Listen: Pie Week

A staple of the Great British menu, pies have been eaten across the UK for centuries. The classic ‘pub grub’ is well-loved and comes in surprisingly many different forms.

But what’s the best pie? And what are the rules when classifying what is and isn’t a pie? Ahead of British Pie Week (March 7^th– 13^th), Co-op asked the nation for their thoughts on the highly debated topic. The pie has varied significantly across time with Robert May’s early 17th-century cookery book describing pies containing live birds and frogs as a form of entertainment at lavish feasts.

When it comes to today’s pies, 60% of us say a pie needs a lid to be called a pie, versus 45% saying it needs a base, whereas, in medieval times, the pastry for pies was not eaten. Pies were used as storage vessels, as ways to create portable food and as a way of preserving food.

Aston spoke to food historian Polly Russell.