November 8, 2007
Mad About Pies
I couldn't possibly leave England without writing about pies. I love eating pies and it's one of the items of English pub-grub I really enjoy. A hot pie made with shortcrust pastry (any other pastry just doesn't do it for me) filled with succulent meat and/or stewed vegetables is such a treat on a cold day. I like my pies served with gravy and mashed peas. As you may have expected, I have eaten a lot of pies in the time I've been in the UK. Such an indulgence that doesn't help in my expanding girth, but nevermind.
I was at Hampton Court Palace and was listening to the audio guide about pies in the Tudor period. Back in the those days (1500s), the pastry was really just used as a pot. They didn't have many pots and pans back then, so the pastry was used as a container to cook the meat in. After the meat was cooked, the Tudors would have taken the lid off and used the rest of the pastry as a bowl from which they would have eaten the meat from.
Pies are one of the food items I'll miss when I leave the UK. I haven't quite found a good pie place in Singapore! Foodie friends in Singapore, if you're reading this, please keep a lookout for good pie places for me!
Posted by DSD at November 8, 2007 1:39 PM