Pie-making and pie-eating for British Pie Week

Welcome to British Pie Week, which runs from March 2-8. Great Food Club’s HQ is in Britain’s Pie Capital – Melton Mowbray – so we couldn’t let this event pass us by without focusing on the art of pie-making and showcasing some excellent local pie-makers.


How to make your own Melton Mowbray pork pie

First, here’s an excellent step-by-step Melton Mowbray pie recipe from Stephen Hallam of Dickinson & Morris’s Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe in Melton Mowbray. For anyone looking to bake their own pie at home, this article provides everything you need, including cookery tips alongside the recipe, and a brief history of Melton Mowbray’s most famous product.

Stephen Hallam of Dickinson & Morris

Bray’s Cottage of Norfolk – perfect pies by post

Bray’s Cottage pork pies are some of the tastiest we’ve tried

Bray’s Cottage of Norfolk bakes some of the tastiest pies we’ve tried. Sarah Pettegree and her team hand-make these wonders using best-quality pork, a little cured bacon to provide a distinctive smokey note, and a special array of hand-mixed herbs and spices. All this is encased inside a hot-water crust pastry that attracts attention from far and wide. What’s more, you can order Bray’s Cottage pies by post – and ask for a special message to appear on the pastry. It’s the perfect gift for the pie-lover in your life. No wonder Country Life Magazine described Bray’s Cottage as ‘Norfolk’s best-kept secret’.

If you order a Bray’s Cottage pie during British Pie Week you can get 10% off using the code GFCBRAYS when ordering here (valid until March 8, 2020).


Luxurious pies handmade in Rutland

Hambletons of Oakham – a finalist in the Great Food Club Awards 2020 – make stunning pies, from fruit-topped game pies to classic Melton Mowbray pork pies. To see them in all their glory, visit one of Hambletons’ outlets. The newest is at Gates Farm Shop in Cold Overton, Rutland. However, they also have shops at Beckworth Emporium near Mears Ashby in Northamptonshire, at Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire, and at Johnsons Garden Centre near Boston. All Hambletons pies are hand-made and baked in small batches, using extra shortcrust pastry.

The pork pies Hambletons are entering into the 2020 British Pie Awards

Take a pie-making workshop in Melton Mowbray

Winner of ‘Best Activity’ in the Leicestershire Tourism & Hospitality Awards, Brockleby’s pie-making workshops in Melton Mowbray are perfect for anyone who loves cooking. There are two options: a three-hour ‘Ultimate Workshop’ or a one-hour ‘Pie-Making Experience’.

The ‘Ultimate’ (£55 for one person or £100 for two) gives you everything you need to know to make Melton Mowbray pies like a pro. You’ll be taken through the whole process, starting with hot-water pastry and finishing with the gelatine. Afterwards, you’ll enjoy a ploughman’s lunch or afternoon tea.

The ‘Experience’ (£25 for one person or £40 per two) includes a talk on the history of the Melton Mowbray pork pie, a bakery tour, and a hands-on pork pie making session.

You can get 10% off either the Ultimate Workshops or Pie Making Experiences using the code GREATFOODCLUB when you book online here. This code is valid until the end of March 2020.

Brockleby’s Melton Mowbray Pork Pie

We hope you enjoy British Pie Week! To view Great Food Club’s recommendations for great independent restaurants, pubs, food shops and producers (including pie-makers!), use the search function here.

To join Great Food Club and receive our 132-page members’ handbook and cash-saving membership card, click here.

The author:

Matt lives in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. He is passionate about the independent food & drink sector and founded Great Food Club in 2010 after being inspired by local producers near his home town.