eat such a gourmet pie by yourself. Perhaps then it is for taking on a picnic? However having to cook it, cool it down and slice it up doesn't seem practical. In fact this is perhaps an occasion that you might buy a Higgidy quiche for.
At the price it comes as no surprise that I could only find this pie in London where people will pay to look like they have refined taste no matter what the cost. Would I pay full price for this pie? I think I might buy it again if only because of its archetypal pie appearance. However next time I might try another flavour to see if I can combine this classic pie look with a classic British pie flavour.
Higgidy Chicken pot pie with ham and leek
Score: 4.87/7 (SJL)
See where these pies ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
|
Monday, 24 June 2013
Celebrating 50 Pukka Years
Celebrating 50 years of Pukka Pies
So there we have it. On Thursday 20th June 2013, we celebrated 50 pukka years of Pukka Pies! And what a 50 years it has been, a company rising up from the Storer family kitchen to a whopping 60 million Pukka Pies sold each year. That's a lot of pie!
Take the Steak and Kidney Pukka Pie, which still uses the same recipe as it was originally designed with. Pukka Pies continues to go from strength to strength and it is a pleasure to see them in fish and chip shops and football stadiums (and supermarkets to!) up and down the country.
And as if working for Pukka Pies wasn't an awesome enough job already, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary they've only gone and given their employees a bonus Pukka Pie Holiday (way better than a bank holiday in our eyes!) While we sadly couldn't make it to the 50th celebrations, we hope everyone had a pukka time at Pukka Pies HQ. Oh, and of course the Pierateers had to have a Pukka Pie last Thursday to celebrate in our own special way!
Check out our Pukka Pie reviews here:
The 4 minute pie? Surely it's not possible!
We are family, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah...
Are you a Piefectionist?
Or check out when Pukka Pies hit the headlines here:
Pukka Pies await £40 payment from football club
Snooker Championships get Pukka deal!
Or find out the answer to:
The age old question: Do (Pukka) pies taste as good in Wales?
And finally, to end an article like this, there's only one thing you can say: Here's to the next 50 years... Pukka Pie anyone?!
continue reading "Celebrating 50 Pukka Years"
 |
| 50 Pukka Years! |
Celebrating 50 years of Pukka Pies
So there we have it. On Thursday 20th June 2013, we celebrated 50 pukka years of Pukka Pies! And what a 50 years it has been, a company rising up from the Storer family kitchen to a whopping 60 million Pukka Pies sold each year. That's a lot of pie!
Take the Steak and Kidney Pukka Pie, which still uses the same recipe as it was originally designed with. Pukka Pies continues to go from strength to strength and it is a pleasure to see them in fish and chip shops and football stadiums (and supermarkets to!) up and down the country.
And as if working for Pukka Pies wasn't an awesome enough job already, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary they've only gone and given their employees a bonus Pukka Pie Holiday (way better than a bank holiday in our eyes!) While we sadly couldn't make it to the 50th celebrations, we hope everyone had a pukka time at Pukka Pies HQ. Oh, and of course the Pierateers had to have a Pukka Pie last Thursday to celebrate in our own special way!
Check out our Pukka Pie reviews here:
The 4 minute pie? Surely it's not possible!
We are family, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah...
Are you a Piefectionist?
Or check out when Pukka Pies hit the headlines here:
Pukka Pies await £40 payment from football club
Snooker Championships get Pukka deal!
Or find out the answer to:
The age old question: Do (Pukka) pies taste as good in Wales?
And finally, to end an article like this, there's only one thing you can say: Here's to the next 50 years... Pukka Pie anyone?!
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Britons, Your Country Needs YOU to Eat More Pies
Kelly's Kitchen Steak & Guinness Pie Review An iconic war time poster. Lord Kitchener, a hero to the British public, trying to instil some sense amongst British men that it was their duty to fight for their country. Would the same kind of thing happen today? Would people feel that sense of duty, that their country's needs are greater than their own? The social awakening which has happened since the 1960s has been a double edged sword. People feel less need to conform to social norms and more free to fulfil their own ambitions. People are more free to travel and socialise with others via technology. Their social group may not be so restricted to their own village, town or country. However, has this come with the cost of a loss of community? It is well documented that in small communities it seems that shops and pubs are closing down at an alarming rate. It seems strange that now people are more free to do what they want, that the environment around us has actually homogenised to a greater extent with the same shops on most high streets.
It is clear that this is NOT a good situation for a pie lover. Just have a look at the top 20 pies that we have reviewed. More often than not the best pies come from small independent suppliers. It is true that some good pies can be obtained from the supermarkets or chain pubs but there would be a wealth of variety and quality lost if these were your only options. With this in mind it was good to see a new sandwich shop/bakery open up in the village of Lane End, Buckinghamshire called Kelly's Kitchen. Walking past I saw their sandwich board outside advertising home made pies. The question of what to have for lunch had been answered. Heading inside I found a friendly atmosphere and a range of pies on offer. I opted for a classic Steak and Guinness pie. At £2.50 it wasn't even very expensive for a sizeable pie. This was the perfect takeaway pie. It had solid pastry and held together well. The gravy was lovely and thick so it didn't ooze out too much. The meat was flavoursome. On the downside the pastry tasted slightly too doughy for me, as though it could've done with being cooked a little bit more. I also struggled to detect the taste of Guinness although the pie still tasted very good. This pie actually reminded me of a Pukka pie, with it's deliciously thick gravy. So a solid performer but little more than an average pie. It may not have been an outstanding pie but this is my local pie shop so I am sure I will visit again. It is time for pie lovers to put their money where their mouths are and stand up for their community. Buy the pies in your local shop or bakery now before they disappear forever.
Steak & Guinness (Kelly's Kitchen [HP14 3LP])
4.65/7
SJL
See where these pies ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
|
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
Morrison's brunch is pick of the bunch
Morrison's Brunch Slicing Pie Review
We may have all enjoyed
the delights of a lunchtime or an evening pie, but how many have enjoyed the
sweet savoury taste of a breakfast pie? Well shiver me timbers, look what I found in
Morrison’s!
This cheeky little chappy
was hiding away in the deli section. How long he’s been hiding there is anyone’s
guess, but it’s okay, we’ve spotted him now! This is a Limited Edition ‘Brunch
Slicing Pie’. Although the label sports an ingredients list, one must note the
slight omission of ‘egg’ and ‘pastry’ there. Anyway, this lovely thing is 26%
pork and only 99p per 100g. I have no idea whether that’s cheap or expensive
because I’m terrible with guesstimating weight. In fact, one of the main reasons
why I don’t frequent the deli counter that often is because I’m secretly
ashamed of being unable to express what weight of olives I require. Fortunately
in this case, there’s a perfect Pierateer-sized portion of the brunch pie
already sliced.
And here it is on a
plate.
 |
| :( |
...
That's better.
At this stage I have to
point out that I was eating this pie at about 10pm, so my plate of ‘brinner’ was
met with many a confused stare from my housemates. Of course, they were jealous
of the pie. And how was the pie? It was great. I had it cold, so it was a bit
odd when juxtaposed with the warm baked beans, but I feel that this is a pie
that exists to be consumed cold. Like a pork pie. Which is what this pie
essentially is, but with egg in the middle. The pork is also more of a sausage meat
affair rather than what you’d find in a pork pie (let alone a Melton Mowbray pork pie). And there’s no jelly. So it’s actually not really like a pork pie at
all. It tasted good but on the whole was a bit dry and the meat wasn’t great
quality. It needed the baked beans to wetten it up a bit. As with all pork
pies, the pie was filled to capacity. The colour of the pastry was a lovely
deep brown but the meat looked a bit strange and mottled. The pie arrived to me
in great condition, and felt fresh from the store. In terms of cheapness, it
doesn’t score well, as this pie set me back a fair whack – somewhere about £2.50.
This pie felt a bit more like a gimmick rather than something I’d actually look
forward to buying again. Good on Morrison’s for making it though!
Morrison’s Brunch Slicing
Pie
Score: 5.35/7
Pierateer TJP
See where these pies ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
|
Iceland – the land of the frozen pie!
Chicken and Bacon Individual Pie Review from Iceland
It’s not just mums that shop at Iceland you know – Pierateers
do too! With a whole large freezer draw full of pies, it was only the lack of a
nearby Iceland store that had stopped the Pierateers rummaging and pillaging
the Iceland frozen pie stock sooner for a range of buried pie treasure! Well I
can confirm that this was well worth the wait, as the selection of pies
available will prompt many a pie return, especially after how good their
Chicken and Bacon Individual Pie was. The only query I had was over the use
of the word individual – as I’m not sure how small this individual would have
to be in order to just consume one of these beauties. My thought is that I
could probably have stretched to three, however I settled at 2 for a lunchtime
snack. Fortunately they are sold in packs of 4, so just remember to account for
at least 2 or 3 per person when purchasing.
Onto the actual pie itself, and the packaging certainly
holds nothing back. It claims to be “short crust pastry base filled with tender
pieces of chicken and smoked bacon in a creamy sauce topped with a puff pastry
lid”. I can’t really put it better myself, other than to say that the short
crust pastry sides and base are both sturdy and not too thick, holding the
contents well, and the puff pastry lid is crisp, golden and delightful. The
chicken is tender and spread quite well throughout the pie and while only small
pieces, the bacon tastes good too. You can’t deny the capacity is packed to the
rafters in this pie, which comes as a great delight following a number of pubs
selling mini pie platters where the small pie has literally one or two pieces
of meat. No so here! While this pie is quite small in size, it is packed with
content. The creamy sauce is very flavoursome, though a little overpowering in
part when taking a mouthful of pie that is slightly lacking in meat and it does
get a bit much when eating the several pies you need to make this a meal,
rather than an appetiser. But that is only a slight criticism, as the creamy
sauce complements the chicken and bacon well and makes a nice change to the
gravy based pies we all know and love. The condition the pies came in was very
good, with the puff pastry certainly having a life of its own (see the photo!)
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| Iceland Chicken and Bacon Pies |
At £1.50 for four (small) individual pies, you really can’t find
much fault in these pies! They certainly need to be a bit bigger but with a
little more meat and a little less cream sauce I reckon this Pierateer would be
regularly pie shopping in Iceland!
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| Iceland Chicken and Bacon Pies Review |
Iceland Chicken and Bacon Individual Pie
Score: 6.0/7
RAS
Pierate is a pie review website charting a course to find the ultimate pie. For all the pies we have reviewed have a look at our Pie Rankings or find pies of a particular flavour under Pies: Categorised.
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and let us know your thoughts!
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Thursday, 13 June 2013
Serving up a Classic Pork Pie?
Melton Mowbray Snack Pork Pie Review by Sainsbury’s
While sadly there were no pie stalls at the Aegon Classic tennis tournament in Birmingham, that didn’t stop this Pierateer taking along a pork pie to eat while he was there! Would the Sainsbury’s pork pie be a classic though? Well the tennis on Tuesday served up some classic matches, with British wins for Heather Watson and Johanna Konta and a number of big upsets including by 16-year old Donna Vekic, though sadly the pie failed to live up to its seeding. However on the grass courts of Birmingham this Pierateer did enjoy a pie, even if it wasn't the pie-light of the afternoon.
The pie itself was golden and the pastry reasonably firm. It held the contents well and there was a very strong capacity, with just a few small gaps and a bit of jelly around the pork. The meat was a bit chewy at times, with a bit of fat which did detract from the content, however the meat was generally good. The pork pie was lightly spiced, as you would expect, which did leave a bit of an after taste, however for a reasonably valued Melton Mowbray pork pie it was pretty good. I wouldn't make a racquet to serve up another one immediately, but certainly not a bad option for mass produced Melton Mowbray pork pie.And with the Aegon Classic becoming a Premier WTA event next year, here's hoping they may also invest in a top pie stall to!
Sainsbury’s Melton Mowbray Snack Pork Pie
Score: 4.2/7
RAS
As an added bonus, Pierateer RAS entered a photo competition at the Aegon Classic Tennis and won a signed T-shirt! The winning photo of Laura Robson and the humble pork pie was as follows – thanks everyone at the Aegon Classic Tennis!
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| You'll LOVE this! SERVING up my British Doubles CLASSIC |
See where this pie ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
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and let us know your thoughts!
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Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Fuller’s can take the pies out of Melton Mowbray...
Pie Reviews from the Melton Mowbray Pub in Holborn, part of the Fuller's Ale and Pie House chain
They say you can take the pies out of Melton Mowbray but you can’t take Melton Mowbray out of the pie. Or come to think of it, perhaps they don’t say that and we just completely made that up... Anyways, the important thing to clarify here was that these pies were eaten in the Melton Mowbray pub, which is actually a pub in... well, London. But their “house pie” (the Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie) was brought down from Melton Mowbray, as all top pork pies should be! In any case, with another Fuller’s Ale and Pie House on the horizon, two of the Pierateers – TJP and RAS – honed in on the Melton Mowbray pub in Holborn, central London for another pie. And intriguingly, the pies on offer were all different to any of the other Fuller’s Ale and Pie Houses they had been to (bar the classic “Steak and Fuller’s Ale” pie, which you would expect at every Fuller’s establishment). And with such a variety of new pies on offer, the talk immediately turned to the Pie Tasting Board. With 5 pies – four new pies and a Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie to follow – the Pierateers were in for a busy evening!
The Steak
and Fuller’s Ale pie contained very tender pieces of steak, with some delicious
nuggets of steak-ness in nice gravy. While the Fuller’s Ale flavouring to the
gravy could have been a bit more apparent and a couple of pieces of steak were
a bit well-done and therefore dry, the overall flavour of this pie was very
good. It was certainly better than the Steak and Fuller’s Ale pie eaten in the Mad
Hatter pub previously. The capacity was very strong for such a small pie and
the meatilicious filling made it the top rated new pie of the evening.
While the
Ham and Leek pie was slightly less packed with meat than its steak neighbour,
the capacity of ham and leek goodness was apparent when cutting into this pie
(despite the size). It was an interesting choice, as there had been few pies
eaten by the Pierateers where ham played the leading role. While often second
fiddle to chicken in a joint pie, the ham was very good quality and the white
wine cream sauce complemented the ham and leek well. The main detractor from
this pie was a rather overly strong hint of mustard seed throughout this pie, which
particularly for such a small pie was slightly too much.
After
finally getting our hands on a Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie, we were intrigued
as to what it would taste like. Cutting through the pie, there was quite a
potent aroma which could be pinned down to the Somerset Brie. Within the pie,
there were some large pieces of Sweet Potato which made the capacity of the pie
particularly impressive. The Brie was primarily within the cheesy sauce which
encapsulated the sweet potato, though there was a small piece in the corner of
the pie which was quite strong. The sweet potato was quite nice, soft and not
at all mushy. The flavour idea seemed good and it was an interesting change to
the standard vegetarian pies on offer in pubs, however the flavour quickly
became rather overpowering and while a small pie was acceptable, it was
imagined that a full sized pie would be rather sickening.
continue reading "Fuller’s can take the pies out of Melton Mowbray..."
They say you can take the pies out of Melton Mowbray but you can’t take Melton Mowbray out of the pie. Or come to think of it, perhaps they don’t say that and we just completely made that up... Anyways, the important thing to clarify here was that these pies were eaten in the Melton Mowbray pub, which is actually a pub in... well, London. But their “house pie” (the Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie) was brought down from Melton Mowbray, as all top pork pies should be! In any case, with another Fuller’s Ale and Pie House on the horizon, two of the Pierateers – TJP and RAS – honed in on the Melton Mowbray pub in Holborn, central London for another pie. And intriguingly, the pies on offer were all different to any of the other Fuller’s Ale and Pie Houses they had been to (bar the classic “Steak and Fuller’s Ale” pie, which you would expect at every Fuller’s establishment). And with such a variety of new pies on offer, the talk immediately turned to the Pie Tasting Board. With 5 pies – four new pies and a Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie to follow – the Pierateers were in for a busy evening!
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| Melton Mowbray Pie Platter |
So in the
upper mezzanine overlooking the main pub area, the Pierateers eagerly awaited
their pie board for a Fuller’s piefest! And the overall first impressions were
good. While the pies were of course quite small, due to being part of a tasting
plate rather than each being a meal themselves, the presentation was very
impressive and the Pierateers were ready to dig in! The puff pastry on all the
four Fuller’s pies looked amazing and they all looked well put together. The
puff pastry lid did look a bit like a last minute addition to the pie but was
light and bursting out towards you. It complemented the thicker pastry base
holding in the content, which though quite thick, was tasty and a lot more
edible than the solid pastry served at the Old Joint Stock Fuller’s Ale and Pie
House. There was also a decent chunk of Dickinson & Morris Pork Pie to.
The only
issue that arose from the time they dug into the pies was that there had been a
bit of a mix up with the pies and we had accidentally been served two Steak and
Fuller’s Ale pies, with a Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie missing. Of
course, no-one wants to be a Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie short of a Pie
Tasting Board! So with it mentioned to the very helpful staff at the pub, a
sixth pie was produced and the Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie could join
the Fuller’s piefest!
Onto the
individual flavours then:
Fuller’s Ale
and Pie House [Melton Mowbray] Steak and Fuller’s Ale Pie
Score: 5.46/7
(RAS and TJP)
The Steak
and Fuller’s Ale pie contained very tender pieces of steak, with some delicious
nuggets of steak-ness in nice gravy. While the Fuller’s Ale flavouring to the
gravy could have been a bit more apparent and a couple of pieces of steak were
a bit well-done and therefore dry, the overall flavour of this pie was very
good. It was certainly better than the Steak and Fuller’s Ale pie eaten in the Mad
Hatter pub previously. The capacity was very strong for such a small pie and
the meatilicious filling made it the top rated new pie of the evening.
Fuller’s Ale
and Pie House [Melton Mowbray] Ham and Leek Pie
Score:
4.95/7 (RAS and TJP)
While the
Ham and Leek pie was slightly less packed with meat than its steak neighbour,
the capacity of ham and leek goodness was apparent when cutting into this pie
(despite the size). It was an interesting choice, as there had been few pies
eaten by the Pierateers where ham played the leading role. While often second
fiddle to chicken in a joint pie, the ham was very good quality and the white
wine cream sauce complemented the ham and leek well. The main detractor from
this pie was a rather overly strong hint of mustard seed throughout this pie, which
particularly for such a small pie was slightly too much.
Fuller’s Ale
and Pie House [Melton Mowbray] Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato Pie
Score: 4.25/7
(RAS and TJP)
After
finally getting our hands on a Somerset Brie and Sweet Potato pie, we were intrigued
as to what it would taste like. Cutting through the pie, there was quite a
potent aroma which could be pinned down to the Somerset Brie. Within the pie,
there were some large pieces of Sweet Potato which made the capacity of the pie
particularly impressive. The Brie was primarily within the cheesy sauce which
encapsulated the sweet potato, though there was a small piece in the corner of
the pie which was quite strong. The sweet potato was quite nice, soft and not
at all mushy. The flavour idea seemed good and it was an interesting change to
the standard vegetarian pies on offer in pubs, however the flavour quickly
became rather overpowering and while a small pie was acceptable, it was
imagined that a full sized pie would be rather sickening.
Fuller’s Ale
and Pie House [Melton Mowbray] Chicken and Sweetcorn Pie
Score: 3.88/7
(RAS and TJP)
While the
idea of eating a Chicken and Sweetcorn pie sounded good, and the menu made
reference to chicken broth and roasted onion to, it was unfortunately one of
the blandest and most unidentifiable pies the Pierateers had eaten. While it
may have just suffered from small pie syndrome (where a small pie does not
reflect the quality of a larger version due to lack of space to pack in a
decent level of content and thus flavour), this pie literally contained one
average sized piece of chicken and seven (yes, we counted) pieces of sweetcorn.
None of the menu-defined filling had any noticeable flavour and we were left
with a bit of a spice hit at the end simply due to the presence of a bit of spice
in the final mouthful, which did not complement the rest of the pie. A
promising sounding pie flavour was sadly let down by the quantity and quality
of the filling. [Apologies, we were so taken aback by the lack of content in this pie, we forgot to actually photograph it!]
The
Dickinson & Morris Melton Mowbray Pork Pie has of course recently been reviewed by the
Pierateers and the review can be found here, but was a good addition to the Pie
Tasting Board. It was good to see that the Melton Mowbray pub in Holborn,
London had gone straight to the top by transporting Dickinson & Morris Pork
Pie from Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe in Melton Mowbray for the good of the London
pie consumer.
Overall, it
was a good selection of pies at the Melton Mowbray pub, which expand the
variety of pies offered by the Fuller’s Ale and Pie House chain but the quality and quantity could be
slightly improved on to be one of the top rated pies we’ve eaten.
See where these pies ended up in the Pierate Pie Rankings or find other pies of a similar flavour.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
|
Saturday, 8 June 2013
Pie Label Warning
Warning: The following article includes reference to something that may shock and appal you: burnt pie. If you are of a nervous pie disposition, please look away now.
Here at www.pierate.co.uk we may mainly be known for our pie reviews, but we also want to help the public out on anything pie related. That may mean petitioning against the pie tax, debating the height to width ratio of a proper pie or, in the case of below, highlighting inaccuracies in the pie labelling world.
The following information has been provided by Barry @QuantumPirate regarding the Tesco pie he cooked and that burnt. Fortunately Tesco are looking into the matter, as the last thing we want to see is burnt pie!
On requesting if I could re-post his image, Barry very kindly agreed by saying “Please do, if it saves one poor soul from burning their pie then I’ll be happy I’ve made the world a better place.” Couldn’t put it better myself!
Friday, 7 June 2013
Guest Pie Review: "Smuggle me Tanglefoots!"
Guest Pie Review by John Lowe - Steak and Tanglefoot Pie Review from the Smugglers Tavern, Osmington
Last weekend my girlfriend and I took a trip down to Weymouth in Dorset to catch up with family and hang out with friends. Fortunately the sun also decided that it was now a good time to don their panama hat and start smiling!
On Sunday we took Nan out for Sunday lunch to a new place for us, the Smugglers Tavern in Osmington which dates back to the 13th century and oozes bags of character. The Tavern is owned by Hall and Woodhouse and therefore benefits from a wide selection of Badger ales. I expected the menu to contain the usual pub lunch items and as not driving was looking mroe forward to the ales than the food.
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| Steak & Tanglefoot Pie |
We reserved a table and were directed to a comfortable cranny, each taking the menu presented to us. Having spent the first 23 years of my time on Earth in Wigan the first thing that jumped out to me was the pie, or to be more precise the "Steak & Tanglefoot Pie" with the interesting comment of "British Pie Awards 2010 Champion". I'd heard of Tanglefoot before, but admit I had to double check whether this was an ale or some strange posh green vegetable.
This was going to be a very simple choice! We ordered and chatted away, and I hoped beyond hope that this pie would live up to it's accolade.
Our meals arrived and the waiter asked "who is having the pie"; as if that needed to be asked! I glared at my plate with tunnel vision. The dish looked exactly as described, a gentle steam emitting from the pie to whaft the amazing smells of both the pie and butter mash that it sat gently upon. The emulsion gravy shone like velvet.
Just like the last jelly baby in the packet, deciding where to start took me a few moments. From the side, in the middle, or just pick it up one-handed style? I decided to cut pac-man style, from middle to edge with a slight push to open the inside. The filling was simple yet effective, chunks of tender braised steak in a wonderful ale sauce. No fuss, and none needed. Capacity just perfect. Crust moist yet not too wet.In typical British fashion I stole bread from my better half's lamb stew and her leftover chips to mop the plate clean. I've no idea what we spoke about. For 7 minutes of my life it was just me and my pie.
All in all a wonderful pie, perfect trimmings and all wrapped up in a brilliant pub and tranquil setting.
Steak and Tanglefoot Pie Review from the Smugglers Tavern, Osmington
Rating: 6.5/7 - at £10.65 it's just that wrong side of £10.
[* Disclaimer my family own a large bakery chain (gallowaysbakers.co.uk), sometimes I can be biased but on this occasion - no sir!]
And here's a bit more on our guest pie reviewer...
John Lowe is Founding Partner of Energetic Technology and originally from Wigan, the home of Pies and the family bakery. He now lives in London and every day misses his one true love, a "Meat and Prater" Pie.
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