Pie say! Now Fray Bentos goes veggie
IT is news that will have traditionalists lamenting: Tins are definitely not what they used to be.
For Fray Bentos, famous purveyors of meat pies encased in cans, has gone veggie.
It is launching its first meat-free pie – the vegetable balti – which will be sold in Morrisons and B&M stores nationwide at an introductory half-price offer of £1.
The move comes after Greggs, McDonald’s and other restaurant chains and supermarkets boosted their vegetarian and vegan options to cope with growing demand.
Fray Bentos’s tinned pies have traditionally been seen as a cheap comfort food.
The British brand was founded in 1881, with the city of Fray Bentos in Uruguay the base for producing tinned corned beef that was shipped around the world. It later became famous for a wide range of British-recipe pies including the traditional steak and kidney and chicken and mushroom.
The new 425g vegetable balti comes with Vegetarian Society approval. It is filled with potato, onion, red pepper, tomato, carrot and peas in a spicy, balti sauce, topped with puff pastry.
A portion comes in at 285 calories compared to 266 for steak and kidney and 336g for minced beef and onion. The Fray Bentos brand is now owned by soup company Baxters and the pies are made in Scotland. It is braced for a boost in business with people stockpiling food in case a No Deal Brexit takes place. Its tinned pies always sell well during economic downturns or spikes in the cost of living.
Spokesman Lorraine Rothwell said the company had consulted pie lovers across the country before launching the veggie version. She added: ‘The new pie is filling and comforting, just like the rest of our famous range. Meat lovers needn’t worry – we’ll never ditch our famous steak pies and puddings.’
Baker Greggs found that its decision to launch a vegan version of its famous sausage roll in January was a huge sales success.