TV praise for city’s

A BUTCHER and brewer have proven it “pehs” to have friends in high places after being given the seal of approval by a TV legend.

Yorke’s of Dundee were thrilled when they discovered their 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.

And Alan, who was joined by celebrity chef Brian Turner, former politician Michael Portillo and entertainer Matthew Kelly, was really impressed by the butcher’s tasty pastry treats.

During the football season the firm supplies 450,000 pies to Scottish football clubs – all of which are made by hand.

Chef Brian said the pies had been recommended by his “mate in Scotland, Nick Nairn” adding that he had spoken to him about pies in Scotland and had been sent one from Yorke’s.

Trying out the pie, Alan said: “Oh, that’s beef,” before adding: “This is a better class of football pie this is. This is gorgeous.”

Brian added the pie was “really classy”, while Michael Portillo said he was surprised how much he was enjoying it as it was cold, adding “it would be even better being hot”.

Paired with the pie was 71 Brewing’s stout to which Alan said: “Crumbs. It’s like chocolate.”

Matthew Kelly added: “Ooh that’s lovely”, and Michael said he thought it was “very special” and “extraordinary” before Brian revealed he wouldn’t fancy “downing five pints of that of a night” – a reference to the strength of the drink which is 12%.

Alan said it looked like you “were going to be drinking Guinness, but it’s much thicker than Guinness”.

Grant Yorke, who is in charge of the bakery side of Yorke’s based in the city’s Strathmartine Road, was thrilled by comments made on the programme.

“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,” he said.

“Nick Nairn helps us out at the charity event that we put on every year for Maggie’s and he had tried the pies and said to them, ‘I know the very place to go’.

“Quite often you will send things away to these places and you never hear much about it, but lo and behold here it is and I think it went very well for us, especially in the present climate.

“You couldn’t ask for a better advertisement than that.

“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 hand-filled and during busy times there are four of us making them, but at the moment, for obvious reasons,