British Pie Week – which runs from March 2 to 8 – isn’t some ancient celebration of the beloved British staple. It was actually founded in 2007 by ready-made pastry company Jus-Rol, presumably to push more of its products to a pie-obsessed nation in the last days of comfort-food weather. Cynicism aside, it’s become a great excuse for London restaurants to put some genuinely interesting pies on their menus, often in collaboration with chefs who don’t usually trade in crust and filling. And we’re biting.
Below, a selection of the best specials (and a couple of longstanding classics) to sample around town, including a Dickens-inspired number, a collaboration with a pie-making institution, and a Cornish take on the lidded treat.
Arments Pie & Mash, Walworth
South London fixture Arments has been serving pie and mash since 1914, and little has changed since then. During British Pie Week – and all year round – expect minced beef pies with crisp pastry lids, creamy mash and the shop’s signature parsley liquor.
armentspieandmash.com
The Wolseley City
The Wolseley has invited 120-year-old pie and mash institution M Manze to help it commemorate the week with a £24.50 version of its Cockney classic. Together, they’re putting on two limited-edition pies: one with rump of beef and smoked bone marrow, and a vegetarian take with curried lentils, coconut and roasted vegetables. Both are encased in M Manze’s signature pastry, with mash, parsley liquor and a splash of chilli vinegar.
thewolseleycity.com
Cubitt House pubs, various locations
Pub group Cubitt House’s Seven Pies, Seven Chefs, Seven Days celebration sees chef-director Ben Tish invite a roll call of beloved London chefs to each create a guest pie to be served across its pubs, including The Builders Arms in Chelsea, Marylebone’s The Grazing Goat and The Thomas Cubitt in Belgravia. Highlights include Ana da Costa’s mapo tofu pie on Wednesday, Jago Rackham’s beef and prune pie on Thursday, and Updown Farmhouse co-founder Oli Brown’s rabbit and nettle pie on Friday. Guests can grab a pie and a pint for £15, and each creation is available for one day only.
cubitthouse.co.uk
Rake at The Compton Arms, Islington
Ex-Acme Fire Cult chefs Jay Claus and Syrus Pickhaver are the minds behind Rake, the latest residency at The Compton Arms. They’re bringing their Cornish roots to pie week with a pasty-inspired take filled with beef skirt, potato, swede, onion and black pepper. Designed to share between two, it’s served with mash and house-made brown sauce.
rakelondon.com
The Walmer Castle, Notting Hill
This 1845 boozer has come a long way from its Dickens-era roots, with bespoke furnishings by Rupert Bevan and antiques sourced from Portobello Road. But it’s harking back to Victorian dining tastes with a beef shin and oyster pie – a common 19th century pairing, when oysters were cheap and plentiful, and their briny sweetness offered a pleasant contrast to beef’s more robust flavours. Known for championing local butchers and fishmongers, Walmer Castle will use its carefully sourced produce to revive this recipe, which was mentioned in Dickens works like The Pickwick Papers. It’s served with thyme mash and a crisp, deep-fried oyster on top.
walmercastle-nottinghill.co.uk
Rosewood London, Holborn
There are two ways to enjoy Rosewood London’s famous pies. You could sit at one of the lipstick-red banquettes in the Holborn Dining Room and sample British produce-driven specials by head chef Ilona Perczyk and pie maker Laszlo Kiss – think hand-dived scallop and lobster, or a traditional shepherd’s pie. Or you could take your pie home: head over to The Pie Hole for its year-round selection, including a humble pork pie, and a cheese and potato pie with a whisper of truffle. Think of it as a grown-up swap for your regular Greggs fix.
rosewoodhotels.com
Mount St Restaurant, Mayfair
Mount St Restaurant’s incoming pie will use a whole lamb from the venue’s own Somerset farm, Durslade. It’s a team-up between executive chef Jamie Shears and Apricity chef-owner Chantelle Nicholson: a lamb, celeriac and black badger pea pie that uses the lamb belly for richness, the bones for depth and the fat to weave flavour through buttery pastry. The pie is £98 for two people to share.
mountstrestaurant.com
Brasserie Angelica, Fitzrovia
Brasserie Angelica, in the new Newman Hotel in Fitzrovia, has a French-influenced roast chicken, mushroom and tarragon pie with cep sauce on its regular all-day menu. The restaurant’s Australian executive chef, Christian Turner, deploys a few tricks to execute his ideal pie. “The chicken pie is inspired by the sour-cream pastry popularised by [Australian culinary doyenne] Maggie Beer, who I really admire,” he said upon the restaurant’s opening. “It gives the pie a beautiful richness and tenderness, while still feeling comforting and familiar.”
brasserieangelica.com
