Why the pie deserves to be Britain's national dish.

As the founder of Yorkshire Handmade Pies, my interest in pies goes far beyond just making and selling them. Since starting the business in 2020, I’ve developed something of an obsession with the history of pies and a fascination with the pie’s place in British culture.

Why are pies an important part of the UK’s history and diet?

We’ve been eating pies in Britain for a long time. A very long time! There are written references to pies dating from as far back as the 1300s, but it’s likely we’ve been eating them in various forms for even longer. From those working the land all the way up to the aristocracy and royalty, pies have been used as a convenient and highly adaptable food that provided a highly nutritious and filling meal.

 

Why does the pie deserve to be Britain’s national dish?

Whilst Britain has been the birthplace of many great dishes, we believe the pie deserves much greater recognition for its longstanding place in British culture and cuisine.

To appreciate how important pies have been to Britain, you only have to look at how many literary references to pies there are throughout history, appearing in everything from Shakespeare to Harry Potter!

As well as feeding our stomachs, pies feed our souls. We’ve all got our own special pie memory, whether it’s eating a hot pie on the football terraces on a cold winter Saturday afternoon, or going round to Granny’s house on a Sunday and eating her special apple pie.

Not only have pies been important to individuals, but also to different regions of Britain. Many regions of Britain hold claim to their own speciality pie. From the Cornish stargazy pie to the lavish Yorkshire Christmas pie, pies have showcased regional ingredients and culture like no other food.

 

What makes Yorkshire Handmade Pies better than other online pies businesses?

Yorkshire Handmade Pies produces pies that honour the traditions and heritage of the pie in Britain. This starts with proper ingredients. Locally sourced grass-fed beef, herb fed chicken as well as locally brewed beer are just a few of the quality ingredients that are used to produce pies that burst with flavour.

But great ingredients are only the first step. How the pies are made is just important and this is where Yorkshire Handmade Pies excels. Fillings are slow cooked for several hours with fresh herbs and vegetables. The pastry is made using traditional techniques and real butter. Once assembled, every pie is hand-glazed and topped with its own unique topping before being quickly blast frozen to lock in every bit of flavour and nutrition.

Every part of Yorkshire Handmade Pies process is designed with one thing. Giving its customers an exceptional pie eating experience, every time.

But the attention to detail doesn’t stop there. As well as making outstanding quality pies, Yorkshire Handmade Pies also ensures customers receive their pies in perfect condition. Pies are packaged to arrive perfectly, using specially formulated temperature controlled packaging. Most orders are sent out within 24 hours of being placed and received on next day delivery.

Yorkshire Handmade Pies delivery record is highly reliable, with over 99% of orders delivered within 3 days of being placed.

And customer service is where Yorkshire Handmade Pies really excels. A whole team of dedicated customer service advisors are employed to ensure any issues with orders are dealt with quickly and effectively. Whether customers want to get in touch by email, live chat or by phone, Yorkshire Handmade Pies makes it extremely easy for customers to get in touch with any issues, queries or concerns.

Why does customer service matter to Yorkshire Handmade Pies?

Many businesses are happy to take customer’s money, but less eager to engage if customers need help. At Yorkshire Handmade Pies, customer service is a number one priority. Customers can be reassured that they will always be able to speak to a human being as quickly as possible should they need to for any reason. Yorkshire Handmade Pies believes that customers come first and that it has a responsibility to ensure the customer gets the best service possible when buying from the company.

Yorkshire Handmade Pies is confident it offers the best customer service of any online pie company in the UK and it is an area the business is always looking to improve on.

Why is Yorkshire important to Yorkshire Handmade Pies?

Yorkshire Handmade Pies has its home in Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire, operating from a 22,000 square feet high spec modern food factory. But Yorkshire is also a historically important part of the UK, with a unique balance of industrial and rural landscapes. Yorkshire’s unique landscape makes it an ideal place for producing outstanding food. From the rolling hills of the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales, to the rhubarb triangle in West Yorkshire, Yorkshire has some of the finest ingredients not just in the country, but in the world. At Yorkshire Handmade Pies, we make the most of this opportunity, partnering with many speciality Yorkshire food producers to showcase their spectacular ingredients in our pies.

What does the future hold for Yorkshire Handmade Pies?

At Yorkshire Handmade Pies, we’re passionate about producing pies, but also about the future for pies in Britain. We’d like to see greater recognition of the pie and its historic place in British cuisine. Our job is to be a part of this and to continue making pies that honour this tradition for as long as possible. Food is something uniquely human. In an increasingly digital world, we believe food should bring us together as humans and that pies are a perfect food to do so. We also believe the pie is always going to adapt to new food trends and changes to the way we eat. The pie will always remain a faithful culinary servant to us in Britain and our mission is to do our bit to preserve the pie for generations to come.

 

To find out more about Yorkshire Handmade Pies and particularly our national dish campaign, please check out a recent interview with me in The Times newspaper here. https://www.thetimes.com/article/576ff108-cb34-4c71-bb9b-4e9cc8a68b80?shareToken=9bb73de67f1d5decc0c985811fd566aa