Eight reasons to serve pies in your pub

Allegedly we have the ancient Greeks to thank for this wonderful invention. Often shunned by the ‘healthy food police’ there are plenty of good reasons to have pie on your menu:

Low cost and high menu value​

One of the key ingredients in pie is pastry. This is dead cheap: – puff pastry lids come in around 18p -25p each or home made pastry comes in at 10p -15p. The pastry lid or case makes the pie look impressive on the plate. Fillings can be made using cheaper cuts of meat and cooking long and slow to mouth watering tenderness.

Imaginative fillings​

Let your imagination run wild. Steak pies is the nations favourite, but take a leaf out of Pie Ministers book with imaginative combinations like ‘Heidi Pie’ – goat’s cheese, spinach, sweet potato and red onion; ‘Matador Pie’– beefsteak, chorizo, olive and butterbean or ‘Chicken of Aragon’ - chicken smoked bacon and tarragon pie

Pastry variety​

Puff Pastry – great for impressive performance on the plate

Hot water Crust – like pork pie pastry – holds a wet filling really well

Short crust – is easy to make and traditionally the pastry of choice for ‘proper pies’ with pastry underneath.

Healthy​

Yes you heard!

Try a light pie with just a pastry base or just a pastry top – increase the ratio of filling to pastry – making it less calories and fat than fish and chips.

Say no to chewy pastry​

So many pie consumers are selling themselves short by eating pies that have been heated in a microwave – notorious for making the pastry dry and floppy at best and chewy at worst. By serving your pies with crisp pastry (cooked in the oven or combi-oven) you will be achieving that customer magnet of being able to provide food your customers don’t have time to do at home.

Personalised presentation​

Whether it’s with frilly paper cuffs (Guinea Grill) rustic un-trimmed pastry tops, classic round and pinched, pasty shaped or even with a pastry logo on the lid – you can put your own stamp on the pies you serve and position yourself with that desirable ‘point of difference’

Unique taste​

The piece de resistance of any pie with a pastry bottom is that slightly soggy base that has soaked up all the scrummy juices of the filling offering delicious mouthful after soggy mouthful. What’s not to like?!

Sweetie-pie​

Lets not forget the versatility of pie to make a delicious fruity dessert, the addition of sugar may make the pastry a little naughtier – but at least the fruit filling gives you an option to promote as one of your five a day!

By Ali Carter, food operations specialist and MD at CaterCost Ltd​