After a long day out walking on the Howgill Fells I found myself in the Dalesman Country Inn at Sedburgh where it would have been remiss of me not to sample the local home made pie and cask ale.
I opted for the grandly titled “Dalesman’s Short Crusted ‘Steak in Real Beer Pie’” – which is described as encased cuts of ground and diced steak, chunks of Montgomery cheddar with roasted root vegetables. All served with a side float of rich pan gravy.
The pastry was solid, but not brittle and cut easily with the knife, to reveal a fully filled interior. The meat was succulent and there was no dryness. The cheese addition had intrigued me – but it worked well – not overpowering the meat and taste, but rather adding a gentle subtly to the flavour. And the root vegetables – in this case small chunks of carrot made this pie almost a meal on its own.
After a hard days walking this was definitely the right choice and the next time I’m back in the Howgills I’ll make a bee line to sample the Dalemans other pies.
A very solid 8.6
MH.
