“Apple may be the top pie filling, but when it comes to the sweet vs savoury debate – things are a lot more complex! A survey from OnePoll last year found that we’re very much a nation of fence sitters, with exactly half of respondents refusing to pick a side!.” To truly grasp the nature of the sweet pie market though, I spoke to Natalie Drake, our category manager for bakery and dairy. Sweet piesīut of course pies are not just savoury, and as the survey cited earlier highlights – of Britain’s top pie fillings, ‘apple’ reigned supreme, being selected by 20% of those surveyed, compared to just over 10% who opted for steak and ale in second place. This growth is being driven in equal parts by innovation in vegetarian pies (such as Tesco’s Finest sweet potato, spinach and feta filo pie) as well as exciting new meat analogue launches such as Clive’s Hungarian Goulash pie which have helped tickle the fancies of both vegetarians, as well as the more adventurous meat eaters. The entire meat free market has been growing for a number of years, so this isn’t a huge shock, however the rate at which they are growing far outstrips the rest of the meat free category. Data from Kantar shows that pies and pastry products containing meat analogues such as soya have been registering consistent growth for the past few years, and between 2015-2016 grew sales by 11.2% to reach £23.4m. Meat free piesĪnother key growth area in savoury pies and pastry comes from the meat free sector. Other strong performers in the category have been Holland’s and Wrights pies who have both recorded significant growth. Premium pie brand Higgidy has been one of the key beneficiaries of this penchant for posh pies, growing sales by 15.8% following listings from Tesco. Posh piesĪs with many areas of the food and drink market, we’re seeing a real trend for premiumisation, and pies are no different, with consumers choosing to buy quality rather than quantity. Whilst the growth of pie sales might appear to run contrary to the wider clean eating trend (it’s difficult to imagine Ella Woodward tucking into a pork pie!) it seems that on the whole Britons are taking a holistic view of health and see the odd pie/pastry as a deserved treat when part of a balanced diet.Īnd certainly numbers don’t lie, as research commissioned by the founders of British Pie Week found that 75% of people admit to eating a pie of some description at least once a month. Pie fillings have also changed dramatically – peacock pie may be somewhat hard to come by, but with a wide array of pies available at every local chip shop, it seems like a fair trade! Savoury piesįast forward to 2017 and pies remain big business – recent Mintel data suggests that £1bn is spent on savoury pies annually, a number which continues to grow year on year. Since then, pies have come a long way, becoming a fan favourite in many parts of Northern Europe. To the average resident of North Yorkshire & Humberside who will allegedly consume 2,533 pies in a lifetime, these ancient era pies may seem a million miles away from their modern descendants.Īs late adopters, the archetypal European pie did not emerge until well into the Middle Ages – it wasn’t until the 12th Century when ‘pyes’ first entered the English lexicon.ĭespite arriving late to the pie party, Britons quickly took to this new dish, and in 1429, eight-year-old King Henry VI was served peacock pie at his coronation. The more creative of these bakers soon began to add honey and other sweets as a filling. Over the centuries pies have become a staple in the diets of many cultures, particularly in seafaring cultures that needed a way of easily storing food which would not perish on long journeys.Įgyptian and Roman sailors were early baking pioneers, baking cereals to create a reliable source of food whilst out at sea. So for British pie week, join us in celebrating Britain’s humblest dish by looking at the history of the pie, as well as what the future may hold for it… From humble beginnings… Few things remind Britons of home more than a classic pie – indeed a study by Nisa found that over 75% of Brits confessed to feeling a sense of nostalgia when biting into a pie, and nine out of ten described it as the ideal comfort food.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |