Posted on February 24th, 2025
Image: The Pearly Queen of St Pancras, Diane Gould, and he son Simon Dole, Pearly King of Kings Cross visited our shop last year to help us celebrate our 110th birthday in true Cockney style.
It’s British Pie Week 3-9th March 2025 – It’s all about Pies this month!
British Pie Week has now become an established tradition, having been introduced in 2007 by pastry manufacturer Jus-Rol. It started as a campaign to get us making more pies at home, but it’s transformed into an event that celebrates the great British pie in all its forms across the country. Since the first British Pie Week judges have chomped their way through over 10,000 pies entered in 26 classes! Interestingly enough, within these 26 categories, there isn’t one for Pie & Mash Shop Pie!! Categories include Fish & Chip Shop Pie, Sports Club Pie and Pub Pie…shouldn’t there be one for Pie & Mash Shop Pie?! We think so! Maybe that will change if pie and mash gets the protected national status that is being campaigned for!
What’s the most popular pie?
From savoury pies to fruit pies, and pork pies to pizza pies, pies are an everyday staple and provide the perfect comfort food to enjoy with friends and family. The most popular pie in the UK at the moment – TasteAtlas, is Banoffee Pie, with Steak Pie coming a close second. Pie and mash came in at no. 6 in March 2023, and is showing as no.7 in 2025. Pie and Mash now warrants its very own National Pie n Mash week for the second year, and it starts on March 10th, to celebrate this London dish and give it the recognition it deserves!
Who eats all the pies in the UK?
Chairman of British Pie Week Dr Matthew O’Callaghan says British pies are our contribution to international cuisine:
“We’ve developed the pie like no other country; hot, cold, sweet, savoury and with a range of pastry to match, shortcrust, hot water crust, suet, filo, puff.”
As a nation, we probably eat more pies per head than anywhere else in the world. The British eat £1billion worth of pies every year, that’s those bought and sold commercially and so not counting those made by every self-respecting cook in home kitchens across the land throughout the year. It is thought that each Briton consumes over 2160 pies in their lifetime! The average person chomping down at least 3 pies per month!
But research in 2022 reveals that the Scots eat the most pies in the UK with as many as 12%of Scots eating at least two pies each per week.
What’s the secret of a good pie?
Let’s list this out:
1 Flaky tender crust – buttery and flaky with a tender texture
2 Delicious filling – moist, flavourful, and well-seasoned
3 The right amount of filling to crust – enough to satisfy but not so much it overpowers the crust
4 Looks great – appealing to the eye with attractive presentation
At Arments we tick all these boxes. We use the best quality flour, the best quality steak from Ireland and Scotland, and we’re obsessed with attention to detail, with a recipe that’s been honed to perfection for 111 years to get the perfect texture and taste. Our vegan pies are made to the same high standards, and pack in the same delicious flavour, swapping out beef for soya mince and adding fresh vegetables and herbs.
Arment’s pies have a golden brown crust and an even layer of filling. Every pie is consistent in texture and flavour, guaranteeing a satisfying pie experience every time.
Pie facts you might not know
- Pie and mash has been served in London since at least the 19th century and the first Pie and Eel House existed even before fish and chip shops.
- “Umble pie” consisted of deer entrails encased in a pie in the Middle Ages. The entrails are termed “umble” not humble.
- The Pilgrim Fathers took their apple pie recipe to America. They were often called “pippin” pies due to the fact they were made with the Cox Pippin apple.
- Cornish Pasties came from tin mining, while the famous Stargazy pie in Mousehole resulted from famine in Cornwall and used fish heads and tails since these were the only foods available at the time.
The British Pie Awards are central to British Pie Week with judging on the 5th of March and the awards lunch on the 7th March. Why not come and celebrate with us, maybe even bring your old mum for an early Mother’s Day (March 30th) treat, and sample the best pie and mash in London, or order online now for home delivery
If you can’t get to us, check out our growing number of Licensed Sellers as you may find one near to you. They have all been trained by ourselves in the art of pie and mash serving, so you can be sure of a high standard. If you’d like to become an Arments Licensed Seller, you can read more and apply here.
Enter our competition to win a single pie and mash for you and a friend!
All you have to do is keep an eye out on our Facebook page for the competition post (click here to visit: Arments Pie & Mash Facebook Page), and follow the instructions to be in with a chance of winning! Keep your eyes peeled!
