The Muffin Man Meat and Potato Pie

2019-09-14T22:18:32+01:00September 14th, 2019|

Saturday January 21st 2012

It’s highly probable that blood has been spilled over the debate as to who makes the best pies in Wigan. Or pie gravy at least. This is why the question needs answering. There are people who swear by the Muffin Man. Plus it’s in my village so giving it a shit review will see me ostracised by my local community and earn me the nickname “that pie wanker”.

Keep it simple for now:

“Right darling – going getting my hair cut, then I’m getting some petrol. Fancy a pie for lunch?”

It needs to be a local one given we’re […]

Day 1: Hampsons / Sayers Meat and Potato Pie

2019-09-09T12:17:43+01:00September 8th, 2019|

Somehow, seven years has passed since I embarked on my ground breaking travelogue, the Life of Pies. It wasn’t the first or only book about pies, but it still remains the only book about eating pies, rather than the plethora of attempts at books determined to teach the public as to how to make a good pie. Seems a bit illogical to me. Why bake when you can buy and keep your local butcher, baker or even a candle stick maker in business? LOL, as if people still make a living making candles. Yep, they make a bloody fortune out […]

A Potted pie guide

2019-05-31T08:53:45+01:00May 31st, 2019|

The beauty of my extensive research (2012-present*) is that whenever I find myself in a foreign town, I always know where to sniff out the best pies.

(*though if truth be known, like most Wiganers, I have been sampling pies for as long as I cut my first teeth)

So it was that after finishing a 10k in Lancaster in a respectable 47.06m, I needed to rebuild my carbohydrate store.
What better place to go, than an old favourite in the form of Potts Pies of Lancaster, Morecambe and Carnforth?

On my way out of […]

The Top Ten Pies in Wigan

2017-06-15T15:29:11+01:00February 7th, 2016|

piebarmWelcome to Wigan – undisputed pie capital of the world! Maybe it is disputed though? The British Pie Awards are on next month and they are held not in Wigan but in Melton Mowbray, where the pies are very different but no less famous. The World Pie Eating Championships are however held in Wigan but that might imply that Wiganers go for quantity – or speed of consumption appears to […]

One hundred days of pie: No.48 Lord of the Pies – The Stockport Pie

2017-06-15T15:29:10+01:00June 7th, 2015|

lotp1After a long day procuring growlers on the other side of the Pennines, I found myself negotiating the labyrinth that is the narrow winding streets of Stockport town centre in search of one more pie. I parked on a meter outside a nightclub cum lapdancing bar and headed for the bright lights and noise emanating from Stockport market over the bridge. Lord of the Pies (ace literary pun there) is situated at the quieter end […]

21 days later

2014-11-14T11:34:03+00:00November 14th, 2014|

palletsIt was a night which delivered everything it promised. Pies, mainly and plenty of them! The back room of the Raven proved a great little spot for the assorted ladies and gents of Wigan Pie Society to celebrate the launch of Life of Pies in no uncertain terms.

I had a few shocks and setbacks along the way, not least concerns about the delivery of the books in time after they got held up in customs […]

One hundred days of pie No.43 Mobberley Village Bakery

2017-06-15T15:29:09+01:00September 14th, 2014|

mob1I seem to have gone overboard praising some of the better pies in the book the last few weeks, well today I thought I’d cover one of life’s little disappointments. Mobberley is a posh little place situated equidistant between two wealthy Cheshire towns, Knutsford and Wilmslow. 

I was working nearby with a limited lunch window and decided to give this one a bash based on its proximity rather than recommendation. After driving past Jodrell Bank and […]

One hundred days of pie: No.21: Lathams of Southport

2017-06-15T15:29:06+01:00August 9th, 2014|

Lathams1I went to Southport at the weekend. You might think that it’s more renowned for fish and chips and sticks of rock but there’s one or two pie purveyors of note if you know your stuff.

CH Latham of Birkdale is one such purveyor, their USP (that’s a unique selling point not that little stick you bung in your laptop) is that the proprietor is a born and bred Wigan lad making authentic “Wigan pies “.

[…]

One hundred days of pie: No.18 Peggys of Ambleside

2017-06-15T15:29:05+01:00August 9th, 2014|

peggysLIFE OF PIES IS NOW AVAILABLE TO BUY

I got wed in the Lakes around about six years ago today, it’s an obvious thing to say but when you get the weather, there’s no better place in the world to be. There were no pies on the buffet but had I known this place was around the corner I might have had a re-think.

Situated by the park and bowling green on a road populated by traditional […]

One hundred days of pie: No.16 – TJ Parry-Jones & Daughters

2017-06-15T15:29:04+01:00August 5th, 2014|

parryjones1I will attempt to keep this brief – because – “LIFE OF PIES” THE BOOK WENT TO THE PRINTERS LAST NIGHT!!!!

Yes, the toil and torment is over and now it’s the waiting game until it hits the streets whilst battling back technical snags.

Anyway, here’s another pie. Following on from yesterday, I also got another pie the day I dropped into the Penmaenmawr Spar – this one from TJ Parry-Jones & Daughters. You can almost sense […]

One hundred days of Pie – No.14 Haffners meat and potato pie

2017-06-15T15:29:04+01:00August 3rd, 2014|

haffners1Seeing as they followed me on Twitter yesterday, it feels as apt a time as any to feature one of East Lancashire’s finest. Down the road in Accrington and Blackburn, you have the veritable pie twin giants of Hollands and Clayton Park but this small butchers’ in Burnley is more than a match for the pair of them.

Situated slap bang in the town centre, Haffners is a traditional butchers with strong emphasis on pies. And […]

One hundred days of pie: No.8 The Rolling Pin

2017-06-15T15:29:03+01:00July 20th, 2014|

rollingpinWhen I hear the words Rolling Pin they always conjure up images of angry mother in laws stomping down the street waving one about in the air or a dragged up Les Dawson wearing a hairnet. There’s probably some deep rooted psychological issue behind this though I imagine.

The Rolling Pin is situated in the Newtown area of Wigan, not too far from the DW Stadium yet despite this I had never, ever sampled its wares […]

One hundred days of pie: No.6 The Crusty Cob

2017-06-15T15:29:03+01:00July 20th, 2014|

Crusty CobLIFE OF PIES IS NOW ON SALE

Oops sorry I missed a day yesterday, I was sorting out the 16 page photo section you see. In other developments, Mrs Life of Pies (a teacher) is doing a full and thorough final proof read of the book.

This is both good and bad. Good because she’s ripping it to pieces and sorting out all the grammar and punctuation. Bad because she’s ripping it to pieces and […]

97 not out

2014-06-16T07:57:46+01:00June 16th, 2014|

Pie signThe significance of the number 97 has nothing to do with quantity of pie consumption I’m afraid it is a simple tally as to how many advance copies of Life of Pies have been already pre-ordered by some wonderful people.

As the May payday came and went, a significant number of generous people put their hands in the pockets to buy a personalised copy of Life of Pies putting me within touching distance of […]

I just want your expert pies and your…….K’s

2014-05-26T11:11:16+01:00May 26th, 2014|

brookcover2(With apologies to Prince*)

(*In the unlikely event he’s reading)

Now I’ve eaten a LOT of pies in the last two years or so, 400+ in fact but it’s the ones which escape my clutches that eat away at my insides the most. You’ve probably seen the cover of Life of Pies by now, splattered all over this website as it is. 

However, what you’ve not seen is the second choice cover. Indeed, it may end up being […]

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