Tuesday 23 April 2013

Whatever the weather a Wetherspoon pie makes you better

Wetherspoon Pie Review for Steak Pie

So with it being St George’s Day and all, I thought I’d try out a great British classic while out for dinner. Of course, it will come as no surprise to our loyal fans that I went for the Steak Pie! I’m sure St George would have been proud. After all, you can’t slay dragons on a pie-empty stomach!


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However, it has to be said that there was some controversy surrounding my choice. Because, for those who have frequented a Wetherspoon pub in the past few weeks, they will find – like I did tonight – that there is not actually pie on the menu at the moment! I know! That’s what I just said – no pie on the menu!

Rather puzzled and confused, Pierateer RAS went up to the bar to confirm he wasn’t just losing his marbles and missing the blindingly obvious. But no, it was confirmed by the bar staff that pie had definitely been removed from the menu. Fortunately though, John at the bar was willing to go and check with the kitchen, in case there was a pie from the previous menu still available, and to the relief of his pie loving consumer, a Steak pie was found! St George could finally slay his pie...

Wetherspoon Steak Pie
Wetherspoon Steak Pie
So after the controversy of ordering a pie, how did it rate?

The pie itself was well presented. A solid, decent sized square pie, which was fully encased and golden brown. It certainly was looking promising for a snip at £4.99. Upon digging in, the top crust lid was deliciously light and flaky and the gravy was nice, however it didn’t take too long for the pie reviewer to come to some rather thick, dry outer pastry around the sides. While possible to cut through with  a standard knife and an accompanying gravy boat to aid in softening the pastry shell, there was no doubt that this certainly let the side down (pun intended). It was quite a disappointment, as the top pastry was absolutely crisp and delicious. The meat itself was relatively decent, but not as tender as some of the farm shop/farmers market varieties out there which top our rankings table. A bit of gristle was unfortunately found to, which never goes down well.

Wetherspoon Steak Pie ContentOverall, while quite a decent capacity, the thick, dry pastry sides meant that this pie didn’t quite weather the storm of pie rating. I would probably need a spoon (and perhaps a steak knife) to get through all the pastry provided to. My recommendations would be that a bit of lighter pastry round the edges and slightly higher quality meat would certainly boost this pie’s appeal. However, the old adage goes that you get what you paid for, and on a budget of £5 for a pie meal in a pub, I don’t think you can find many that would compete on value. For pie on a budget, I certainly wouldn’t rule out going back to a Wetherspoon pub... oh, once they add it back onto the menu, that is!!!

Wetherspoon Steak Pie (at the Briar Rose, Birmingham City Centre)
Score: 4.85/7

RAS


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