A tale of 20 pies. Well, 17 pies, 2 sausage rolls and a pasty to be more precise. Or the middle shelf of my freezer to give it another name. Or the story of how I not only need to un-hoard pie books, but I also need to un-hoard pies.

I can kind of explain how it came to this. I love pies, I love buying pies, and I certainly love eating pies. I’ve just developed a bit of a backlog. I also do a bit of running, a few half marathons a year here and there, and I am also doing a full marathon later in the year*. This means me watching what I eat (and drink), which means “ooh I’m not sure I can have a pie for tea/dinner today” is a thought that frequently pops in my head. Well, what can I say to move this monologue on a tad but….STOP BEING SO BLOODY SOFT, MAN!!!

*Whenever I meet someone and it is vaguely pie related, they are shocked that I’m not a big fat lad. I mean I’m not exactly Peter Crouch, but nor am I Jocky Wilson. Turns out that, despite the bad press, eating pies is fine, as part of a balanced diet. So there…

However, not for the first time my project has stalled, and life got in the way. I’ve got a hitlist of pie makers to go after for my follow up book, but first, I’m restricting myself until such a time as I can clear the freezer of existing stocks. So that is what I shall do. I’ll probably only have one or two a week, even so, which will take me right up until the marathon in the Autumn. However, trust me I’ve hundreds of pies I have eaten in the past few years that I’ve never even shared on social media, so you will be hearing from me much more regularly in the coming months, if all goes to plan.

See this is the thing. I love pies, I love buying pies and trying pies and eating pies, I’m ravenous for them (much the same way as I am for trying any food in general or real/craft beers, I just love the variety and the variety on offer) I just often forget to review them, or write a few words, and I’m terrible at social media. Whenever I visit a pie shop, I don’t just buy one or two, I feel duty obliged to try three or four. And yep, despite the huge, generous uptake in my pie books around 6 months ago, I’ve still got loads of those left too (more on that soon). Time to hold myself to account, time to clear my freezer.

My reviews will be encouraging not critical, for two reasons. Firstly, I just love pies (have I said that already?) And secondly, some of these pies have been in my freezer quite a while, and there’s every chance they might not be in peak condition. I owe it to those independent traders I got them off, to give them a good send off, rather than pick holes out of their produce, especially as I chose not to eat them fresh. To be fair, I tend to pick pies up by the dozen when I do go on a pie hunt, so it would be practically impossible to get through them all in a short space of time. So quite a few end up in the freezer. And I’m certainly not up for sharing pies to get through them quicker, that isn’t going to happen either.

So, with all of the above in mind, time for a quick status update. Here is what I’ve got to get through…..

Row 1 (L-R) Staffordshire butchers: Game Pie, Hog Roast Pie, Huntsmans Pie, Pork & Stilton Pie, Cornish Pasty, Sausage Roll

Row 2 (L-R) Parkers of Meir: Chicken, Ham & Leek Pie, Steak & Stilton Pie, Chicken Balti Pie & Steak & Ale Pie

Row 3 (L – R) Nice Pie: Pork Pie, Chicken Pie, Steak Pie. McGraddie’s Scotch Pie x 2

Row 4: Jarvis Pickle Beef & Ale Pie, Spinach, Sweet Potato and Goat’s Cheese Pie. Morrisons Minced Beef Pie, M&S Chorizo Sausage Roll. Denstone Hall Huntsman’s Pie

Let me know in the comments or on the old social media if there’s any in particular which tickle your fancy. And of course, if you want to read a whole book about pies, head over to www.lifeofpies.co.uk where you can pick up a copy of my book for under a fiver!