Venue: Pieminister, 53 Church Street, Manchester. M4 1PD
Date: 18th December 2017
Pie: The Cracker
Pie Temperature: Hot
Rating: 9.2
The Pieminister in Manchester is a popular eatery at the quietest of times so booking was essential for our Christmas visit. There are of course plenty of the usual standard (but very good) pies that can be chosen from the menu, but today was all about Christmas so a selection from the Christmas Menu was predetermined. The Pieminister itself is located on in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, surrounded by up and coming trendy bars, retro clothes shops, the now almost world famous Vinyl Exchange and many other eclectic establishments. Lunching here is a treat not to be missed if you are in the area, but like I’ve said above, it’s best to check ahead to make sure that there is a table or reserve if you want be absolutely sure.
Just a quick word about the staff at the restaurant in Manchester….. they are great, always friendly, always helpful and always polite. Really good customer service.
Onto the pie itself….. So on the Christmas Menu Pictured below, I was sort of spoilt for choice, and I’m thinking I’ll have to pay another visit if I get the opportunity before the Christmas Holidays are over, but in the end I went for The Cracker. A pie of distinction with a filling of British Turkey, Wiltshire Ham, Cranberries, Parsnips and Sherry. Sounds Lip-smacking doesn’t it? Of course, those of you who have frequent Pieminister will know that the story doesn’t end there as there are the “Sides” to add, and today it was pretty clear to me that the only way to go was to go for the Mothership option. This includes Mash, Minty Peas, Crispy Shallots, Grated Cheese and for the Seasonal touch, Turkey Gravy and a generous dollop of Cranberry Sauce. To help wash it all down it had to be a glass of steaming hot spiced Mulled Wine. It’s making my mouth water again just typing up this review!
When the enamel plate arrived, well, as you can see from the pictures, it looked fantastic. Simple, but well presented, a very appetising dish. The pie cut well and the outer pastry was a good crisp crust. The filling was as the menu stated, lots of nice Turkey chunks, some smaller Ham chunks and a smattering of Parsnip chippings in a luscious and velvety Sherry sauce. No seasoning needed here, it was seasoned to perfection. I’d made a good choice. A good choice on the sides too, the Sides complemented the Pie wonderfully. A delicate flavour of Mint to the Peas (some establishments over-Mint their Peas, but not at Pieminister), the Shallots were nice and crunchy, the Cheese a mild flavour, the Mash creamy and smooth, in fact none of the sides over powered the taste of the Pie and the lovely fruit laden Cranberry Sauce really did top off what was a spectacular Christmas combination.
How good was it…… well it passed the Clean Plate test as you can see from the photos. Yes it was delicious, yes I would gladly order one again. But, I think my next visit (fingers crossed before they disappear) will be to sample the Christingle, or maybe the Mistle Moo, or the Deer Santa, or maybe I just need to do all three! Well……..… we all over indulge at Christmas don’t we.
Oh….. and by the way, the Pork Scratchings served with sweet Apple Sauce were very more-ish, and a bit of an indulgence, but on only had one stick…. honest 😉
And with that I’ll wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
HF.
