back to article Recession drives pies sky high

Market research outfit Mintel has revealed an interesting side-effect to the global economic recession: pie sales are up as cash-strapped Brits look to cheap, "hearty" fare to fill their grumbling bellies. Indeed, sales of pies rose five per cent last year, reaching an impressive £941m. Mintel senior analyst Vivianne Ihekweazu …

COMMENTS

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  1. Roger Greenwood
    Pint

    "unauthorised pie scoffing"

    Doesn't exist. Pies are allowed any time, night or day. Never unpopular here in the north of England due to Yorkshire Thrift (i.e. cheap). Pie and a pint, can't beat it.

    1. Tigra 07
      Coat

      Chicken pies are better!

      Chicken pies are better than steak, the gravy is always thick and gives them so much flavour =]

      Mines the one with the pie in the pocket

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Happy

        Not according to "Chicken Run"

        "Chickens go in and pies come out."

        "What kind of pies?"

        "Apple pies"

        "Apple - ooh my favourite!"

    2. Petrea Mitchell
      Go

      Mmm, pie

      "Pie and a pint, can't beat it."

      How about in one package? There's a place around here that sells a "Beef +Stout" pie...

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Maybe record sales...

    ... but how many of them are useless air-filled pap.Proper hearty pies, properly filled with quality fillings are out there and my mission in life is to track them down.

    So far my research indicates that mass-produced pies for major retailers are under-filled, over-priced and bland. Support your local butcher & baker.

    1. Tigra 07
      Badgers

      Yum! badger pies!

      Technically air is a pie filling, just not a very popular one

    2. Loyal Commenter Silver badge
      Happy

      Pieminister

      That is all.

  3. Conrad Longmore

    Did you just..

    Did you just invent another unit of measurement? Converting currency into the "Pork Pie Year"?

  4. CT

    Pie chart?

    The BBC teletext version of this earlier this morning had beef pies with 56% of the market and sausage rolls with 53% (or similar figures that add up to over 100). Either they're taking into account the amount of air in the pies, or they need someone to put that on a pie chart.

  5. hplasm
    Coat

    A simpler way to calculate consumption

    Is to count the heads and multiply by Pie.

    Coat...

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Who's eaten all the pies ?

    Looks like it might be John Prescott but you don't want to know what he does next with them.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      How I've waited to use this qoute!

      "He'll tell you lies...

      He'll steal your pies

      You never guess that fat bastard's size"

  7. Anomalous Cowturd
    Thumb Up

    Allums in Wakefield.

    Best pork pies evarrr!

    EOT!

    1. Gene Poole
      Happy

      Dickinson & Morris

      pork pies are highly recommended by me and millions of others. They have a shop in Melton Mowbray High Street from where the pies will always be better than those that have been on a supermarket shelf for a week.

  8. TeeCee Gold badge
    Dead Vulture

    You complete bastards!

    You mentioned Melton Mowbray Pork Pies. Those deliciously artery-clogging pieces of heaven which aren't available over here at all.

    Thanks for ruining my weekend. The only way it could get any worse now is if something reminded me of Garner's pickled onions or mature Cheddar cheese.........DAMN!

    1. Lionel Baden
      Heart

      making it worse ??

      Crispy streaky bacon

      Chip Butty

      Crisp sandwich

  9. Cornholio
    Pint

    @Anonymous Coward

    "... but how many of them are useless air-filled pap.Proper hearty pies, properly filled with quality fillings are out there and my mission in life is to track them down."

    Then look no further than the Kean’s Head in Nottingham (http://www.castlerockbrewery.co.uk/site/?page_id=22).

    Breakfast Pie.

    Oh yes!

    A full English breakfast...

    ...in a pie!

    And proper beer too. Mmmmmm.

    Dash it all, how am I ever going to regain my 28" waist?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      pretentious warning

      from the site.............

      "We have now sourced locally grown leaves for all our salads. Grown by a local organic co-operative and travel less than 2 miles from field to plate."

      ... .................

      We use both sides of our bog roll, halving it's use and our shelves are at ground level so the lettuce doesn't get tired climbing...

      What an M&S

    2. Matt 13

      breakfast pie?

      work has officially stopped!

      All i can think of is tasty pie goodness!

      suddenly biscuits and coffee really dont cut the mustard!

      but it appears as though I am 3 hours, 12 minutes from satisfaction... god darn it!

  10. LinkOfHyrule

    Economic down turn, most over used excuse of the moment

    Oh so its this economic down turn causing a rise in pie sales is it? Got actual real proof of that, Mintel mintoes or whatever you name is?

    They could equally argue climate change is causing sales of pies to increase, or even blame it on a rise of the number of cats put into wheelie bins!

    I reckon its either because people just fancy pies slightly more often than before or its John Prescott causing the rise single-handedly due to comfort eating now Labour's out!

  11. Nigel Callaghan
    Thumb Up

    Ooooh, memories!

    This all reminds me of visits years ago to Nelsons Butchers in Red Lion Square in Stamford, stacked high with wonderful pies and other goodies. And after a quick Google I find they're still there and now sell on-line - yippee!

    As soon as the diet's over, I'll see if they're as good as I remember.

    The important thing is that a bowl of stew with a sheet of cardboard 'pastry' popped on top (as served in far too many pubs) is NOT a pie!

    1. Gene Poole
      Thumb Up

      @Nelsons Butchers

      Yes, they're still there and good as ever IMHO; don't forget the suasages too. I'm rather lucky to live within walking distance of this emporium.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    and

    Why not add this to the Ipdas are hitting laptop sales?

    Pies are hitting laptops sales makes as much sense as the ipads are hitting laptop sales spin.

  13. Rob
    Go

    Further breakdown of stats required

    I think it's important to find out what quantity were short-crust and puff pastry. As a previous poster mentioned a bit of pastry, cardboard or otherwise, dumped on some meat does not constitute a pie, I think there is a need for a Pie quango authority, I'll happily head this up, I feel it's my duty to make sure Britain produces proper pies (pastry top, bottom and sides).

    I'll be accepting applications to become board members as soon as central gov assigns me an office block (all glass and steel please) and large wads of cash on a regular basis and preferrably an additional benefit of a gym membership as well.

  14. BlueGreen

    Minor English gripe-ette aimed at mintel git

    "...as a versatile snack or viable main meal.”

    'viable' main meal? As against toxic, explosive or filled with fishhooks perhaps.

    As for your 'versatile' snack, I can suggest an unusually versatile use for a snack, salestwonk, to be repeated until you finally grasp the purpose of language.

    Sorry 'bout that. Normal griping on the subject of climate change & fossil fuel use will now be resumed. Nosh on (can't join you, don't know of any veggie pies. Can't imagine tofu, lentil & lettuce pie be any good).

    1. Albert Gonzalez
      Pint

      Not meat Pies

      No need for meat, just use tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, onions and some good cheese (goat cheese may be a good one), and put it all in the oven.

      Delicious.

      1. James Hughes 1

        That's not a pie

        That's a load of vegetables in pastry.

        Pies need meat. It's the law.

        (except kidneys - those are the devils testicles and therefor not for human consumption)

  15. EddieD
    Pint

    Proper pies

    Are hard to track down in supermarkets - no profit margin

    There's an outfit called North Country Lass who tour farmers' markets and the pies are so well filled that they appear to be made from neutronium - the weigh at least twice as much as an equivalently sized pie from Tescos.

    And it's Market day tomorrow.

    Oh joy...

    And think of the knock on benefits of this story - with us all eating all the pies, we'll soon need new clothes to encompass our ever increasing girths, which should give a boost to the clothes industry, then we'll all feel guilty about our size, and start buying diet and exercise books to shed the pie-induced pounds, maybe even going to gyms or buying bikes. This could be the end to the recession as we know it!

    In fact, it's our public duty to go out and eat all the pies. And if they come with a pint, so much the better.

  16. Martin 19
    Thumb Up

    That reminds me;

    I have pies at home.

    Yay for pies!

    1. Mullerrad
      Joke

      Who ate all pies?

      Somebody had too

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Pies and shopping

    Pies have stopping me shopping, which is why retail sales are expected to drop.

    What they don't tell you is that it won't be long until we're all so fat, that if we stood close enough together, we'd collapse under our own gravity. And ya don't wanna be nearby when that happens.

    Less pies might be a good thing, frankly...

  18. NogginTheNog
    Pint

    The correct way to consume a pie...

    ... is in a barmcake!

  19. Sweep

    PIES!

    Pie in Chorlton, Manchester. Great ales, lovely pies.

    Lots and lots of lovely pies!

  20. kelbag

    Who needs pies??

    Only one thing better than a pie in a barm...... a steak pudding in one. And not one ov ur namby pamby rag puddings.... has to be Hollands everytime.

  21. 88mm a.k.a. Minister for Misbehaviour
    Paris Hilton

    Pi Shop

    That's Pie without the 'e' - excellent place, pi, mash & onion gravy for 4.95, a selection of 200 beers and no booking required :-D But why does my local sainsbury only stock the steak and stout variety? Time to talk to the Pie Minister!

    Paris because I'd like to eat her pies (and buns)

  22. ravenviz Silver badge
    Go

    A solid snack

    When are Tesco bringing out a pie sandwich?

    http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/media/pr/pr2010/2010-07-12/

  23. Graham Bartlett

    10 servings?!

    I really don't think so. Not unless the people eating it are Chatham-clotheshorse anorexics, which frankly is unlikely given that it's a pork pie. A big pork pie serves 4, provided there's sufficient salad, spuds and other stuff. i've been known to scoff one in a single sitting though (but to be fair I felt rather ill afterwards).

    Anyway, Melton Mowbray pork pies are crud. Sure they're an improvement over Tescos Value, but compared to a proper pie made with real meat and pastry that doesn't taste like it could double as underlay, Melton Mowbray pies are properly awful.

  24. VulcanV5
    Alert

    Ejukashun, ejukashun.

    The increase in pie consumption is actually attributable to the state of the UK's education system and the A Level Plus Maths question this year (which if answered correctly, actually earned the respondent a degree):

    "Are you familiar with pi and who d'you most closely associate with its discovery?"

    Of the papers I have marked this year, 100% of the students answered the first part of the question in the affirmative, whilst the second part was answered as follows:*

    1. Tesco 28%

    2. Lidl 22%

    3. Me Mam 19%

    4. Bloke who runs the chippie down our street 16%

    5. Argos 9%

    6. Steve Jobs 12%

    7. DHSS 11%

    8. Mr M. Mowbray 5%

    (* I appreciate, the sums may not add up, but that doesn't matter at A Level Plus.)

    I was looking for Archimedes, but screw that, then.

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