Who Ate All The Pies?

Here we take a look into the fascinating history of pie making.

With countless varieties from around the world, we will feature pies from our own shores to celebrate The Great British Pie Week 2025.

From cold-cutting pork pies to hot-filled shortcrust pies, potato topped, steamed suet puddings & modern pies which have influenced us from around the globe.

The list is extensive & full of contradictions but at the heart of each regional pie, there's a fascinating storyline.

Enjoyed across the whole country whether it's a nourishing supper, part of your traditional picnic, feeding the family or soaking up the beer at halftime watching football they always feel fulfilling & wholesome.

It's thought the Romans first brought a version of pastry-encased pies to Britain & left them for us to develop region by region.

Cold-cutting pork pie famously coming from Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire is a nationwide classic. Jellied & encased in hot water pastry made with pure lard. There's also Gala pies & wild game cutting pies which are great derivatives of the original. controversially In the North East & Yorkshire, we eat pork pies warm with mushy peas & mint sauce (yes mint sauce!)

Next up is our very popular hot-filled pies. Most famous being steak & ale with many local variations using craft beers & different beef cuts, my favourite being ox cheek slow cooked in Timothy Taylor's ale then encased in an all butter shortcrust pastry. Another classic is roast chicken bound in a rich sauce with leeks & tarragon. In the Northwest potatoes are an essential in their ever-popular Meat n Tatty pies served with Carlin black peas & vinegar or in Wigan the famous kebab, a pie encased in a buttered barm is a staple though not for the faint-hearted.

Onto steamed suet puddings, most popular in the Black country of the West Midlands, steak & kidney is the winner, unusually we use lamb's kidneys to enrich the gravy which are sweeter & less pungent than that of an ox. Other flavours can be used such as wild venison with juniper and mutton cooked with swede & black pepper are two more exceptional variations.

Scotland has the scotch pie also enjoyed south of the border. A Scotch pie is a small, double-crust meat pie, traditionally filled with minced mutton & highly seasoned.

Then there ares potato topped pies: The shepherd's pie being most common, made from lamb leftovers & topped with lashings of mashed potatoes, or the Cottage pie typically made with minced beef cooked with onion, carrots & peas both these are firm family favourites derived from our rich farming history we have here in the UK.

Then there's the modern take on pies, India features heavily with takes on keema, vindaloo & tikka masala pies which are generally lined with shortcrust pastry & topped with puff pastry for a light & buttery topping mainly enjoyed by the city dwellers. We have also delved into using different styles of pastry, filo scrunched up on top of spiced chicken & spinach pies & one of my favourites: Bric pastry, filled with shredded duck & deep fried, a twist on the famous Moroccan Pastilla.

Other regional twists which serve the same purpose are the world-famous Cornish pastie & the soon-to-be world-famous Steak bake originating in the Northeast.

Finally, we can't go without mentioning when a pie is not a pie, there are lots of arguments around how it must be fully encased in pastry, the shape & size but for me as long as it's delicious it's a pie!

PS: Don't forget about the sweet versions, such as rhubarb, apple & bramble are a couple of popular seasonal variations, my favourite quote which we often used in my previous restaurant still makes me smile was "An apple pie without its cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze".