Pies matters
Pies and pasties have become irrevocably linked to the pub sector since selling food with alcohol became widespread after the Second World War. Since then, the likes of pork pies, steak-and-kidney pies and Cornish pasties have found their way on to most pub menus and won a place in the hearts of customers. Today they remain among the most popular sellers in the nation's hostelries.
To discover the variety of pies and pasties being made in Britain, Chef teamed up with Food From Britain, the Government-funded organisation that promotes home-produced speciality foods, to sample a selection of the pastry creations. The aim of the session was to provide caterers with an idea of the variety of locally produced pies and pasties now available in the UK.
The tasting was hosted at the Melton Mowbray pub in Holborn, London, which is owned by Fuller's Inns. The panel of five tasters included chef-proprietors, pub managers, catering development managers and purchasing controllers. Eight products in all were tasted.
The tasters
Jacqui Street is joint manager, with her husband Christopher, of the Fuller's Inn pub, the Melton Mowbray, London, and was our hostess for the tasting session.
About 300 customers per day eat in the 200-seat Melton Mowbray, which has a ground-floor restaurant, bar, gallery area and downstairs function room.
Average spend is £10, with the pub's own home-made pies the top sellers. Dickinson & Morris pork pies are also favoured.
Richard Shepherd is the owner/managing director of Coq d'Or Restaurants. The group is made up of five London eateries - Langan's Brasserie, Langan's Bistro, Shepherd's, Odin's Restaurant and the Coq d'Or. Shepherd says that profiles of his customers, who average 1,000 per day (over all five restaurants) and spend up to £45 per head, can go "as high as you like". Seating varies throughout the various establishments.
Shepherd likes a pie to have a home-made appearance and to suit its restaurant/eating outlet.
Jonathan Miller is a buyer in the provisions department of Fortnum & Mason's, London, which has four restaurants with a total of 200 seats. Miller is in charge of the retailing of pies through the provisions department. Apart from its own-label produce, the store also sells Dickinson & Morris pork pies.
Quality and the uniqueness are primarily what Miller searches for when he eats or buys in pies.
Doreen Hogan is a food development executive with Scottish & Newcastle Retail. There are more than 1,800 pubs in the group, including the 143-strong John Barras & Co chain which features traditional pies on its menus. The customer base for the whole group is wide-ranging, with the average spend per head starting from £6 and rising to £13.
Katy Jenkinson is catering development manager with Fuller, Smith and Turner (Fuller's). The independent family brewer has pubs and bars ranging from city bars to suburban locals. Seating capacity varies between 40 and 200, while average customer spend on food is £5.
British-made pies and pasties - the results
Game in Red Wine with Mushrooms and Onions
Cottage Savouries
Chilbolton, Stockbridge, Hampshire
01264 861007
Available individually (when in season), giving 10 to 12 portions, £16 per pie
• Order directly
• Tasters' comments: Flavour of the game comes through strongly; smell is good; pie has a lot of meat in it; would work well in the food service market; pastry is okay
Traditional Crafted Pork Pies
Dickinson & Morris
Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
01664 562341
Available individually, cases made up as required. Wholesale price on request. Retail price £2.59 for 1lb pie
• Order directly
• Tasters' comments: Looks home-made - as if it has been raised by hand; meat has a nice roasted smell; jelly is very good; really peppery
Steak, Mushroom & Guinness Pie
Foster's Foods
Park Farm North Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire
01933 673736
Available individually. About £10.50 per pie
• Phone for a list of suppliers
• Tasters' comments: flavour of the meat is a bit weak; has a strong aroma; taste of Guinness is overpowering; pastry is reminiscent of school days
Guinea Fowl Pie
Just Desserts of Rye
Rye, East Sussex
01797 224708
Available in individual, 4/6 portions or 10/12 portions in rectangular or round: £7.45 for 4/6 portions, or £19.15 for 10/12 portions
• Order directly
• Tasters' comments: You can taste the game; has a lot of meat packed into it; generous size
Weald Pie
(layers of apricots, surrounded by layers of pork, chicken and Sussex ham)
AH Lillie and Son
Bellbrook Industrial Estate, Uckfield, East Sussex
01825 764708
Available either in loaf shape (about 1.4kg), or Round Hand Raised from 0.9kg to 2.75kg with cases made up as required, £2.47 (1lb), £5.29 (2lb hand raised), £13.24(5lb hand raised)
• Order directly
• Tasters' comments: The idea of the layered pie is a good one, although some of the pork looks heavily processed; good appearance; apricots give off a strong smell
Steak Pasty
Proper Cornish (Real Pasties)
Bodmin, Cornwall
01208 78712
Available in five sizes ranging from about 142g up to 510g and in price from£27.66 per case of 60 x 142g to £15.07 per case of 14 x 510g
• Order directly
• Tasters' comments: Has a good spicy smell; has real pieces of steak in it; interesting idea to try and update the Cornish pasty; there's a lot of onion in the pie
Gala Pie with Egg
Roberts of Port Dinorwic
Caernarfon, Gwynedd
01286 676111
Available in 6lb pies; about £7.50 (depending on wholesaler)
• Phone for a list of suppliers
• Tasters' comments: Pastry has a good colour; like the fact it doesn't use a lot of gelatine; could have a bit more pepper; would be a great pie for the food service market
Pork Pie with Egg
Vale of Mowbray
Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire
01677 422661
Available in cases of six, wholesale price given on request. RRP price, £1.29 per pie
• Order directly
• Tasters' comments: Pastry is a bit soft but it has a good presentation; would work well on a buffet; meat is quite rare
Caterer & Hotelkeeper would like to state that the opinions given in the tasting are those of the tasters alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine.
