Spotted today outside The York, Islington, London. Every now and again, but increasingly rarely, marketing is capable of genius and poetry. Let the man (or woman – but I’d bet particularly heavily that this one was a man) who coined the phrase “Pie Gala” be given a knighthood for services to the pub industry.
If only it wasn’t detox month…
The York’s a pretty grim boozer so I wouldn’t expect much…
Far nicer and only a 5-10 minutes walk away are The Charles Lamb on Elia Street, The Island Queen on Noel Road and The Duke of Cambridge on St Peter Street. A classy little pub crawl if you’re near Angel Station.
Obviously a Madeleine cake moment for you Pete as you stroll through the lanes of Normandy. The two words conjure up images of sopping gravy-streaked crusts, red-faced men with mouths in motion, brass bands, savoury ducks, tomato sausages, rissoles, faggots, mushy pies — the land of lost pie content as Housman wrote in his masterpiece A Shropshire Pie-lad. One of my local boozers has a truly inspiring range of pies to go with the Otter Ale — classics such as steak and kidney, plus a minty lamb one, one with chicken onions and prunes and even one for the veggies. Delicious. You’ve got me thinking of Cornish pasties with golden crusts, chunks of beef and potato (not Ginsters I hasten to add), far too early in the morning — and don’t fall for that detox rubbish either, it’s a mug’s game. Latest story on it was that it doesn’t do you any good, bit like the alcohol units myth.
Ahh a topic I can speak on with authority (as it was me who ate all the pies).
We had some good ones up in the dales at NY, with some well kept black sheep, mine had local black pudding in it delish(the pie that is)! They did however try to offer them with salad! This was balanced out by a boat of gravy being passed seperately which was a nice touch.
I don’t want to come all over Gordon ramsay but more pubs should do simple well done local food like pies. We saw “portuguese Mussle Stew” on a menu the other day 60 miles from the sea in Hebden bridge. I’m all for a mix of cultures in pub food but maybe just one or two not a global dustbin. You know nachos, followed by curry, followed by thai soup this sort of thing happens in small pubs as well as the big chains. So start with pies and decent sarnies and build from there.
ATJ what’s a savoury duck I saw them on Barnsley market but didn’t have chance to ask are they like a faggot or rissole.
Stonch, those are three of my favourite pubs, though coming into Islington from the north east, I rarely get past the Marquess Tavern.
I wasn’t suggesting anyone should actually drink in The York – just that “Pie Gala” is such genius it makes you reconsider, if only for a second…
Savoury ducks are from the same family as rissoles and faggots, and nowt to do with Donald and his feathery pals — used to enjoy them for breakfast grilled with sausages, black pudding, fried bread with an egg on top (runny yolk of course), a couple of rashers, grilled tomatos, maybe some baked beans for roughage, as bought from Evans (now a different name and not as good) the butchers on Mostyn Broadway in Llandudno whenever I went home to see the family. Makes me slather to think of it — out here in the west grilled hogs pudding with dollops of ketchup does the job.
How about retro grub celebration :
a “vesta fiesta” anybody , anybody….
ps thanks Atj what’s “hogs pudding”? I bet they include “Lights” .
I am reminded of the quote from the West Wing “Sausage and Law are the 2 things that you don’t want to see how they are made”!
bltp
you’re partly right, some of the hogs puddings include all the trimmings of the carcass (use everything of the pig but the squeak as they say), while others go for fat, pork and spices — all essential ingredients in being able to stick two fingers up to health Gauleiters everywhere, children. As for Vesta, one has to draw the line somewhere, hell you’ll be eulogising the Dantean Inferno that was Toast Toppers next or even demanding fish paste and Nimble sarnies, served with the scrapings from a Party Seven. The horror of it all.
Beef and Beer, together in a pie, add in a mushroom and its heaven on a plate.