Our intrepid reporter spent Monday evening in London in the company of some nice people from Pork Farms Bowyers. In case you're wondering, that's not as strange as it seems - they make pork pies of all sizes and persuasions, and, if you were listening last year (keep up at the back), were big in the whole European regional status for Melton Mowbray debate.

Ooh, look at us. It's all gone serious. The next thing you know, we'll actually be following the news and writing proper analysis and everything.

Anyway, where was I? Yes, pork pies. And tasting thereof.

Our man down south says their Medium Pork Pie is rather respectable - "excellent" in fact. How does he know? Well, it's a long story, involving an invite to a party at Jongleurs, a while spent listening to some rather good comics (Dom Joly, Paul Tonkinson et al), several pints, a huge buffet and a goody bag of rather good (and large) pork pies.

But let it not be said that here at pie-man towers we can be swayed by the delights of a PR junket. Our man assures me he was sober (ish), and escaped before the disco dancing started. We believe him...

He reckons his freebie pies were pretty good - not too much fat, or jelly, and some nice meat (no chewy bits or gristle). For a mass-market pork pie, the boys done ok. Shame about their disco dancing, but you can't have everything.

Labels: comedy pies

It's a perennial topic, this one. Summed up beautifully by Mary, who emailed us this week to say:

"My problem with Fray Bentos pies is the tin they come in. You can't open the damn things. I have arthritis and trying to open a pie of theirs is like climbing Mount Everest. I have used 4 different kinds of opener and in the finish my husband used metal cutters..."

Mary, we feel your pain. Take a look at what happened to Dave...a phone call to Fray Bentos customer services on 0800 7310989 may be in order.

UPDATE

Another intrepid Fray Bentos eater, Sam, suggests a way to take out your tin frustration:

"If after all the effort, you finally eat the pie and feel disappointed with the reward, you can take out your anger on the pie-tin lids by making them into a drum kit! I even wired them up to my computer to trigger real drum sounds. The pie-tin lids are perfect as component parts for an electronic drum kit. I am greatly indebted to Fray Bentos for this.

Labels: fray bentos, tin openers