4 min read
They’re often under-appreciated, but pies are one of Britain’s favourite staples, and date back further than you think.
When they think of ordering a takeaway, most people think of pizza, curry or chow mein. But why not shake things up in March and order a takeaway pie?
Pies come in many shapes, sizes and forms. Steak and kidney. Chicken and mushroom. Lentil and sweet potato. Cottage pie. Shepherd’s pie. Macaroni cheese pie. Branching out into apple or cherry. And what about quiches, do they count? If you put a pasty (pastry with a meat or vegetable filling) in a dish, does it become a pie? And don’t even start with the potential confusion between a mince pie and a Scotch pie!
Debate rages (amongst those who are passionate about this sort of thing) about what makes a pie. Some say it has to be completely encased in pastry, not just with pastry on the top. Some say it has to be savoury. Some even say if it’s sweet it has to have full pastry on top, not just a lattice (otherwise it’s really a tart). The pie realm really is a controversial place.
Pies come in all shapes, sizes and fillings. And we love them, spending more than £1bn just on pies every year.
We don’t really think it matters, as long as you enjoy it. And British Pie Week gives you the perfect excuse to indulge.
According to the British Pie Awards, Brits consume more than £1bn worth of pies every year. They truly are a British staple. But where did they come from?
References to pies were recorded as far back as the ancient Romans, but the first time they are thought to have been consumed in the UK is in the 13th century, when soldiers returning from the Crusades brought savoury pies back with them. Sweet pies took a little longer, but an apple pie appeared in writing by Chaucer in 1381. And then we exported them, with British apple pies making the crossing to America with the founding pilgrims.
Thanks to all those years of development, today we have an amazing pie landscape. And you can try several varieties for yourself by ordering a takeaway from Scoffable.
