The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Gardening legend Alan Titchmarsh gives city businesses a boost
Apair of Dundee food and drink businesses got a televised boost when they were featured by Alan Titchmarsh.
The butcher Yorke’s of Dundee was thrilled to discovered its steak and gravy pies were to feature, along with 71 Brewing’s Subtlety in Art stout, on ITV’S Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh show on Sunday.
Mr Titchmarsh, who was joined by celebrity chef Brian Turner, former politician Michael Portillo and entertainer Matthew Kelly, was impressed by the butcher’ s tasty pastry treats.
During the football season they supply 450,000 to Scottish clubs – all of which are made by hand.
Mr Turner said the pies had been recommended by his “mate in Scotland, Nick Nairn” adding he had spoken to him about pies from Yorke’s in Dundee, run by Frank and Grant Yorke.
Mr Titchmarsh said:
“This is a better class of football pie! This is gorgeous”.
Mr Turner added the pie was “really classy”, while Mr Portillo said he was surprised how much he was enjoying it cold, adding “it would be even better being hot”.
Paired with the pie was 71 Brewing’s stout about which Mr Titchmarsh said: “Crumbs! It’ s like chocolate!”
Grant Yorke, in charge of the bakery side of Yorke’s based on Strathmartine Road, was thrilled.
“They contacted us way back in November to say they were doing pies and Brian Turner had said they couldn’t get a proper meat and gravy pie these days.
“Nick Nairn helps us out at the charity event that we put on e ver y year for Maggie’s and he had tried the pies and said to them, ‘I know the very place to go’.
“I was quietly chuffed. The comments were great and really said it all. We do a lot of football grounds. Obviously at the moment we aren’t doing any but we are up and down the country delivering pies.
“The pies are all handfilled and during busy times there are four of us making them. But at the moment, for obvious reasons, there is only me as there are so many places shut down.”
71 Brewing managing director Duncan Alexander said the programme had led to an uptake of sales.
“The route it came was via Nick Nairn who is an adviser to the programme and he was asked to suggest some combinations and I believe he pointed them at Yorke’s and there was then a recommendation to pair one of our beers with their pies.”