British Pie Week: Week 10 of BigBarn’s food and drink weeks

IT’S TIME FOR THE PIES TO SHINE! In Britain we just love them! Whether it’s filled with meats, vegetables or something sweet, we just can’t wait to sink our teeth into a delicious homemade or locally sourced treats. Now  those new year resolutions are starting to feel like a distant memory, we can just get stuck into some fantastic wholesome British pies.

The best thing about pie is that there are so many ways to have pie. Sweet pie, chicken pie, beef and ale pie, fish pie, cottage pie, the hand held pie, vegetable pie, pork pie, creamy based, gravy based, tomato based or sweet based. There is no doubt about it but there is a pie for everyone.

Each day this week we will have a new pie recipe for you to try and quite frankly they all sound delicious! Today we are kicking off British Pie Week with a classic Beef and Ale pie, perfect with mash potato and steamed vegetables. Recipe here

Quick Pie Facts:
1. The ancient Egyptians ate pies filled with figs or dates 3,000 years ago.

2. The oldest known pie recipe was for a rye-crusted goat’s cheese and honey pie in Rome 2,000 years ago.

3. Pies first appeared in Britain in the 12th century, usually spelt ‘pye’ and containing meat. Fruit pies did not appear until the 16th century.

4. The crust of the pie was then most commonly known as a ‘coffyn of paste’. The base was a rectangular box of pastry.

5. The descriptive words most likely to precede ‘pie’ are ‘apple’, ‘American’, ‘mince’, and ‘humble’, with ‘pumpkin’ and ‘meat’ sharing fifth place.

6. Australia eats the most amount of pie per capita. Which gives you another good reason to head down under for a holiday.

Pies are part of our heritage so it’s no surprise that there’s even a special week to celebrate them! From 2nd to 8th March pie-lovers everywhere will unite to champion these unsung heroes of the food world. For more information visit https://www.britishpieweek.co.uk/

Lattice pork pie

BigBarn is also brimming over with fantastic pie producers and brilliant delis and farm shops making their own. Take a look at the marketplace to track down fantastic suppliers who you can order from online, or search the local food map for a list of wonderful producers and retailers near you

Or, if you like making your own pies, then search www.bigbarn.co.uk to discover fantastic places to source the best quality meat and vegetables for your own perfect pastries. If you have a favourite pie recipe, or any other recipe, and would like the chance to win a prize, please video your recipe and add it to KIS (Keep it Simple) Cookery. Please have a look at existing videos here and try and keep your video less than 2 minutes long.