You rate all the pies ... and apple pips steak to first place
WE are a nation of pie eaters – but our favourite is not a meaty version... it’s apple, says a survey.
The fruity type beat steak and ale into second place.
And more evidence of our national sweet tooth appears further down the list.
While savoury types dominate the top 10, lemon meringue pie came fifth, cherry pie seventh and chocolate pie 10th.
Steak and kidney pie came in only at third but it was voted more quintessentially British than classic dishes such as bangers and mash, bubble and squeak or toad in the hole.
The survey has also prompted debate about what actually counts as a pie.
Three in five of us says the dish must have its filling entirely encased, meaning pastry sides, base and a lid.
But 21 per cent of those questioned agreed shepherd’s pie is an official, bona fide pie, despite having no pastry at all, just a mashed potato topping.
The verdict was rejected by purists with 45 per cent saying it shouldn’t be considered but though it failed to make the top 10, it came a respectable 18th.
Online casino Casumo.com commissioned the survey to promote a Play Absurd advertising campaign in which comedian Paul Foot has attempted to outperform contestants in the Pie Eating World Championships in Wigan. It found we eat an average of three meaty pies a month, with chips the preferred side of choice, followed by mashed potato, roast potatoes and mushy peas.
Responders had tried some truly bizarre pies in their time, the study discovered.
One adventurer had bought a pie in Ecuador which contained iguana meat, and another recalled tucking into a pie containing nettles.