Pork Pie Year 2010 Review

2010 started with more new pies to sample and it looked as though we were going to beat the bumper year of 2008. However, events and very bad weather towards the end of the year, resulted in a rather poor score of only 29 different pies being sampled, but of this number, 17 were sampled for the very first time. Now we have all the scores in, I can announce our top 5 pies of 2010:

1. Jarold's Deli, sampled on 5^th September
2. Waitrose Large Melton Mowbray, sampled on 2^nd May
3. Pickerings Medium pies, sampled on 24^th October
4. “Butlers Choice” R.A. Cawdron & Son, Stalham, sampled on 1^st August
5. Laurels Farm Butchers, Eye, sampled on 4^th July

Our all time top 5 pies are:

1. Mrs. King’s Melton Mowbray pie sampled on 26^th November 2006
2. M & M Rutland sampled on 29^th April 2007
3. Gloucester Old Spot from Picnic Fare Deli sampled on 11^th May 2008
4. Clarkes Quality Meats, huge pork pie sampled on 26^th July 2009
5. Jarold's Deli, sampled on 5^th September

R.A. Cawdron and Pickering swapping places from last year and Jarolds Deli pie makes it onto our all time top 5, displacing Graves of Briston, sampled on 9^th March 2008. That concludes 2010's pie munching.

Pie Master

Pork Pie Year 2009 Review

2009 was another great pie year, though petering out in the final month, however we sampled 45 different pork pies (counting the two Christmas “novelty” pies)! Trailing the 49 of last year, though of the 43 bona fide pork pies, an incredible 29 were sampled for the very first time. Now we have all the scores in, I can announce our top 5 pies of 2009:

1. Clarkes Quality Meats, huge pork pie sampled on 26^th July
2. Bray's Cottage, "Naked Pie", sampled on 11^th October
3. “Butlers Choice” R.A. Cawdron & Son, Stalham, sampled on 5^th April
4. Pickerings large pies, sampled on 1^st February
5. G. Morris & Sons - Mega pie, sampled on 26^th April

Our all time top 5 pies are:

1. Mrs. King’s Melton Mowbray pie sampled on 26^th November 2006
2. M & M Rutland sampled on 29^th April 2007
3. Gloucester Old Spot from Picnic Fare Deli sampled on 11^th May 2008
4. Clarkes Quality Meats, huge pork pie sampled on 26^th July
5. Graves of Briston, sampled on 9^th March 2008

That’s it for 2009, an excellent pie year, with lots of good pie munching. All it leaves me to do, is wish you a good pie munching New Year. Don’t forget your new year’s resolution to regularly visit the Pork Pie News - we have welcomed 3,758 visitors from 58 nations!

Pie Master

Pork Pie Year 2008 Review

What a cracking pie year 2008 turned out to be – sampling 49 different pork pies (counting the two cheese topped “novelty” pies)! Now we have all the scores in, I can announce our top 5 pies of 2008:

1. Gloucester Old Spot from Picnic Fayre Deli sampled on 11th May
2. Graves of Briston, sampled on 9th March
3. E.E. Pratt & Co., Drayton, sampled on 27th April
4. Hewitt's, Mattishall, small pies, sampled on 8th June
5. Dickinson & Morris of Melton Mowbray, sampled on 6th April

Our all time top 5 pies are:

1. Mrs. King’s Melton Mowbray pie sampled on 26th November 2006
2. M & M Rutland sampled on 29th April 2007
3. Gloucester Old Spot from Picnic Fare Deli sampled on 11th May
4. Graves of Briston, sampled on 9th March
5. Tavern Tasty Meats from the Sausage Shop, sampled on 18th November 2007

That’s it for 2008, an excellent pie year, with two of the tastings making it to the All Time Greats. All it leaves me to do is wish you a good pie munching New Year.

Pie Master

Independent “Ten Best Pork Pies”

The Independent published their “Ten Best Pork Pies” today, you can view it online by clicking here. They review Dickinson and Morris, Marks & Spencer - who we do not rate, but they put them above Bray's, who we do rate. Also further down the table are Mrs. King's who we rate as number 1 and Walkers fluted pie also makes it onto the list. Their number one pie was from Walter Smith's, this was reported to be one of the world's leading delicacies on the 4th September, last year.

Pork Pie Year 2007 Review

Now we have all the scores in, I can announce our top 5 pies of 2007:

1. M & M Rutland sampled on 29th April
2. Tavern Tasty Meats from the Sausage Shop, Holt, sampled on 18th November
3. P&S Butchers, Holt, sampled on 12th August
4. Massingham Brothers, Hoveton, sampled on 3rd June
5. Brays from the Prefect Pie Company, sampled on 8th July

Our all time top 5 pies are:

1. Mrs. King’s Melton Mowbray pie sampled on 26th November 2006
2. M & M Rutland sampled on 29th April
3. Tavern Tasty Meats from the Sausage Shop, Holt, sampled on 18th November
4. P&S Butchers, Holt, sampled on 12th August
5. Massingham Brothers, Hoveton, sampled on 3rd June

So an excellent pie year, with four of the tastings making it to the All Time Greats list, but non toppling Mrs. King.

Pie Master

M and M Rutland Butchers

Gelderston was the location to try these fine pork pies that Paul had purchased from M & M Rutland Butchers, in an attempt to provide the best pork pie. Not only had he chosen to source his pies from a quality butcher, he had an accomplice in Liz - he'd bought them frozen & Liz had cooked them just hours before they were sampled for optimum freshness... it paid off, for these pies with a little onion marmalade came in with a stonking score of 9.28571 with a standard deviation of 0.56695. This gives M & M Rutland a normalised score of 9.5, the same as Mrs. King but she had a lower standard deviation and higher native score, so appropriately, retains her crown.

Pork Pie Year 2006 Review

Now we have all the scores in, I can announce our top 5 pies of 2006:

1. Mrs. King’s Melton Mowbray pie sampled on 26th November
2. Dickinson & Morris Melton Mowbray pie sampled on 3rd September
3. Hempnall Butchers sampled on 27th August
4. Cley Deli pork pie sampled on 26th November
5. Jarrold’s Deli pie sampled on 29th October

A great pie munching year!

Pie Master

Mrs. King's (since 1853) and Cley Deli

Hardingham was the location of Sunday's pie festival: Charles, the former Pie Master, had sourced a huge Melton Mowbray pork pie from the Borough Market, London made by Mrs Elizabeth King Ltd, a member of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association. This fantastic pie scored a whopping 9.5, with a low standard deviation of 0.31623, propelling it straight to the top of the league table. A hard act to follow, but Manola did us proud with a pork pie from the Picnic Fayre Deli at Cley next the Sea. The pie filling was almost Paté like and very tasty. This pie scored highly with a score of 8.5 also with a low standard deviation of 0.31623, quite an achievement, following on from Mrs. King's.