Arments Celebrating British Pie Week! March 2nd – 8th 2020

Arments Celebrating British Pie Week With Online And In-Store Promotions! 

This cold wintry weather has provided us with the perfect excuse to cosy up with a hot, homemade pie. We Brits eat millions of pies every year, making them the nation’s ultimate comfort food. So, join us in embracing British Pie Week – yet another fantastic opportunity to celebrate all that’s great about this truly delicious national food!

Definition of a Pie

A baked dish of fruit or meat and/or vegetables with pastry on the bottom, sides, and the top.

Origins of the Pie

Historians believe that the Greeks actually originated pie pastry. The pies during this period were made by a flour-water paste wrapped around meat; this served to cook the meat and seal in the juices. The Romans, sampling the delicacy, carried home recipes for making it (a prize of victory when they conquered Greece).

The early colonists cooked their pies in long narrow pans calling them “coffins” like the crust in England.

Meat pie is found in the Neolithic Period, around 9500 BC. The ancient Egyptians’ diet featured basic pies made from oat, wheat, rye, and barley, and filled with honey and baked over hot coals. The Greeks used a flour-water paste resembling pie pastry, and filled it with meat.

Fruit pies or tarts (pasties) were probably first made in the 1500s. English tradition credits making the first cherry pie to Queen Elizabeth I.Pie came to America with the first English settlers.

Pie Trivia

Ever wondered where the pie sayings come from? Check out our website here for pie trivia!  It’s not all ‘pie in the sky’!

Pie and mash

Pie and mash is a traditional working-class food which originated in East London. Pie, mash and jellied eels have been served in London since the 19^th century, with the first Pie and eel House being recorded even earlier than the first fish and chip shop. They are still to be found predominately in the East London and the South East.   However, with Londoner’s moving out there is a growing trend for small independent shops to open across many parts of England now.   Old family traditional Pie and Mash shops often also serve stewed and/or jellied eels.

The savoury pie had been a traditional British food for some time due to its compact size, which made it easy for people to eat it on the go.  Eels baked in a pastry crust became a worker’s meal because eels were one of the few fish that could survive in the River Thames which was heavily polluted at that time.

Potatoes were later served as an accompaniment so that pie and mash became a sit-down meal. This meal was made even more special with the addition of a sauce which was made from the water used to cook the eels which was then flavoured with parsley.

Later, for a higher price, mutton or an inexpensive minced meat could be used instead of eels as a pie filling. After the Second World War the eel supply declined and beef became cheaper so the minced beef steak pie became popular.

At Arments today we still make our pies fresh every day from scratch – mincing our beef steak from Ireland and Scotland to making the dough, putting them together with our secret seasoning that makes our unique and traditional flavour.  You’ll also find our Steak & Kidney pies on the menu and for those of you who like a sweet treat; we have various fruit pies available every week.

Promotional Offers for British Pie Week

 We have various offers available instore daily from Tuesday to Friday (Whilst stocks last) and for those of you who can’t get to us,  why not place an order online and enjoy a 10% discount by using code BritishPieWeek10 when your order is placed between Tuesday March 3^rd-Friday 6^th 2020.

Licensed Sellers!

Remember too that you can also purchase our pies from our Licensed Sellers! Find your nearest one here.