Puff daddies
Barry Shelby samples a few of the posh pies that
Simple Simon is producing from the southern Uplands.
ho ate all the pies‘.’
Generally speaking. not
me. I tend only to sample them on the occasional foray to Scottish towns and villages — particularly when they seem to be prepared locally.
Often my initial reaction is verbal — ‘gosh. a few vegetables wouldn‘t go missing would they‘.” — and then. inevitably. comes the gastric reaction: heart burn. I can sometimes anticipate the latter creeping up my oesophagus just by the smell of a pie shop.
Perhaps this makes me unsuitable for sampling the posh pies being baked by chef Bernard Allesi in a converted 19th century steading near Biggar. But I believe I know a good pie when l taste one: fond memories abound regarding Cornish Pasties scoffed at the seaside in Newquay. Not some lump of over—salted minced mutton
but rather chunks of steak. lumps of
potatoes. diced carrots. softened onions and just enough gravy to keep it all moist within the folded puff pastry. A revelation.
Allesi boasts that his Simple Simon Perfect Pies are made using the finest ingredients. All the beef and pork fillings are organic. for a start. Then there are the hand-made touches. such the specially crimped edges to prevent leaks. Indeed. there is a charming look to the pies: an initial letter made out of cut pastry denotes the filling (ie. ‘8‘ for beef) is atop each one.
Fillings range from traditional. such as beef and mushroom. to the more experimental: whether ratatouille with feta cheese or salmon in a horseradish and pink peppercorn sauce.
But how do four examples stack up‘.’ All have excellent puff pastries. which are light and flaky after reheating. and the flavours are buttery. Leakage is minimal: only the slight bit ofjuices escaped onto the sheet during cooking. Most have strands of almost julienne cut potatoes. which is a fine way of introducing a bit of texture.
Beef 8 Mushroom Pie
0...
Not-mind blowing but no complaints particularly, either. Healthy, muckle chunks of tender steak that have been nicely simmered. The mushroom slices haven‘t stood up quite so well, but their flav0ur is fine. Reminiscent of the Newquay epiphany.
Mexican Chilli Chicken Fillet 0..
This one might be more of an acquired taste. Spicy but reasonably mild. Beans have been substituted for the potatoes. It's more of a chilli con came (in this case. chicken) stuffed in a pastry and is vaguely Similar to a hybrid Mexicali pie yOu might find in a [A chilled food case.
(.“"‘.“\l“' cream)
1‘”. "i, s, It... 5 l n i " imflfltl“""‘
Fresh & Smoked Haddock in Creamy Leek Sauce
0..
A hint of bones. but what a good sign: the fish is not some mince that's been
over processed. Creamy. indeed. and
only a lightly smoky flavour.
Chicken Fillets in a Creamy Tarragon Sauce
“0..
Chunks of moist white meat. seared in advance to judge from brown edges. Larger pieces than found in the Mexican version. The tarragon seasoning is nearly perfect: not Overpowering but complementing the other ingredients. The best of this particular bunch
One final note. while cooking instructions say 20 minutes at 180 degrees CGISIUS (gas mark 4). you might find they need a bit more time to be piping hot throughout and have the pastry nicely crisped.
I Simple Simon's Perfect Pies are available by mail order on 0189.9
220 l 18. info ((IlSll i ip/esimonspies. co. uk or www. simples/n ionspies. co. uk and at Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh.
Pies aren’t the only foodstuff with an increasingly gourmet sideline. James Smart pores over a quartet that has - or maybe one day will - go upmarket.
Burgers Ground meat reformed into a lumpy disc. served in two bits of bread so the juice doesn't go all over your hands. mouth and clothes? What could possibly be less classy? Inevitably, it depends where you buy it. In 2003. two New York restaurants went head to head to produce the hautest burgers: one USIng Kobe beef. imponed from Japan and made from cattle that are massaged daily and fed on beer (SA 1). another featuring black truffles (in season) and sirlom steak lSSO). Crisps They weren't even seasoned until the 1950s. when the Tayto factOry in Ireland found a way of adding salt iwhich had preViously come in sachets) and flavourings to their product. Now. the potato often seems nothing more than a iiiuch~abused binding agent. a carrier for monosodium glutamate and E numbers. None of which stops the top end (upwards of (30p?) stressing their authenticity through carefully specific terms like balsamic vinegar. sea salt and suiibluslied tomato.
Pork scratching: Surely pub owners are missing a trick here. An authentic. grubby and grisly classic of British cuisine. served in small packets to the drunk and the bold. What could be more ripe for an overpriced organic makeover? Soon. poseis across the land cOuId be sipping cider from an ice filled glass while pushing salty pig hair around their mouths.
Hash cakes Well. you'd have to legalise it first but (crack Bakewell farts aside) what more moreish foodstuff could there be on the planet than posh pot munchables? It can orin be a matter of time before our supercasinos are selling clotted cream and seared Jamaican ganJa scones. no frills soapbar faiiycakes and freshly grated carrot cake with homegrown skunk )us. Or maybe not.
8 I)? Set) 2005) THE LIST 99