Venue: The Peach Tree Restaurant, 18-21 Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury. SY2 6AE
Date: 28th June 2017
Pie: Beef & Onion Pie
Rating: 8.3
The Peach Tree Restaurant is situated just outside the centre of Shrewsbury near the English Bridge and on this occasion was a bit of a random choice as I as unable to park near the place I’d planned to eat this evening. Fortunately the Peach Tree turned out to be a very pleasant alternative and while I was stood outside trying to decide if I should eat there I noticed an entry on the menu entitled “Pie of the Day”, so decision made and I was sat at my table a few moments later.
The Pie of the Day I was informed was Beef & Onion and I enquired if the pie was made on premise or bought in from a local bakery. The waitress scooted off and returned a few minutes later with the proclamation “It’s made in house by the Chef”. Good start I thought and ordered. When the pie arrived, served with a large pot of twice cooked chips and a selection of vegetables I was pleasantly surprised by the size and wondered if I’d be able to eat the whole dish. Now, before I get into the review of the pie itself I have to state that what was delivered was not a Beef & Onion pie, it was in fact a Beef & Vegetable pie as I found out when I tucked into my first mouthful, so I was a little disappointed, but only a little.
The pie itself was very pleasing to the eye, with a fluted edge and a glazed lid which had been coated with egg and milk, it was large and oval in shape. The short crust pastry was light and crisp on the lid, firm on the sides and bottom, not a soggy bottomed affair at all, it was really well cooked. The pastry case was about 3mm thick. Once I’d cut into the pie I found it to be filled to the brim, with a rich mid brown gravy, lean beef chunks (plenty of them) and a few slivers of onion, but also some chunks of Carrot and Swede. I would say that the beef to veg ratio was 50/50 so not too bad, although as I say, I was expecting it to be just Beef & Onion as the waitress had described.
The filling was tasty, but could have done with a little more seasoning for my liking and if it weren’t for the pastry case would have been a reasonable portion of beef and veg stew. The amount of gravy in the filling was just right for the amount of pastry and ensured that each bite was mouth-watering and not dry and gaggy at all.
Overall I would say this was a pleasant and tasty pie, even though it wasn’t as verbally described. I enjoyed the meal, eating all the pie but having to leave some of the very chunky and very more-ish chips. Would I order it again? Yes, it was a nicely baked pie with a filling that didn’t disappoint. I’ll definitely try the Pie of the Day again at the Peach Tree, but will double check on the description in future 😉
HF.
