Wednesday 10 April 2013

Pontins D-I-Y pie... D-pie-Y!

Steak and Mushroom Pie Review at Pontins in Prestatyn


Once again volunteering on a Christian holiday conference called New Word Alive, on the Pontins site in Prestatyn, North Wales, it was a delighted to see that there was a new addition on the catered food menu. While I’d had a rather unflattering piece of cold apple pie last year, which sadly rated very low on the Seven Cs, this year they had added a steak and mushroom pie to the menu. Well... I say the added a steak and mushroom pie to the menu. That was certainly what was listed on the food menu board... however what I found when I got to the food bar was not at all what I was expecting! As can be seen in image one, they were serving one tray of steak and mushroom pie filling... and in another tray the puff pastry crust! This was D-I-Y Pie! Or as I’d prefer to call it, D-pie-Y!

Pontins Steak Pie Review


So here goes...

Stage 1: Collect your steak and mushroom pie filling and puff pastry crust
Stage 2: Cut the puff pastry crust just below the raised puff pastry lid part (note the clear base, sides and lid in the photo, which shows it is a true pie)
Stage 3: Insert filling into the pie base
Stage 4: Enjoy your pie!

So I guess the most important thing – whether you have to put together your own pie or not – is what the pie actually tastes like!!! And the good news is that Pontins have done a cracking job of upping the steaks... (get it?!) and actually provided a very tasty pie this year. The puff pastry was really crisp and flaky with a lovely golden colour, and a lot lighter to eat than having a fully encased short crust pie. The filling was very nice, full of tender meaty chunks of steak, soft mushroom and very nice beef gravy. Some of the pieces of steak were a bit fatty but overall it was a very pleasant pie filling which complemented the puff pastry well. The content was therefore on the whole very good, and the main slightly confusing aspect of this pie was that the capacity of the pie was actually up to the pie eater (and therefore not the pie maker) to decide! I for one decided to maximise my pie filling to crust ratio, ensuring I got plenty of meatilicious content.

In summary, it was a very nice pie meal which I’d happily have again (as it happens, I did actually have it twice) however I have slightly mixed feelings as to what I think about having to make my own pie. At the end of the day, it doesn’t take long to cut open your pastry and insert the filling, however it does puzzle me as to why the pie maker hadn’t done this for me! But it does allow you to see what is in your pie before you order, which in the light of horse meat scandals across the UK is probably a good thing. And the puff pastry was delightful and I’d certainly like to have that again. I’m not sure the puff pastry crust would be able to cope with the amount of meatilicious content I added if it had been cooked that way. Perhaps that’s why they decided to make a point-ins of providing my first ever D-I-Y pie?! Maybe this will become the in-fashion way of supplying pie, which has the capacity decided by the eater, rather than the maker?! One thing’s for certain: D-I-Y pie is definitely better than watching paint dry...

(As a side point, it appears that Pontins have removed the apple pie from the menu – I wonder if they had read the pierate review or not?!)

Pontins Steak and Mushroom Pie
Score: 5.75/7
RAS

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