The family and I visited Chatsworth Christmas Market on Saturday 17th November and as always I was looking forward to seeing what pie companies were there selling the wares. The market itself has a great mix of vendors selling everything from food & drink to great Christmas gifts. From where I live it’s an hour and a half drive but well worth it as the venue is well laid out, managed and much nicer than the manic Manchester Christmas Markets.
The great news was there were 4 pie companies selling their produce –
- The Great North Pie Company
- Bloomers of Bakewell
- Flavours
- Shirley’s Pies
All the pie companies at the market had a range of different pies on display and available to purchase, all looking mouth-wateringly good, however the pies that caught our eyes were the pies form the Great North Pie Company. I think it was the uniformity of the pies with their straight sides about three fingers deep and the simple way they were displayed.
On offer were a selection of 4 pies –
- Swaledale Beef Mince & Onion
- Roast Chicken & Ham
- Classic Lancashire Cheese & Onion
- Spinach & Cheese
We purchased the Roast Chicken & Ham and the Spinach & Cheese Pies.
That evening, ensuring I followed the cooking instructions to the letter I had the slow roast chicken and baked ham pie (with white wine and cream, ginger, nutmeg, lemon juice & zest, tarragon, parsley, fennel & poppy seeds) for my tea (dinner if you live in the south) with of course mash potatoes and well I have to say, it was fantastic. A really, really great tasting pie packed full of flavour. What also stood out for me was the pastry, it was thin and light and kept the pie together when I cut it, one of the best I’ve had.
Not wanting to be pied out I couldn’t wait to try the Spinach & Cheese pie (with pressed spinach, white cheshire cheese, white sauce, star anise, black & white sesame seeds), which I duly did a couple of days later and it didn’t disappoint. The pastry was again consistent and the filling was again full of flavour and quality ingredients.
I appreciate I have focused on the Great North Pie Company, but like I said above all the pies looked great, so please take time to visit all the pie companies web sites mentioned. You can find more information on how these company’s came to be, their products, the ingredients they use, their awards and feedback and of course order their pies direct on-line. It’s really worth a look. This is what I’ll being doing over the coming weeks.
Finally, just a bit of drum banging…… We really do need to continue to support our local pie makers and our local produce in general. If we don’t, we will lose them for ever, which would be a real shame. So why don’t you give your self a little New Year Resolution and give your local pie maker a try, then give them a mention and spread the word.
TE.
@greatnorthpieco @chatsworthhouse
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