The Art of Pie

British Pies

“Artisan”, defined as “a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand.”. So, when I approached the Artisan Bakers in Clitheroe, I immediately knew that the pies would be handcrafted by a skilled baker.  The small shop opened in September 2020, quite a brave move in the middle of the …

A Pie Odyssey

British Pies

As it’s British Pie Week I decided I was going to “Zipping up my boots, I’m going back to my roots” and take myself off to Wildblood’s of Norden. Wildblood’s, an independent butcher, opened on Edenfield Road in July 2006 and recently moving premises to the site of the former post office which enabled an …

Lodgeside Loveliness

British Pies

We’ve all done a fair amount of walking over the last year and one of the areas I’ve been rediscovering is near the site of the famous Deeply Vale Pop Festivals of the late 1970s.  I remember in 1976 the rain turned the valley into a muddy quagmire and this was exactly how the ground …

WYSIWYG Pie

British Pies

Storm Christoph may have been battering the North West and Wales but I still felt the need, within Pandemic guidelines of course, to venture out and support a local business (and my appetite).  Little did I know at the time but Storm Christoph also arrived on what is sometimes referred to as Blue Monday.  The …

Brace yourself for a Treat

British Pies

Threlkeld, near Keswick, is for many people the starting point for an amble up Blencathra or Clough Head and then a few drinks in the handful of pubs after the descent, but it is also home to The Pie Mill. I had been reading their history and was drawn to the fact that “The Pie …

Pie Porterage Please

British Pies

Well, that oft quoted saying, “I’ll be back” was made when I last visited Roy Porters Butchers at Chatburn near Clitheroe, and true to my word I managed a trip up there just this last week.  It’s not necessary to describe the directions to Roy Porters – all you have to do is get to …

Like Grandma Used To Make

British Pies

I’ve been able to spend a bit of time in North Yorkshire before the ‘tiers’ of the COVID clown enforced more essential movement restrictions.  Great Ayton, a small village just north of Stokesley and just south of Middlesbrough was my base for exploring.  A village with two butchers! One, Stokesley Butchers, had provided my lunch …

Jet Setting

British Pies

The only mistake I made was to have a starter. That was very apparent as soon as my main course arrived “Jet’s Steak and Kidney Pie”. There was enough to feed me for a couple of days and every bit of it looked (and tasted) magnificent! The Jet Miners Inn is in the village of …