Charters Butchers - Large Pork Pie

Wikipedia will have you believe that the first pies were developed around 9,500bc during the Egyptian Neolithic period, but as any Yorkshireman will tell you, t' pie were created in gods own country long before t'gyptians got hold of it. I was therefore delighted to find that this weeks pie had arrived overnight from a butchers in Driffield, East Yorkshire, carrying with it the hope and dignity of the nations largest county.

Yorkshire had sent its best for consideration, and by best I mean largest. This pie was massive, a meal for a family of 4 if served with mushy peas. It wasn’t just the scale of the pie that impressed though, it was obviously a locally baked delicacy. The pie crust displaying signs of hand crafting and the filling having escaped a little during cooking, glazing part of the top. Not only that, but the pie arrived in a white paper bag, twisted at the corners and with a slight transparency where the goodness of the pie had passed into the bag. We are dealing here with an artisanal behemoth, unfettered by shipping and storage concerns.

Cutting into the beast took some effort, although the pastry maintained structural integrity, the sheer meatiness of the filling meant that a sharper knife would have been appropriate. Having taken out a slice and inspected the centre it was obvious that this was a very meaty pie. The filling having a chopped meat consistency and amply filling the pie crust from top to bottom. An onlooker remarked that the aroma could be detected a good 5 yards away, by this point, whether through hunger or pie-pheremones, the crowd were becoming increasingly excited.

With a delicate seasoning and a subtle crust, the meat was the hero in this confection. Chunky, chopped meat bringing a mouth-feel for a pie that in this reviewers opinion will take some beating. A special mention must be made for the jelly in this pie, far removed from the rubbery lining so common in the supermarket pie, the jelly in this little slice of heaven helped not only to fill the gaps between meat and pastry, but also between meat and meat... so textured was the filling. This jelly was of a particularly light nature and was a credible partner for the meat and an integral part of the taste.

Suffice to say that this pie redefined standards on the blog. One Scottish taster, a beatific smile across his face, idly wondered aloud whether that was the best pie tested yet.

Flavour balance: Pastry 20%, Pork 50%, Seasoning 10%, Gelatine 20%

Overall Score: 9/10