Pie fanatics rejoice – British Pie Week is here and you don’t have to be a connoisseur to enjoy the occasion.
Celebrated during the first week of March, a highlight of the annual quirky event is the British Pie Awards, which takes place on Wednesday at Melton Mowbray’s ‘Cathedral of Pies’.
First held in 2009, the contest recognises the diverse fillings, flavours, and features of the humble pie.
The SW Londoner spoke to Fulham’s Brasserie Constance restaurant, which is nestled on the first floor of Fulham Pier on the River Thame, and a food historian at the Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) about all things pastry ahead of Pie Week.
Opened by Michelin-starred chef Adam Byatt, Brasserie Constance, which serves British classics with a modern twist, is no stranger when it comes to pies.
Head chef Charlie Crote said: “Pies are, in a way, woven into our DNA. They evoke childhood memories, weekend lunches, family kitchens, and that distinctly British sense of comfort.”
One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is a coronation chicken pȃté en croȗte, inspired by their namesake Constance Spry’s role in the original coronation chicken recipe.
The origin of pies can be traced back to as early as 1301 when they were born out of practical reasons – including a lack of domestic ovens and metal moulds being too expensive – but they still had that communal element referred to by Crote.
HRP’s historic kitchens manager Richard Fitch said: “The medieval and Tudor periods saw pies that were almost always designed to be shared.
“Their self contained nature made them ideal for travellers and somewhat akin to modern fast food shops, pie shops and suppliers grew up around the gates into and out of cities across the country through the medieval period.”
Now, we can enjoy pies from the comfort of our own homes or restaurants like Brasserie Constance whose daily plates on Tuesdays and Wednesdays include fish pie and pie and mash.
Crote said: “A great pie should feel both familiar and special, with crisp buttery pastry and a hearty filling, and of course the right amount of sauce or gravy!”
At Brasserie Constance this Pie Week, customers can expect a rich lobster pie encased in golden pastry, a deeply savoury braised Welsh lamb suet pudding, and a hand-raised coronation chicken pie on the menu, according to Crote.
Restaurants like Brasserie Constance show how pies have evolved from their medieval origins to incorporate a variety of flavours and techniques to make the pies that we relish today.
Fitch added: “From pork to apple, fish to cottage, star gazey to pizza pie, across the western world, for it is a western phenomenon, filled pastry dishes abound and are all recognized as forms of pies; even if many of us may disagree about some of them.
“British Pie Week is a celebration of all that pies have to offer, and a reminder that there is plenty of scope for flavours, fillings, and cookery methods to create a dish that is interesting and unique, yet still at heart, a pie.”
Featured image credit: Brasserie Constance
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