pastry

Freed From Desire

jimmy2020-02-26T14:05:37+00:00February 26th, 2020|

You don’t get much in this life for free, or so they say. They also say that you get what you pay for. Whoever “they” are that is.

Anyway, I’ve developed a morbid fascination with the whoopsie aisle at Asda. I’ve never worked out whether it is because we, as a country are in a sad state of affairs, or people just like a bargain but there’s always a scrum of people hanging around waiting for the next cheap deal.

Personally, I’m not on the breadline but neither am I a millionaire, still waiting for the book to go global, six years […]

jimmy2019-03-24T14:56:43+00:00March 24th, 2019|

It’s been a while, I actually did this review at Christmas but only just managed to plonk it on the site. Anyway, here goes….

Like I need more food to eat over Christmas. But I suppose it’s a pleasant change from the mountain of cheese and pate I’m currently wading through.

Purchased from THEE ALDI at a price of, hang on, *checks receipts*, £1.79, I bought it because I had not seen it before and I fancied […]

Red Hot Pie Action: The Will Grigg pie

jimmy2018-03-17T18:43:25+00:00March 17th, 2018|

As many readers know I’m a Wiganer as well as a pie lover, and let’s face it, the two normally go hand in hand anyway. Following Wigan Athletic’s remarkable run to the quarter final of the FA Cup, the Rolling Pin Bakery in Wigan decided to produce a one off pie to celebrate our centre forward’s goal scoring feats.

Without further ado, your roving reporter, who is technically on a diet, thought it best to go and check it out in the interests of research.

The Will Grigg pie contains chicken, chorizo (pronounced CHH-orizo NOT Kor-izo eh Pie at Night lads?) and […]

The greatest show on earth!!

jimmy2017-08-20T14:38:29+01:00August 20th, 2017|

It’s taken me a few weeks to catch up following my trip to Melton Mowbray but yes PIE FEST is really a thing, and it really is a festival of PIES!!

I was kindly invited there on the Sunday to talk about my book and my exploits whilst writing it, along with my experiences of pie traditions up and down the country and what I like to see in a good pie.

It was great to speak in front of close to 100 attentive people in the Pie Theatre and following my talk, I set up stall and managed to sell a […]

The Top Ten Pies in Wigan

admin2017-06-15T15:29:11+01:00February 7th, 2016|

piebarm Welcome 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 […]

A festive treat for a pie lover!

admin2015-12-03T15:03:47+00:00December 3rd, 2015|

piebook Looking for a literary treat for the pie lover in your life? Well, look no further as “Life of Pies” can fulfil your needs….

What’s it all about then?

[…]

Muffin Tops

admin2017-06-15T15:29:11+01:00November 1st, 2015|

muffinman At least I’ve finally got the answer to a question posed right at the beginning of Life of Pies, namely – when a pie shop sells a small and large meat and potato pie, why on earth would anyone order a small one?

The answer of course is that the large ones have run out….

And speaking of going right back to the start, the Muffin Man was one of the first places I visited when commencing […]

One hundred days of pie: No.7 The French Oven

admin2017-06-15T15:29:03+01:00July 20th, 2014|

Frenchoven1 LIFE OF PIES IS ON SALE NOW

Time for a Minced Beef and Mushy Peas Pie!

Yes you read that right! It’s not a minced beef pie with mushy peas – it’s a minced beef and mushy peas pie. The mushy peas are on the inside. I bumped into one of the FC United lads on the train home one day last week, Ste Wood who regaled me with some of the gastronomic treats he has encountered […]

One hundred days of pie: No.2 Deacons Game Pie

admin2017-06-15T15:29:03+01:00July 13th, 2014|

deacons1 Good game! Good game! As a wig wearing light entertainment host might say. But what is good game. Indeed what is game? Why is it called game? It’s a bit of a silly name really isn’t it?

We don’t call fish “match” or poultry “competition” do we?

[…]

One hundred days of pie: No.1 Rounds of Preston

admin2014-07-13T15:13:36+01:00July 13th, 2014|

roundspie 100 DAYS OF PIE: THE FIRST ENTRY. NB THE BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE

If you’re up to date with my pie based excursions you’ll be aware that Life of Pies – the inaugural book of pastry based adventure will shortly be on its way to the printers. Given that printing take 3 months and there’s another week or so of proof reading and finalising before releasing this beast, I reckon it’s around about 100 days away.

Does […]

97 not out

admin2014-06-16T07:57:46+01:00June 16th, 2014|

Pie sign The 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 […]

You CAN judge a book by it’s cover

admin2014-03-30T10:21:26+01:00March 30th, 2014|

pieminstershamrock Yes, you can; because sometimes it’s perfectly self explanatory. I’ve spent several weeks poring over the various ideas, thoughts and combinations before getting to this stage and it’s safe to say that I’m delighted with the outcome.

There were funnier ideas and indeed more obscure or abstract ones but ultimately this cover reflects the nature of the mission down to a tee and spells out exactly what it does on the tin.

Blooming great dishes are Wales

admin2014-02-23T21:15:55+00:00February 23rd, 2014|

hambonefull April 2012

You’ve never known bad luck until you’ve been stood behind a man with a peregrine falcon perched on his shoulder and he buys the last pie in the shop. Never mind, in Conwy there’s always somewhere else nearby as the Welsh are partial to indulge in an oggy. I said OGGY!!

[…]

I love it when a plan comes together……

admin2014-02-09T10:01:42+00:00February 9th, 2014|

Westwells1 And it is doing (sort of)….

I spent today sifting through nearly 1,500 photos of pies and pastries I have consumed in an attempt to whittle it down to a publishable printed selection.

In a desperate attempt to drum up interest in the book prior to pre-launch, I’ll be banging a few of these photos online in rough chronological order to whet your appetite over the next few weeks.

[…]

My kingdom for a horse

admin2014-01-19T11:16:58+00:00January 19th, 2014|

Horsey horsey So finally, after eating twice the number of pies I had originally planned I bring my mission to a close.

It started on a Friday in January with a trip to Hampsons in Knutsford and me waving a knife about in my car passenger seat to chop up a meat and potato and ended with me sat in a Pie & Ale House in Manchester eating a Horse Pie almost two years […]

Christmas markets pie hunting

admin2013-12-21T14:36:06+00:00December 21st, 2013|

xmasmarkets1 Unlike Mariah Carey, all I want for Christmas is to go to Newcastle. It is my last port of call before shutting down the book. I have it all planned out with military precision exactly where I need to go and what I will have at what time. Alas, I’ve been unable to find a day to do it in so I consoled myself last night with a beer or two in the German Christmas […]