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
Monday, 31 December 2012
2012 Pierate Pie-lights!
It may be cliché,
but what a year it’s just been! 2012 everybody! Take a bow!
There are too many highlights to mention them all here, but here are a few 2012 Pie-lights from the Pierateers:
Pies reviewed from Germany, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Australia, Wales, Corfu and - of course - England! (too many to link to!)
And who can
forget the record-breaking 63 posts made this year (including the first
September post on pierate!), making it the most productive year yet! Here’s to
many more pies and reviews in 2013!
Forget the Christmas Pudding! I want Aldi Pie!
Aldi Specially Selected Luxury Apple (with Sultanas) Pie Review
When my old uni friend Dan suggested bringing Apple Pie, alongside Christmas Pudding, for our “277 Dawlish” Christmas meal together, my immediate thought was “forget the Christmas Pudding!” But for the good of the non-Pierateers in attendance at the meal, I thought I best not be too pie-ased with my favouritism for pie. (Apparently some people do eat other puddings now and then?!)
So with all
the visitors – “Andy”, Dan and Mandy, James, Jeremy, Mark, Seth and Stu (and
Barnaby via text) – having tucked into the Melon starter and Roast Turkey
dinner, it was time to bring on (and somehow find room for) the pie and
custard. A quite massive “Specially Selected Luxury Apple Pie” was brought out,
having been cooked for a good 45 minutes on low heat, so it was piping hot and golden
in colour – perfect condition for a Pierateer. The pastry itself ranged from quite
a thick crisp outer crust to a slightly soggier central pastry lid. The apple
was in quite large chunks but was very tasty and soft to cut through. The mix
of pastry and apple – with the odd sultana thrown in for good measure – was delightfully
balanced content. The capacity couldn’t have been any greater, with no room for
air in this pie! Serving at least 12, it was a great sized pudding too. My main
criticism is that the central pastry was a bit too soggy, but overall the
feedback from myself (and my distinguished guests) was that this really was a
luxurious pie. Just next time, I’ll try not to make the error of having such a
large portion of dinner beforehand! |
| Aldi Apple Pie Review |
Aldi Specially Selected Luxury Apple (with Sultanas) Pie
Score: 6.05/7
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.
Make sure you Follow @pierateers
and let us know your thoughts!
|
Sunday, 23 December 2012
Is it a McPie? - The McDonald’s Festive Chocolate Pie
I’m sure most
of our avid readers have read our critique of the McDonald’s Apple Pie (UKedition). In fact, at 863 page views and counting, it’s our most popular
article. But here at pierate we can’t hold a grudge – and more importantly,
daren’t miss out on a potentially good pie. Which is why, in this festive
period, with goodwill to all pie manufacturers, I couldn’t resist the chance
for a new potential pie flavour. Could the McPastry department have realised
the error of their ways? Had they taken on a new Head of McPastry and gone for
an actual pie this time? The golden arches beckoned me in for a festive McDonald’s Orange Flavour Chocolate Pie...
 |
| McDonald's Festive Pie |
 |
| Orange flavoured chocolate filling pastry (it's not a pie!) |
From
everyone aboard the Pierate ship - Merry Christmas everyone!
RAS
Friday, 21 December 2012
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait(rose)
Note: The following pie is no longer being sold by Waitrose in this form, having been replaced by a 'top crust' version. We are clearly disappointed that Waitrose have done this!
|
Waitrose - Chicken and White Wine Pie Review
I don't often pop into my local Waitrose. Mainly because I don't have one. I live in one of the more 'edgy' parts of South London. We don't have many of the kinds of people who go to Waitrose. More the kinds of people who walk down the street talking to a stick or asking for 37p because they went into the pub and 'lost' all their money.
So upon finding myself in a Waitrose store I decided to try one of their premium products. I thought I deserved this after taking one for the team and reviewing some of the cheap Tesco Value pies. The slightly unusual flavour of Chicken & Tarragon caught my eye. This pie came in at just under £4 for one which didn't seem great on the Cheapness front. That said it probably wasn't designed to be for one person but I felt up to the challenge. It looked to be in great Condition after a short time in the cookery box. A golden puff pastry lid and shortcrust sides, my favourite. Cutting it open a lovely creamy gravy oozed out. Taking a bite what struck me was the unusually high quality of the chicken. It didn't taste at all reconstituted or pumped full of water like too often is the case with supermarket pies. The next feather in the cap for this pie was one of the holy grails for the pie lover. Pastry crispy on the outside but gooey on the inside. It was really a delight to eat and one of the best pies I have had in a while.
Chicken, White Wine & Tarragon (Waitrose)
6.35/7
SJL
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
The best pie blog is on Twitter!
So 1,132 days since we first started blogging about our love of pies, we have finally taken our pie craving to Twitter! We'll be tweeting about all sorts of pie-related things - steak pies, apple pies, pie crust, pie recipes, you name it - and we'd love you to become a follower!
continue reading "The best pie blog is on Twitter!"
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.
|
Friday, 14 December 2012
All I want for Christmas is... meat pie!
On a cold
December lunchtime, the Christmas tree and festive decorations welcome locals
into the Sacks of Potatoes pub in central Birmingham. But to be honest, for me,
all they needed were the “Turkey and Sausage Pie” adverts that seemed to adorn
nearly every table in the pub, as part of their festive menu. I was sold. After
all, putting the traditional Roast Turkey aside for a minute, what better
festivity than to share a Christmas Pie with all the meaty trimmings?!
The
Christmas pie revolution seems to be taking off, with pies adorning pub festive
menus. And at £5.95 for a pie dinner and drink, it’s decent value too. It’s a
great alternative to the standard roast – perhaps a Boxing day treat for those
Christmas leftovers? What’s important though here is that they stuck to their
guns with the traditional turkey and a focus of meat, meat, meat! Nice one. Merry
Christmas everybody!
Turkey and
Sausage (with Cranberry) Pie
Score: 5.75/7
RAS
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Can you taste the difference? Sainsbury's pie review
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Chicken and Ham and Steak Pie Reviews
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference range brags that you can literally, taste the difference. However, it doesn't specify what you are trying to taste the difference between?
This Pierateer decided to try and taste the difference between two pies, utilizing the offer of 2 pies for £5. One pie was peppered beef steak flavour and the other was chicken and ham flavour, and let me tell you I could certainly taste the difference between them!
The pastry of both was wonderful. It was light and crispy on the outside with a nice golden colour, and the inside was lovely and gooey, soaked in gravy.
The capacity left a lot to be desired though. Although only small pies (individual sized), the chunks of meat, specifically in the chicken and ham pie, were few and far between. Certainly, I've had pies with worse filling, but for a 'posh' pie I was a bit disappointed. For the steak pie, I didn't really think that it could be bragged as being 'peppered'. There were some whole black peppercorns in there, but it wasn't that peppery.
I did enjoy my lunch time snack, and for £2.50 (regular price £2.99) the were probably worth the price, but honestly I would probably rather spend £1.50 on the regular Sainsbury's pie.
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Steak Pie
Score: 4.3/7
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Chicken and Ham Pie
Score: 4.1/7
ARL
continue reading "Can you taste the difference? Sainsbury's pie review"
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference range brags that you can literally, taste the difference. However, it doesn't specify what you are trying to taste the difference between?
This Pierateer decided to try and taste the difference between two pies, utilizing the offer of 2 pies for £5. One pie was peppered beef steak flavour and the other was chicken and ham flavour, and let me tell you I could certainly taste the difference between them!The pastry of both was wonderful. It was light and crispy on the outside with a nice golden colour, and the inside was lovely and gooey, soaked in gravy.
The capacity left a lot to be desired though. Although only small pies (individual sized), the chunks of meat, specifically in the chicken and ham pie, were few and far between. Certainly, I've had pies with worse filling, but for a 'posh' pie I was a bit disappointed. For the steak pie, I didn't really think that it could be bragged as being 'peppered'. There were some whole black peppercorns in there, but it wasn't that peppery.
I did enjoy my lunch time snack, and for £2.50 (regular price £2.99) the were probably worth the price, but honestly I would probably rather spend £1.50 on the regular Sainsbury's pie.
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Steak Pie
Score: 4.3/7
Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Chicken and Ham Pie
Score: 4.1/7
ARL
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!
|
Monday, 26 November 2012
Half Time Pie
What are the cheapest and most expensive pies at football clubs? After all, cheapness is one Pierate's Seven Cs when assessing for the best pie in the world.
continue reading "Half Time Pie"
 |
| What else would you do at half time?!! I think it pretty much explains itself... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19981001 |
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Cor! What a scorcher of a pie in Corfu
*Pierate are extremely proud to present this very special guest review from one of our treasured readers*
In the village of Loustri, in the North Eastern corner of Corfu above Agni Bay, they hold a Pie Festival every September. There are competitions for the best pies and local bakers make giant pies which are eaten accompanied by live music and much local wine. This would be perfect, but we were there in May.
Fortunately the traditional Corfiot pie can be found all year round in the ancient walled city of Corfu. They are typically sold from tiny shops with only a small window opening on to the street and maybe an old table and chairs in the street to sit on. The chairs are usually occupied by the owner's father and his friend and they are unlikely to move all day. We took our pies to the Old Port Square beneath the fortress for our lunch.
So, how do they rate to the seven C’s? Very well, in my opinion. Corfu pies are about the cheapest hot food you will find in this popular tourist location. They are made with layers of delicious crisp flaky pastry cooked until golden brown and served to you hot. Three types of filling are usually available, Spinach, Cheese, or Ham and Cheese and prices were around two Euro. I went for the Cheese and Ham. My pie was suitably full with pieces of ham and a thick rich cheese sauce. This complemented the crispy pastry for a tasty satisfying lunch that ticked all the boxes.
I have to admit that the clear blue skies, hot weather and beautiful views probably help with my opinion that this pie would score 6.0. Serve it in England on a wet afternoon and it would probably slip to 5.50.
If you are in Corfu it’s not to be missed. One word of warning though, watch out for the hungry sea gulls.
Score: 6.0
BB
----
Editor: We're glad you enjoyed the pie, and we're very jealous of the sunny weather in Corfu. Perhaps a return visit to Corfu next September might be a good plan for us all?
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Memoirs of a Pie Addict
There is nothing that quite warms the heart,
Like that particular pastry work of art,
It's that special pie geometry,
That adds an extra appeal for me,
A Pierateer must be precise,
You can't make the mistake of getting a slice,
Don't even try because I'll never agree,
To consider ranking a Cornish pasty,
The only problem is that I can't stop,
Eating pie and mash with gravy on top,
I always say 'I'll have some more',
Even when I've eaten three or four,
For a pie addict it's not a bad suggestion,
To have something on hand for indigestion,
I've had so much of sailing the seven C's,
That I'm in danger or cardiovascular disease,
At my growing waist I can only watch,
As I have to open my belt another notch,
I look around and see it in their eyes,
They think 'it was you who ate all the pies!'
Trust me don't jump to volunteer,
To live the life of a Pierateer,
But at the end of the day it's all worthwhile,
As a meal pie is extremely versatile,
So I'll never give up, I find it fulfilling,
To live a life of pastry, gravy and filling
www.pierate.co.uk
SJL
continue reading "Memoirs of a Pie Addict"
Like that particular pastry work of art,
It's that special pie geometry,
That adds an extra appeal for me,
A Pierateer must be precise,
You can't make the mistake of getting a slice,
Don't even try because I'll never agree,
To consider ranking a Cornish pasty,
The only problem is that I can't stop,
Eating pie and mash with gravy on top,
I always say 'I'll have some more',
Even when I've eaten three or four,
For a pie addict it's not a bad suggestion,
To have something on hand for indigestion,
I've had so much of sailing the seven C's,
That I'm in danger or cardiovascular disease,
At my growing waist I can only watch,
As I have to open my belt another notch,
I look around and see it in their eyes,
They think 'it was you who ate all the pies!'
Trust me don't jump to volunteer,
To live the life of a Pierateer,
But at the end of the day it's all worthwhile,
As a meal pie is extremely versatile,
So I'll never give up, I find it fulfilling,
To live a life of pastry, gravy and filling
www.pierate.co.uk
SJL
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Tasty at the Tavern?
The Selly ParkTavern was the place to go with friends from the X:site youth event in
Birmingham, to catch up on the latest event and have a meal together. And with
the night chosen being “Pie Night”, surely it couldn’t have been better timed!
So having ordered my Chicken and Ham Suet Pie, I eagerly awaited its arrival –
especially as there hadn’t been even a hint of a discount on the pie despite it
being pie night after all! Was it really that good?!
Sadly I have
to say it didn’t blow me away. The filling was quite a nice consistency with
the chicken and ham complementing one another well. It was a nice sauce too.
However the pastry left me disappointed. It was rather too crispy and dry on
the outside but with the pastry being quite thick the centre was quite soggy.
The taste was also quite overpowering. Particularly as the price hadn’t even
been discounted for pie night, it was a bit of a blow. There’s certainly better
pies on the Ember Inns menu.
Chicken and
Ham Suet Pie (Ember Inns)
Score: 3.95/7
RAS
Friday, 12 October 2012
An Unfulfilling Situation - Tesco Pie Review
After having tried the Tesco Everyday Value Beef and Onion pie and survived I decided to delve even deeper into the murky depths of cheap pies by getting a whole box of 4 Tesco Everyday Value Chicken and Vegetable frozen pies for a quid. The first thing I noticed was that these pies were pretty tiny which partly explained the cheapness. Once cooked however they did look fairly good with the classic shortcrust base and puff pastry lid combination.
It will be of no surprise that once I had cut into the pie no gravy or filling of any description came oozing out. I decided to cut the pie in half to have a closer look. I then separated the contents of the pie from the pastry as can be seen in the photos. It was a pretty poor showing, they didn't even fill it with the cheaper stuff like vegetables, the four peas and tiny pieces of carrot did little to hide the lack of chicken. I thought the filling could fit into a pie about a quarter of the size. Looking at the ingredients this wasn't surprising, it lists chicken breast as 10% and vegetables as 5%. To put this in context most pies we review are at least 50% filling. Everything was coated in gravy but the liquid content of the pie was pretty poor too. With other cheap pies you might expect too much gravy if anything to hide the lack of content, this pie didn't even bother.
But despite all this, as with the beef and onion version, the pie didn't actually taste bad. It was certainly edible which is more than can be said for some of the pies we have reviewed. The pastry was overly crunchy but the smear of gravy on it gave some flavour.
However, you would still, given a choice, not buy these pies. It is not like they are nutritious. They contain barely any protein and 28% of an adults daily saturated fat. I imagine they would actually often be eaten by children and I dread to think how bad it is for them. I can't help feel that people who end up feeling they have to buy these have been let down by society somehow. Maybe that is an idea. A charity to help those who are eating these pies. Pies for the Poor; bring them a selection of pies from the Top 10 as recommended by the Pierateers! This will be our first policy as soon as the Pierateers form a political party. Given the lack of popularity of any party in the UK currently I think we might just get elected....
Chicken & Vegetable (Tesco Everyday Value)
2.24/7
SJL
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