The Life of Pies

Pootle

Pootle

Well-Known Member
Pies

Very tasty food products are pies. Here in the UK pies come in many different forms, both savoury and sweet pies.

In the UK popular pies include

Meat and Potato
Chicken and mushroom
Steak and kidney
Cheese and onion
There are also regional pies in the UK to, for example I live fairly close to Liverpool where the ‘Scouse Pie’ is popular

Also we like our sweet pies too, these include

Apple Pie
Rhubarb Pie
Blackcurrant Pie
Cherry Pie
Mince pies (Christmas time only really and always taken with me on our Christmas Eve zoo visit)

The above are all typical British pies, do you have savoury pies in the US, Aus and NZ, or is that just a British thing.
I also think I am missing out on the US pumpkin pie, I have never tasted that, but lots of people I read about seem to love it.

Mmmmm pie.
 
In NZ we have:

Savoury Pies:

Potato-top
Mince
Mince & Cheese
Steak
Steak & Cheese
Bacon & Egg
Chicken & Vegetable
Fish

These are commonly sold standard variants, available as both single serve and family-size pies. Gourmet and other variants are also popular. Some places sell "regional specialties" such as possum pies. At our supermarket we have a range of pies with different Indian curries (e.g. butter chicken, korma, etc). Single-serve meat pies are commonly referred to as "maggot-packs".

Sweet Pies:

Apple
Rhubarb
Lemon Meringue (tart - both meanings Pootle! EDIT: two of three meanings... :D)

These are mostly available as family-size pies, or slices of family-size pies, although single serve pies, such as Christmas Mince Pies (and the various varieties of those) are also available. We don't tend to have many berry or stone fruit pies.

The weirdest pies I ever saw were in another supermarket I used to work at, in the "imported from the UK" section. They were in tins, and you could peel the top off and then bake the pie. They came in various flavours. How ridiculous.
 
zooboy28 said:
The weirdest pies I ever saw were in another supermarket I used to work at, in the "imported from the UK" section. They were in tins, and you could peel the top off and then bake the pie. They came in various flavours. How ridiculous.
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Fray Bentos. They're not very nice. I have a housemate who eats them like mad.

And are pies with potato on top called shepherd's pie anywhere else? Zooboy calls them potato-top but that might be a New Zealand thing.

Also, do Americans really eat pumpkin pie as a sweet thing. I have an American friend that was shocked when we had pumpkin as part of a roast dinner at my parent's. She had only ever had it as a dessert.
 
If a pie has potato on top, it's either Shepherd's Pie, Cottage Pie or fish Pie depending on whether it has lamb, beef of fish in it.
Lots of other animals are good in pies - Squirrels, Rabbits, Chickens come to mind.
 
PAT said:
Also, do Americans really eat pumpkin pie as a sweet thing. I have an American friend that was shocked when we had pumpkin as part of a roast dinner at my parent's. She had only ever had it as a dessert.
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Yep. Pumpkins here are mostly eaten in pie form, and as a dessert. People also eat pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin soup is pretty good too.
 
Lemon Meringue (tart - both meanings Pootle! EDIT: two of three meanings... )
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Oh Yes a good tart is always welcome on my plate too. A good Manchester tart is nice if you can find one. Another one similar to the tasty Lemon Meringue pie, but in my book a bit better is one from the Southern US states I believe and that is Key Lime Pie.

I also forgot one of my favourite pies earlier and that is the Pork Pie. I think a small whole or a good slice of pork pie will accompany me to the zoo this Christmas eve along with the mince pie.

Talking of Christmas, a popular UK pie at christmas is a open topped turkey pie with cranberrys on top, a very tasty festive treat.

Fray Bentos. They're not very nice. I have a housemate who eats them like mad.
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Yes Pat, I agree a strange and not very tasty pie product at all.


As for pies with potato tops on are we all talking about mashed potato here, or even mashed potato with cheese.
Cottage Pie - minced beef with mash potato top baked in oven
Shepherds Pie - as above with lamb
Fish Pie - as above with fish, molluscs and crustaceans even!
 
A few more pie facts.

The good people of Wigan (a few miles NE of Knowsley Safari Park for people who are not too familiar with the geography of Lancashire) are known as 'pie-eaters'.

The world's largest pies are baked for ceremonial occasions at Denby Dale in Yorkshire. They are meat and potato pies.

The most famous pork pies are made in Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. These use uncured pork, and the name is protected so that only local firms can use the name (like Apellation Controlee wines).

'Pork pie' is Cockney rhyming slang for 'lie'. So don't tell porkies ;)

I would also speak up for the pudding, which uses suet crust pastry and is boiled, rather than baked. My favourite was christened 'snake and pygmy' by one of my friends at college.

Alan
 
Good 'pie facts' there Alan.

Incidentally, of all places, I actually work in Wigan. The number of bakers around here churning out pristine pastry products is something quite amazing, my lunch time choice is quite astounding I can tell. Here in Wigan the world pie eating championships is held annually.
People from Wigan aka Wiganers are often referred to as ‘the pie eaters’. This name is said to date from the 1926 General Strike, when Wigan miners were starved back to work before their counterparts in surrounding towns and so were forced to eat "humble pie".

In addition to Pie, also very popular here in the savory form is the steamed suet pudding - of course as mentioned the preferred filling is snake and pygmy everytime. The pasty and sausage roll are great pastry products but certainly not pies.
 
In my opinion you can't beat a Pukka Pie, perfect with chips but just as good with mash and gravy! :)
If you overseas pie lovers haven't tried these then I feel sorry for you all! :p

And in regards to Fray Bentos:- NO! They are not the nicest thing in the world, I think the can they come in is probably tastier than the inside product!

Great thread Pootle, it's about time we had some pie related chat on here.
 
To throw in a regional variation that may not have come to the attention of fellow UK pie enthusiasts - here in South Wales we enjoy the Clark`s Pie
( often hear people asking for a Clarkie or Clarksie in local chippies ) - it`s just a variation on a meat/veg pie ... but it does have it`s own wikipedia entry and made the local news a few months ago due to a family dispute between the two siblings who have the ( supposedly ) secret recipe ...
Anyhow it`s very tasty !!
Mind you nothing here tastes like the meat and potato pies I remember from my youth in Bolton/Manchester ... drooling as I type ... dearie me .
 
Extending the genre a little,What about sausage rolls they are like pies but longer and easier and sadly quicker to eat,:eek:
They are sausage meat,(supposedly) within a pastry sleeve, Greggs do the best ones here in the UK. No I'm not on commission sadly.

Then of course we have Cornish pasties too I wonder will there ever be a film The life of Pastie?:o
 
dean said:
Extending the genre a little,What about sausage rolls they are like pies but longer and easier and sadly quicker to eat,:eek:
They are sausage meat,(supposedly) within a pastry sleeve, Greggs do the best ones here in the UK. No I'm not on commission sadly.

Then of course we have Cornish pasties too I wonder will there ever be a film The life of Pastie?:o
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What about the bakedbeans, sausage and cheese melts that greggs do!? They are almost pies and simply heaven in a brown paper bag!
 
PAT said:
Fray Bentos. They're not very nice. I have a housemate who eats them like mad.

And are pies with potato on top called shepherd's pie anywhere else? Zooboy calls them potato-top but that might be a New Zealand thing.
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They certainly didn't appeal to me.

In NZ, potato-top pies are mince pies with pastry base and sides, and mashed potato on top. These are only available as single-serve pies, whether cooked and ready to eat from a bakery, or frozen from a supermarket. Shepherd's Pie is the larger version, family-sized, and usually made at home, rather than bought.
 
Have to disagree with others , I enjoy Fray Bentos Steak and Kidney Pie , out of a tin , the puff pastry top gets very crisp if cooked properly . Opening the can may be hazardous though , my son ended up with a nasty gash in his hand !
 
DavidBrown said:
Yep. Pumpkins here are mostly eaten in pie form, and as a dessert. People also eat pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin soup is pretty good too.
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First, Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake.

Second, Dunkin' Donuts sells Pumpkin Donuts and I think Pumpkin Coffee or something like that. Pumpkin Muffins, too.

Third, I'm surprised you didn't make your own thread about cookies;)
M&M Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Suger Cookies, Snicker Doodles, and the lesser cookie, the Oatmeal Cookies.
 
Pies in Michigan:
Savoury
Chicken Pot Pie
Meat Pie
We also have pasties which is basically where you take some ground beef, onions, carrots and potatoes and put them in a single pie crust to cover both sides. Some people add rutabagas around here but others consider it a crime against nature.

Sweet
Apple
dutch apple
french apple
french silk
peach
blueberry
cherry
raspberry
blackberry
mixed berry
banana cream
lemon meringue
lime meringue
rocky road ice cream pie
chocolate
pumpkin
 
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