The Fat Dad’s Football Camp Holiday Gift Exchange Club

2019-12-07T13:52:43+00:00December 7th, 2019|

Let me set the scene here. I’ve no idea how it started but a bunch of us play football on a Thursday night. Somebody, somewhere at one point decided to bring home something for a few of the lads from their holiday. I can’t remember whether it was a stick of salami, a strong beer or a bottle of olive oil, but I think it’s fair to say, things have escalated somewhat ever since.

Reindeer meat, absinthe, napalm like chilli sauces, double digit beers and imperial stouts. Fine wines and spirits, tequila with worms in them, souvlaki and bruschetta mix, the […]

2019-03-24T14:56:43+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 […]

Living the dream as a Pie Judge

2018-03-09T13:35:36+00:00March 9th, 2018|

I’ve written at length in the past about pies, reviewed pies, looked at particular types of pies, or pies by area and I write about loads of other stuff too but then you’ll have to go elsewhere for that as this blog is solely about pies.

I’ve also bemoaned certain events, some but not all which were out of my control but essentially resulted in my decision to write a book about pies into something of a mini-disaster.

Still, I wrote a book about pies which is what I set out to do and nobody can take that away from me. Moreover, […]

Free postage on Life of Pies – the ideal pie based Xmas gift!

2017-11-24T17:20:48+00:00November 24th, 2017|

It’s Black Friday and soon enough Christmas is coming and the pie eater is getting fat as they say. The nights are drawing in and you’ll be needing a good book to read. Well, I can’t promise that, but I can promise you the opportunity to get hold of a copy of the Life of Pies for just £9.99 including FREE POSTAGE for a limited time.

So if you’re looking for a birthday gift or Christmas present for the pie lover in your life, and your budget is, let’s say £10, then Life of Pies could be the answer. Containing 388 […]

Taylor Made!

2017-10-17T17:42:00+01:00October 17th, 2017|

It’s time for the latest episode of my “pies which didn’t make it into the book (and probably deserved to)” series and today I’m sampling the pies from Derby House, or rather Taylor’s Farm Shop near Ormskirk, West Lancashire.

For all the pies I tried during the making of Life of Pies (copies still available here etc etc http://www.lifeofpies.co.uk/buy) I never visited my local farm shop, so it’s time to rectify that and dive back in on the pie trail.

Derby House is a place where the well-heeled “ladies do lunch” in the heart of rural (rich) West Lancashire, just a […]

The greatest show on earth!!

2017-08-20T14:38:29+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 […]

A festival of pies!

2017-10-12T15:42:52+01:00July 25th, 2017|

It’s not often I get a gig to go to. Even when I do it tends to fall through, like the unfortunate incident over the cancelled BBC Documentary. There are numerous events in the pie calendar that simply cannot be missed however and this year’s PIE FEST in Melton Mowbray is definitely one of them.

It’s quite telling that even in Wigan, the local council have never ever attempted anything so ambitious. Of course, we have the annual World Pie Eating Championships but a fine foodie weekend in Melton Mowbray offers up a whole host of cultural pie related entertainment.

At this […]

Shed Heaven

2017-11-28T13:53:23+00:00July 11th, 2017|

It happens once maybe twice a year, when the time comes to empty my shed, usually quickly followed by a tip to the trip and whacking a load of stuff on eBay. Unfortunately, I also uncovered a whole stack of boxes of books. Pie books, the bane of my life.

I’ll be honest, I’ve done very little in the past year to do anything about this. Having two young children has rendered it somewhat impossible to engage on any kind of marketing campaign. Like most authors, I wrote the book and thought […]

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 […]

A festive treat for a pie lover!

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

piebookLooking 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

2017-06-15T15:29:11+01:00November 1st, 2015|

muffinmanAt 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 […]

How not to write a book

2015-10-25T15:47:34+00:00October 25th, 2015|

piesresetIt’s just over 12 months to the day since I launched my self-published epic Life of Pies and I’d be lying if I said things had gone exactly to plan. I’ve not had the best year to be perfectly frank, in fact in a literary sense, it has been something of an unmitigated disaster. 

[…]

Put a DUNK on it!

2017-06-15T15:29:11+01:00September 27th, 2015|

dunkleys1It was a sunny, summer’s day when I found myself at the Table Table chain in the Stone Cross pub near Haydock. It was actually the same day as when I last updated the blog and I had already polished off a Greens Cheese and Onion pie for lunch yet as I found myself perusing the menu, I uncovered a fine selection of Dunkleys pies to be on offer.

Now me […]

Back on the pie trail: Greens Cheese & Onion

2015-07-08T22:44:12+01:00July 8th, 2015|

greenscheese1A familiar establishment but a pie I’ve never tried before from there. It’s a cheese and onion pie from Greens which I think cost around £1.50.

If I’m honest, I didn’t taste and review anything like enough cheese and onion pies during the making of Life of Pies. The main reason for this being, I love meat! Ahem. Indeed, who doesn’t love meat?? Yes, OK thanks – vegetarians! They don’t.

The pie is of a hefty size […]

One hundred days of pie – No.49 Burchalls of St Helens

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

burchalls1‘Tis a shameful admission but I worked in St Helens for three years and parked up around the back of this place with no knowledge it was actually there. But maybe that’s a deliberate thing, as it is an understated institution where the locals furtively enter with a knowing nod. 

Even as you walk past, it can be difficult to ascertain that there are top notch pastry products being served up in here as it is […]

©The Life Of Pies | All Rights Reserved
Design by
Go to Top