Paean to the PIE

WHAT we make is more than just a pie. It’s a work of art. It’s à la carte food wrapped in a high-quality pastry and we are very proud of what we produce. We use fresh, seasonal, local ingredients, and I would strongly disagree with any suggestion that it is anything other than a very high quality product.

We have perfected the same pastry recipe over many decades and we have a small team who work on that specific side of things.

The secret of the process is in getting the mixture right and getting the timing right. The butter has to go in at the right point. It all has to be done at the right temperature. It can’t be too hot or too cold or too dry. It has to be just right.

The pastry is floured and rolled by hand in order that it is shaped correctly. It’s a dying skill for people to stand from 8am until 5pm perfecting the rolling of the pastry and sending out a product which we feel has reached perfection.

The ingredients speak for themselves. The focus is on local. We are trying to keep to traditional recipes and keep traditions going. Our Highland venison and cranberry pie has just been recognised with a national award.

Steak and ale is one of our most popular pies and uses the best local beef.

We have vegetarian pies such as chestnut, mushroom and red wine, and butternut squash, sweet potato and goats’ cheese. For the extra ingredients which we have brought in, we go for the best. We use not just any cheese, but the best Manchego. We use a really good chorizo for one filling.

Everything is hand-made. The crimping is vitally important. When the pastry meets the filling, that’s a crucial moment. We have to bring those two elements together in the correct way. Nothing is pressed by machine. Everything is hand-filled and hand-crimped and then egg-washed just before it goes into the oven.

We make a lot of pies, tens of thousands each year, but there are no mass production facilities used, every pie is made by hand.

Our main sales are to hikers or people travelling in the area. People climbing Suilven, or Munros near here, will come in early in the morning and take one away. The pie they select will be a meal for them. It’s not about eating two or three of these a day, every day. Clearly that’s not what we are about.

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RETTY much anything can have a negative health impact if you eat enough of it. We do not require more legislation on this or rules which can only have a negative impact on what we are trying to do. What is more important in our diet, rather than introducing more regulations, is quality and quantity of food and clearly if you eat too much of anything, whether it’s meat, chocolate or even vegetables, that can have negative effects. Therefore, it’s about education.

We are also an important employer in this area, employing around 20 people, so any restrictions could have a serious economic impact here. I am originally from South Africa and have worked previously in a steakhouse background and I came to work here a year ago because I could see the quality of what is being produced.

I am proud to be a part of it and we will be submitting a passionate defence of the pie to the consultation now being carried out.