Are gourmet pies the new food trend?

We’ve had cupcakes, gourmet burgers, meatballs, chicken, slow food, unfashionable meat cuts, macaroons, and even a resurgence in nostalgic desserts like jelly and custard, but are pies the next big thing to warm Irish consumer’s hearts and stomach? Traditionally an English delight,to be enjoyed in the pub with a large ale or West Country cider, pies can be sweet or savoury, though generally consisting of rustic traditional ingredients like gravy, mince, winter veg or game. Pies were once seen as the sole domain of halftime at a football game, but with the emergence of the Pieminister chain, which originated in Bristol, they’ve come to be seen as a gourmet delicacy in their own right. In an Irish context, festival goers have been enjoying homemade pies at the Electric Picnic festival for years, and it’s now part of the very fabric of the September gathering in Stradbally. Though the dish has proved elusive for those who don’t want to get their hands dirty with some pastry, that’s all changing and Ireland’s pie industry seems to be booming.

Last year saw the opening of what we believe to be the country’s first pie eatery, Pieman Café in Temple Bar. Here, in a simple café facing Eamonn Doran's in Crown Alley, you’ll find freshly baked savoury pies with delicious gourmet fillings like slow roast lamb and fresh mint, pork in apple and cider gravy, goan lamb curry and duck with smokey bacon and green lentil. The pieman also offers a selection of sides such as mint peas, gravy and creamy mash. Perfect for winter lunchtimes, pies cost between €6-7, and there are gourmet sandwiches and salads available too.

If you really want that Pieminister experience, it’s more widely available than ever around the country. Aside from large music festivals, the pies can be bought in some Superquinn outlets and speciality food shops like Fallon and Byrne. There’s also a travelling Pieminister stand, which is pitched at weekly lunchtime markets, and all the info on that can be found here.

For a more Irish twist on things, Una’s Pies is a Cork-based company, and recent recipients of a Blas na hEireann award for local food producers. Sold at some farmer’s markets around Cork and Munster by owner Una Martin, the chicken, gubbeen, chorizo and red peppers pie is our fave. All the info on Una’s Pies can be found here.

We included the Pieminister cookbook in our recent Christmas round-up for foodies, if you wish to bake at home, so there are plenty of choices for pie lovers these days. If you’ve never experienced the warm goodness of a pie before, there’s no better time to come onboard and drive this delicious trend into the mainstream.