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Celebrating British Pie Week

Slicing into the bronzed crust of a generously filled, piping-hot, homemade pie, releasing its delicious aroma, is such a homely pleasure, especially given the variety offered by this humble treat.

Ancient Romans are believed to have been the first to enclose a filling inside a pastry-style mix of flour and oil, and the first published pie recipe saw rye dough filled with goat’s cheese and honey.

The pies we know and love have their roots in Northern Europe when butter and lard were used to create a pastry that could be rolled and moulded. The word ‘pie’ is said to derive from ‘magpie’ for the birds’ habit of collecting random bits and bobs, as early pies contained parts of different animals.

In the twelfth century, pies became a popular, cheap alternative to taking live animals on sea voyages to provide food for the crew, who discarded the empty pastry crust encasing the meat. Pies were meat-filled until the late-sixteenth century when Queen Elizabeth I