Back a winner

A hot tip for all those punters reading The Meat Pie blog.

Next time you take an interest in horse racing, put something on this:

'He's No Pie Eater'
Trainer: Graeme Rogerson
Jockey: Hugh Bowman

Sure thing.

Introducing...pie trading cards

Set to sweep Asia, the Meat Pie blog can give you an exclusive preview of the first prints of the cards set to drive schoolkids wild:

Tastless pie naming?

According to the Metro in the UK A pub restaurant in the UK is under pressure to withdraw the name of a faggot pie -- using UK TV presenter Michael Barrymore's name.

Peter Towler who runs the pie factory has been under fire for offering a "Barrymore Pie" containing locally-made faggots "swimming in onion gravy".

The pub has responded by accusing those calling for the pie to be withdrawn of lacking a sense of humour.

"Under no circumstances are we trying to be offensive to anyone - it's all about having a laugh," Towler said.

Thoughts ploggers?

Pie review: Cheese and Bacon Tiger

Vendor: Harry's Cafe de Wheels
Price: $4.95
Sauce: Not chosen
Pastry: 8
Filling: 9
Overall Tastyness: 8.8
Overall rating: 8.9
Value rating: 7.9

Let it be known, the plogging community has expanded its frontiers. Recently the community of ploggers moved on to explore the CBD, leaving the crack whore residents of Pyrmont behind them.

On an overcast day this week, a group of stalwart and n00b ploggers ventured down to Harry's cafe de Wheels to share in a communal pie-eating experience.

While Harry's has a plentiful menu of pies, hot dogs, desserts and drinks, the Cheese and Bacon Tiger proved the most popular delicacy of choice.

As with most of Harry's pies, the Cheese and Bacon Tiger is topped with a mash of potato and peas. After getting through this, I progressed to the pie proper.

Firstly, I must commend Harry's on the temperature of the Tiger. Pies should be hot, but not enough to burn your tongue. The temperature of the Tiger perfectly met these expectations.

Inside the pie, the gravy flowed without large chunks of meat. This was fine, although the absence of cheese in the Tiger was astutely observed by one n00b plogger.

The gravy and pie insides also had a certain amount of 'kick' to them that meant this pie will not be forgotten in a hurry. Bland gravy often condemns a pie to a forgettable life, but the Tiger was not guilty of this crime.
The sting in the tail of this Tiger is obviously testament to the good name Harrys has earned.

All in all, the Tiger was a fine pie-eating experience, and I assure readers your humble ploggers will return again to Harrys to sample more of his delights.

The only other point I observe in this plog is the price of the Tiger, $4.95 is expensive for any pie.

Return of vendor pie season

Out gracing others with my pie-wise presence last night, I was pleasantly surprised to be offered a pie in the company of yet another vendor.

The welcome presence of pies at vendor functions has been previously discussed on this plog, and I was happy...alright...overjoyed to see the trend continuing last night - in a movie theatre too, of all places.

Let it be said to that in the middle of a vendor party, the humble party pie does not last long. These were seized on without much ado, and devoured quickly.

Vendor pie-eating community, welcome back.

No pies on offer for Thorpie

Ian Thorpe's shock retirement from elite swimming has been a shock to many in Australia. It seems the lure of gold medals ain't enough for the designer pants clad world champ.

Publicly it seems the world record holder was lacking motivation. However, sauces close to the champ say the reason for quitting was that there wasn't a good enough offer from the local pastry industry to keep the fire going.

That's right, Thorpie loves his pies. He might not publicly admit it but everyone knows he's a closet steak and mushroom pie man.

According to sauces Thorpe was expecting a similar offer to UK boxing star, Ricky Hatton, who according to the Blackburn Citizen has been offered a lifetime supply of East Lancashire pies for winning his next bout for the IBF light-welterweight title.

No doubt, a victory next January for the undefeated boxer will taste even better with the pastry offer on the table.

As a pie loving nation where were the Mrs. Macs or Big Bens or Four and Twenty pie barons in Australia to offer the same for our Thorpie? At 24 the 5 time Gold medalist and current world record holder couldn't secure the pastry payment he was after.

You heard it here first. Stay tuned for more coverage on this breaking news.

Patties makes a charge

Being renown for my passion for finance and the sharemarket, I thought I'd congratulate Patties Foods on a successful stockmarket listing this week.

Patties makes Four 'N Twenty, Patties Pies, Herbert Adams and Nanna's pies, and basically is the only hope I can see upsetting the pie landscape currently dominated by Mrs Mac.

I was interested to read Patties' owner Richard Rijs comments on new markets.

Mr Rijs said Patties was interested in any area of frozen savoury snacks and frozen desserts. "We don't really want to get outside of that area, but it does encompass a really large food category," he said.

This guy is onto something. I can see dessert pies really taking off.

Redefining the pie

Pies made national headlines this week, and I couldn't let the incident pass without comment.

Many would have heard TV and radio reports this week that a pie manufacturer has called for a tightening of the definition of a meat pie. Namely, the company wants the pie definition, as defined by the Australia and New Zealand Food Authority, to stipulate that a meat pie contains 'real meat'. They want a defintion of 'real meat' to be included, this being that meat constitutes flesh attached to a bone.

Who is the company behind this controversial push that threatens to de-stabilise the existence of the pie as we know it? It's none other than Mrs Macs, throwing her weight around again.

Mrs Macs' rationale is a tighter definition would prevent public concerns that other parts of animal carcasses are sometimes included in pies.

It's imperative ploggers, and you plog readers, voice your opinion of this controversial move by posting a comment. For what fun is the pie-eating experience if you can't bite into a pie uncertain of what you're actually eating?

Pie bashing

From the weekend comes this tragic tale of a good pie samaritan.

A TV news bulletin said a man met a couple of strangers one of these past nights in Matraville, and obviously sharing his passion for pies, he proceeded to purchase a couple of delicacies for his new-found friends. Can't find the story online.

Shortly after this act of goodwill, they bashed him, and stole his wallet.

This act of abhorrence astounds me. In the name of the pie father, I cast away any link between pies and violence.

Police apparently are still searching for these pie-eating scum.

The lesson for us ploggers here? Beware of strangers craving pie.

A pie what?

A long, long time ago during my school loan consolidation era, before my college loan consolidation I got myself a car insurance quote. Yes this was before my love of pies. Auto car insurance quotes were through the roof! Not to mention my student loan consolidation rates that were getting sold to structure my selltement and sell annuity to my federal student loan consolidation. Auto quotes, insurance quotes, and student loan consolidation interest rates were seriously affecting my ability to afford pies. Real meat pies, dammit! Who were these people in san diego dui attorneys to stop me from eating my pie?

I can understand high car insurance rates, and structured settlement with the one you love but student loans and consolidation of student loans is udderly pathetic! What I needed was student loan refinance so I could afford the pie, endulge in the pie, rub my greedy face between the goodness of the pastry again. Luckily my citibank student loan consolidation that I looked at was quite interesting. Maybe I'll consider it, maybe I won't. I also might have a look at a private student loan consolidation to cure my dire situation.

And then somebody said "lasik new york". Whoah! slow down egg head my private loan consolidation, my teleconference services and the art institute of seattle were really gunning for my newfound wealth. With no bad credit equity loan to my name and no houston criminal attorney on my arse the orlando culunary institute would be proud of my student loan consolidation program. my friend ditech, the bastard, wouldn't let go of the situation about the auto quote. He reckoned he could find a better deal, thus projecting my guttony in all things pastry.

I daren't know what to do with all this whoring of adsense in the name of pie.

Hannah's expanding range

Hannah's Pies in Ultimo is apparently expanding its range to include organic curries, etc. The article was in the Good Living section in the SMH yesterday, can't seem to find it online though. Maybe pie sales have dropped off??

Where are all the pies?

It seems we've not had as many posts as before on the pie blog.

Where art thou ploggers?

Pies from the fatherland

Was recently exploring southwest germany as part of the great World Cup fiasco.

I think i ate a pie. it was kind of baked looking and meatish.

I definitely ate a pretzel, a wurst--infact lots of wurst, infact lots of wurst and lots of pretzel, and beer.. lots of beer.

Pies however were scarce - i think it was a strategy to unbalance the travelling aussie supporters who would have simply felt far too at home amidst all that beer and wurst...
so much the wurst... so much beer...

sigh. god bless the krauts.

Monday is pie day

The posts to this blog may have been less frequent of late, but don't question the commitment of some pioneers.

As the rain poured down on a cold Monday morning, pida had the perfect idea to offer his services as a pie cart for the company for lunch.

Ever the pie evangelist, he wandered around the company taking orders, and eventually drove out to Hannah's (see previous postings) to order 18 pies. Yes, 18 pies. I kid you not.

This tallied around $52, covering vegetarian, cheese and bacon, curry, plain, potato. Previous pie-shunners could be seen tucking into their respective pastry delight with gay abandon. It was pie-o-clock, and not a cross-word about pies was spoken. This was a communal pie-eating experience to be savoured.

Pies have again saved the say, and I think them a useful HR exercise.

Hannah's meanwhile will forever be recalling the day a man hellbent on pies came forth with an order for what was probably their most profitable day in history.

NY pies

Piefriends,

Today, courtesy of my New York-dwelling mother (Mother Impiety), an establishment known as The Tuck Shop was brought to my attention. This dining establishment, located on the Lower East Side, bills itself as an Australian diner specialising in the baked goods we profess a passion for.

Apparently, however, the entire operation is staffed by Mexicans who are not privy to the art of baking an Australian Meat Pie. To wit, a YIMversation with Mother Impiety:

Impiety: Was it any good?
Impiety: What kind of food?
MotherImpiety: The meat pies didn't taste anyfing like Aussie meat pies.....they were too good.

A review of the establishment may be found here.

I am interested in Pietastic's reaction, given his American meat pie experiences.