Rachel Recommends… A Great British Pie!

Added by Rachel Kershaw on March 12, 2013.
Saved under Rachel Recommends, Uncategorized
Tags: british food, food festivals, melton mowbray, pies

I ate all the pies!

I never really need an excuse to tuck in to one of Britain’s finest foods, the mighty pie, but last week was officially British Pie Week so it would have almost been rude not to!

There really is a pie to suit everyone’s taste, whether it be warm home-made bramley apple pie, succulent steak and ale pie with a puff pastry lid or a rich creamy chicken and mushroom pie, mmm yummy!

Hollands Pies are a favourite in Lancashire

I’d be hard-pressed to pick a favourite but I’ll always have a special place in my heart (and in my belly) for a gooey and delicious Hollands cheese and onion! Hollands have been making pies in the Lancashire village of Baxenden for over 150 years and for me their popular cheese and onion recipe will always be the taste of home! If you’re ever in the North West of England, pop in to a chippy and treat yourself to a Hollands pie, you won’t be disappointed!

Earning my crust in Melton Mowbray

If there’s one place in Britain that could claim to be the pie capital of our country though it would probably have to be Melton Mowbray in the heart of the East Midlands. Here you’ll find Dickinsons & Morris‘s “ye olde pork pie shoppe”, home of the world famous Melton Mowbray pork pies. More than a quarter of a million people visit the shop every year and having sampled the pies myself I can certainly see why! The tasty treats are created using a ‘dolly’ then baked free standing. You can tell if your pork pie has been made using this authentic technique because the sides will be bow shaped. But it’s the taste that really makes these pies something worth savouring… the meat is always British chopped pork which is seasoned with salt and pepper and natural bone stock jelly is added after baking to enhance the flavour and give a succulent texture that’s truly unmistakable, I’m drooling just thinking about!

Melton Mowbray Pork Pies

Personally I think it’s worth a trip to Melton Mowbray simply to visit this shop (yes I really do love pork pies that much!) but if you’d like to experience even more of what this foodie haven has to offer then you should plan a visit for the month of October when the traditional market town hosts the East Midlands Food and Drink Festival. This annual event brings together a huge selection of edible delights from the many fine producers that have helped the area become known as the Rural Capital of Food and Drink! Now how’s that for advance warning? Stick it in your diary now and make a weekend of it!

Don’t forget you can keep in touch on twitter @rachmotormouth

Rachel Kershaw is 31 and lives in Newcastle upon Tyne but is originally from Rochdale. With parents who have never even owned passports, it was inevitable that Rachel would fall in love with holidays in Britain. It was her genuine passion that saw her win the opportunity to be VisitEngland’s Fan in a Van in summer 2012 – an adventure that involved ten weeks on the road in a vintage VW camper blogging about everything from bungee jumping, hot air ballooning and surfing to visiting museums, zoos and numerous British eateries! What a lucky lady!

2 Responses to Rachel Recommends… A Great British Pie!

Jean | Delightful Repast March 13, 2013 at 11:55 pm

Rachel, you just set off several cravings at once! I must one day have a Melton Mowbray pie IN Melton Mowbray. My grandfather was from very, very near Rochdale and went to Newcastle – just like you. I must try a Holland’s – I love Lancashire cheese.
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