Big Football Pie Transfer Prior To January Window!

It's not even the January football window yet and already we've had potentially the biggest shock transfer of the season. But no, it's not a multi-million pound star striker moving teams, or even a rising starlet making a big money move. In fact, it's football's loss because the biggest name in football pies has just made a shock transfer to 'try' his hand at rugby catering, as Mr Graham Aimson has moved from our number 1 football pie maker Morecambe FC!

Sam and Rob being interviewed by BBC Sport's Azi Farni Watch the video on the BBC Sport website

For those of you who aren't aware, two years ago we joined BBC Sport's Azi Farni at Morecambe FC, who make some of the best pies rated on Pierate (let alone football grounds) to discuss what makes the perfect football pie! Watch us featuring in the BBC Price of Football video here.

This had followed a previous visit to Morecambe to try out the pies at the League Two club, where we got our hands on the 'Steak & Ale', 'Chicken, Ham & Leak', 'Lamb & Mint' and 'Meat & Potato' pies, as well as the British Pie Awards winning Apple pie for dessert!

In fact the Steak and Ale pie wasn't just our favourite pie at Morecambe FC but it tops our Pieremiership Table, which ranks football’s best half time pies.

We've rated over 600 pies, including a number of football pies

So it is with some sadness that we heard this week that Graham Aimson, the man behind the pies as head chef at Morecambe Football Club, has moved down the road to cater at a local Rugby Club. We therefore caught up with him to find out more about his big transfer:

Graham Aimson with a tray of his football pies

1) We hear you've just moved role! What's the new job?

Head chef of Kendal rugby union club.

2) What are you most looking forward to there?

The challenge of building a reputation for another new stadium and hopefully exceeding what I achieved at Morecambe FC, the bonus that we have a restaurant and servers to operate as well as a banqueting suite, all bringing new and exciting challenges.

3) Will you be doing the same pies there or going to 'try' something new? (We can do rugby puns too!!)

Yes, we will be doing pies here but all pies will be developed for Kendal Rugby Club. I am trying to improve on my previous recipes to give Kendal RC there very own pies. I've been playing with pastry recipes and filling recipes. Although nothing out of the ordinary, what we are doing in the kitchen should hopefully be better than before!

4) Football and pies are well associated. Are you aware of many pies in rugby?

At this moment I've not heard of any special pies in rugby as yet, however, I'm hopeful that soon once words gets around, there will be some good competition just like in football!

5) What will you miss most about working at Morecambe? (Other than us Pierateers visiting for Morecambe v Wycombe games!!)

Obviously the Pierateers visiting is one of the highlights of the year that I will now miss. I will miss working with the great people I met working there, including a couple of footballers. The pie successes there were down to the whole kitchen team, and sadly at this moment we are not together. I deeply miss the brigade more than anything but hope we will be all together in the future once again as an award winning team! It is the team that made the pies what they were!




We certainly echo that it is a real team effort to make so many great pies for every Morecambe game and therefore wish Graham well in his new venture, while his old colleagues at Morecambe FC hold the fort. We're intrigued to know what the future will be for Morecambe FC's pies, as the only major English club we're aware of that make their own pies on the premises. We'll have to try and get along again soon to check the pies are still up to the same high standard!

What's also intriguing is that the British Pie Awards category for football pies is actually a "sports pie" category, so being a Rugby head chef now we could well see Graham try and win the award for two different pies in two different sports!

For now though, we'll leave you with a brief little video filmed on the day BBC Sport visited Graham and the team to find out more about his football pies, including their rather quirky new flavour at the time:



RAS