This week I will be reviewing Waitrose's latest offering, a hand-crimped Melton Mowbray pork pie.
Melton Mowbray pork pies hail from the Leicestershire town they are named after and are one of the few British products to have achieved Protected Geographical Indication, meaning they cannot be made anywhere else.
What makes the pies unique is their use of uncured pork. The meat is chopped, not minced, and seasoned with salt and pepper. This mix is then packed into hot-water crust cases which are not held straight by hoops, giving them distinctively bowed sides, and any space left is filled with jelly.
I am afraid that, for this review, I served my pie with a tin of Heinz beans. I don't know if this makes me an awful person but, what can I say, I really like Heinz beans and love them with pork pie!
The pie itself a lovely thing to hold. Taking it out of the packet, it feels smooth, weighty and filled with meat. Let's take a look inside!
Yup, filled with meat. The outside was packed with jelly and so, despite the bowed edge, there was no air inside.
To taste, the pie was near perfect. The pastry was dense and chewy without being heavy or greasy and had a slightly sweet quality. This contrasted perfectly to the savoury meat inside.
The meat was well seasoned, neither was so salty one was left gasping for a glass of water nor so peppery as to mask the flavour of the pork. Yet it was strong enough to give adequate support on the palate and provide a satisfying mouthful.
Unfortunately, I failed to realise that the pie was not a serving and so ate the whole thing. Big mistake. Apart from a calorie and fat count I'm still trying not to think about, by the end of the experience I was completely stuffed. Please, for goodness sake, either share this pie with friends or do anything other than chowing down the whole lot. My goodness, how I am not enormous by now I shall never know!
Price wise, the pie is not bad. The pork is good quality and claims to have been farmed ethically which, of course, comes at a price. This comes on top of the fact that Melton Mowbrays, because of the way they are made, are always more expensive than ordinary pork pies. Therefore, £3.49 seems a fairly good price.
Waitrose's new pie is a triumph. At a fair price and with great flavour and texture, this is well worth picking up, especially for a picnic some sunny summer day.
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