Our individual speciality steak pie
OUR STEAK PIES ARE..
- THE FULL DESCRIPTION...
With meticulous attention to detail and several years of tweaks from customer feed back ,we have enthusiastically developed our pie into what it is today. The aim to produce the best gastronomic experience that can be delivered by a pie. You only need to read the testimonials to understand how well they are received. They are wholesomely made and are “Pies without compromise” in any aspect of their creation... all little masterpieces purposely fashioned to delight every time! Packed full of the leanest matured steak expertly butchered by hand , complimented by our perfectly balanced and seasoned gravy. All encased in a thin crisp pastry which is not just a carrier but adds to the total experience. You have heard of “ Urban Street food” from all parts of the world. We offer you.... “Pastoral food ...of Yorkshire”.
THE BLUE PRINT FOR OUR PIE
The pastry is initially crisp to the bite with a light chewy texture to follow. Then it gives a sweet note to the palate. This pastry has been very carefully...almost engineered to deliver exactly this experience. We use a secret blend of three flours all with specific jobs to do!
Consider this....the pastry is where a large percentage of a pie’s calories are. If the pastry was half the thickness would the pie be lower in calories too? Indeed where the pastry is not, it could also be said there is more filling. If the filling was pure unadulterated lean steak that would be a bonus too!
Our pies have to be hand filled because the steak cubes are non uniform in size and shape. The butchers cut the cube to suit and make best use of the particular muscle being trimmed. Each hand full can be felt through a thin glove and metered to ensure each pie gets its fair share of steak. Not squirted or spooned in by a mechanical filler!
The steak we use is the very finest and hand cubed and trimmed so we can be confident there is nothing in there we would not like to eat ourselves. When trimming our steak the butchers take considerably longer than any industry standard to ensure it is to our expectation. Not simply put through a mechanical cuber as mass produced products are.
The finest steak is slowly cooked in the actual gravy as you would do at home. Again secrets are held at this part of the creation. But the gravy is such to balance perfectly with the steak not over powering its flavour but enhancing it. The consistency has been honed so it can be eaten hot in the hand without it running down your arm. But equally providing succulence and depth of flavour to the overall experience. The gravy also delivers a slight kick at the finish from our carefully adjusted seasoning.
These are in every sense of the word a steak pie. Unlike the pies you sometimes get, which we would describe as a gravy parcel. With a token piece of meat to keep trading standards happy and the maker’s profits maximized!
The pastry takes on a healthy golden hue. This is the natural cooked colour from the ingredients that we use. It is not derived from a chemically formulated glaze which adds artificial colour to an otherwise insipid looking pastry!
Notice the fine thin and crisp pastry. This is purposely made as thin as absolutely possible and was very difficult to achieve. In fact if you observe our pies closely they are on the cusp of cracking in two on the pies shoulder. Yes we go to the limit!
Notice the sheen - this is from our carefully sourced natural and organic corn based glaze. Just as you would aim for a shine from egg or milk, not only without obvious pathogens but allows us to tick the dairy free box too. It also enabling you to freeze the fresh pies at home with no worries of dairy products.
Jelly-less pork pie
- THE FULL DESCRIPTION...
We are not pig farmers and have over the past few years spent hours explaining to potential customers that our well-known steak pies are not pork pies!
For those with their hearts set on a pork pie we have always steered them in the direction of other sellers who in our opinion have had the best available at that particular event.
Not any more .....purely due to repeated customer request “ can’t you make a pork pie in your pastry?”…. we have now developed our jelly-less pork pie.
Starting from base and using only the best British pork, we have experimented to get the seasoned minced pork filling just right. With jelly or without and with more meat in! Crucial tweaks to the content of lard in the pastry, cooking temperatures and speed of bake, they do make a difference !.... All with the help of our regular steak pie customers feed back at events .
With the same attention to detail as applied to all our products, we believe we have just revamped and modernised the pork pie, to make it the most delicious pork pie you’ve ever tasted!
Gourmet pork pies
Menu
Our beautifully seasoned British Pork meat blend of shoulder and belly. Ground to a medium mince to show the quality of our meat. The pastry case is almost filled, except to allow A sliced “disc” of premium Black pudding to be nestled on the top before the pie lid encapsulates it.
"Fresh British pork seasoned to perfection and a chunky apple sauce in the top to finish, a wonderful classic combination.
If you can not resist! and are eating them hot just be careful the apple can still be piping. “patience" its a wonderful virtue."
Blue cheeses are an acquired taste for some! This pie, however, is not overpowered by the cheese just a nice tang. They are sometimes purchased by customers that initially tell us they don't like Stilton. Only after being persuaded to try a little do they succumb. They are filled with our default Pork meat recipe. Then currently a Long Clawson Stilton (can change) gently crumbled on top before the pastry lid is placed on. The cheese melts while cooking and just adds an additional depth to the pie's flavour.
For this masterpiece we procure finest Chorizo sausage it is then skinned and finely diced to the size of a garden pea. This is then incorporated into the seasoned pork meat recipe. The pie case is then filled to capacity with the pork and chorizo and sealed with a hand-crimped lid. When one slices through this delight the chorizo is distributed through the pie like little spangles of deliciousness.
Into our freshly made pastry shell, we firstly add a spoonful of a tangy ploughman pickle. Enough to cover the base. We then add a sprinkling of grated full flavour cheddar cheese. The pie is then filled with our lean minced pork and then lidded. We found the pickle is contained in the bottom of the pie if placed on the top because of its sugar content it bubbles and burns as the pie is baked.
Our lean blend of minced Shoulder and Belly pork is seasoned then we mix in finely chopped fresh red chilli through the whole lot . The chilli quantity is very carefully balanced to ensure a good kick but without being silly hot. The heat recedes off the palate in seconds not minutes. You do need to brace yourself for the chilli!
A traditional match of flavours. Under the lid just deep enough to be a moist layer of sage and onion stuffing with our lean pork hidden beneath. In the run-up to Christmas this recipe is always very popular. I think of them as a lighter eat option the stuffing certainly does not lay heavy.
Nova Scotia Farm, Bramham Road, Thorner, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS14 3ET
