Asda Steak & Stilton Puff Pastry Pie

Description: Tender chunks of British Beef smothered in our Long Clawson Stilton Sauce with Puff Pastry lid.

Cost: On offer, 2 pies for £2.50

Cooking: 25 minutes on number 4 from fresh.

Verdict: First impressions? I havent had a steak & stilton pie in a very long time and have to say its one of my favourites. They are also quite difficult to get correct when you make them, the Stilton sauce is either too weak so you cant taste it, or too over powering.

So I was very much looking forward to this pie. In the oven it goes, 25 minutes whilst I cook some fresh potatoes off my very own garden.

Cutting open the pie and the pastry lid was perfect, not too flakey and just the right depth. The filling smelt lovely. I could see nice big lumps of beef, which was indeed very tender. The sauce was perfect. Just the right amount of of stilton, nice, creamy and the right ratio of sauce to meat. The meat was really tasty, no grissle or fat and just the right tenderness.

All in all, I was very impressed, certainly a new favourite for me and will be buying again!


Calorie count is 602 calories per pie.

Rating?   9 out of 10.

Pie in the Sky Flamenco Chick Chicken & Chorizo Pie

Description: Succulent chicken, spicy chorizo and mixed peppers in a rich tomato based sauce topped with golden puff pasty.

Cost: £1 for single pie.

Cooking: 50minutes on number 6 from frozen

Verdict: First impressions? Id tried the Tesco chicken & chorizo pie in the past, but this one has a mediterranean twist to it with peppers and a tomato sauce.

Out of the box the pie looked good, typical single portion sized pie. In the oven for 50minutes gave me plenty of time to get my potatoes ready. Instead of peas i thought id have some home grown courgettes off my garden. They are growing like mad this time of year.

Cooked for the recommended time and pies cooked a treat. So whats it like?

Well, there was plenty of filling, nice chunks of peppers and chicken. The sauce was very tasty, very mediterranean flavour to it. And I think there was just the right filling for the size of the pie. I think it was very much an acquired taste, so some people might not like it. Personally I felt it would be better eaten over winter - a nice warming, filling pie and a nice change from the normal steak & onion or chicken & mushroom type.

Calorie count is 503 calories per pie.

Rating?   6 out of 10.

Tesco Chicken, Ham Hock and Leek Puff Pastry Pie

Description: British chicken and ham hock in creamy sauce wrapped in a puff pastry lattice top

Cost: £2.49 for family sized pie.

Cooking: 40 minutes on number 6.

Verdict: First impressions? This is a nice deep fill looking pie. The blurb on the back of the packet talks about how they make their fresh pies using "master bakers" and really makes you work up an appetite ready to tuck into the pie. Ive had Tesco pies before and had mixed opinions of them, so im keen to see how this pie compares.

Verdict: As you know already, I'm not a big chicken pie fan, I do prefer the meaty steak, but I think the combination of chicken, ham and leek do work good together so im keen to see how things pie shapes up.

In the oven it goes and as per instructions, 40mins later its ready and waiting. I decided to push the boat out with this one and rather than have plain potatoes made some lovely home made chips. I hope this doesnt affect my verdict!

Cutting the pie open and the first thing I noticed was the filling. There was loads of it. Nice big chunks of chicken, just the perfect amount of creamy sauce. Upon eating you can really taste all the flavours. Perfect combination of ham, creamy leek and chicken all hitting your taste buds. Each flavour not being too over powering unlike one of the previous Tesco Chicken & Leek pies ive had.

The pastry was just the right amount too, not too little and not too stodgy. And the 1/3rd of the pie portion was just the right size.

All in all what a pleasant surprise, this is certainly one of the best pies ive had and certainly has just become one of my favourites. I will have to send Mrs Pieman out to buy some more!!!

Calorie count for this pie is 480 calories for a 1/3rd which is about the right size for an individual portion.

Would I buy it again? Definitely, easily the best chicken & leek pie ive had, and id rate this on a par with my "holy grail" of chicken pies, the Waitrose roast chicken pie.

Rating?  10 out of 10.

Heinz Chicken & Bacon Big Pie

Description: Tender chicken, chunky potatoes, smoke flavoured sweetcure bacon, leeks and onions covered in a delicious creamy sauce, encased in a shortcrust pastry base and topped with a light puff pasty lid.

Cost: £1 for single pie as special offer. Normally £1.65 per pie which isn't bad.

Cooking: Number 5 for 30minutes.

Verdict: Mrs Pieman bought me a couple of Heinz pies a few weeks back. Id already tried the Steak & Potato pie which was incredible, so I was looking forward to their Chicken & Bacon Big Pie to see how that compared.

In the oven the pie went, one pie is a single serving. It looked really substantial out of the box, living up to its "Big Pie" name. It took 30minutes which was just the right amount of time for me to prepare some potatoes & some veg.

On the plate and it looked the part, nice and big. And as with the previous steak & potato pie there was no leakage of the filling which is always good.

Cutting the pie open, the crust & pastry was perfect. Inside there were nice big chunks of chicken & potato and loads of creamy sauce. The sauce was really nice, creamy and just the right texture. Unfortunately I couldn't taste any of the bacon, leeks or onions which was a disappointment, as that would have really worked well with the chicken & creamy sauce.

All in all, the pie was really nice, and id certainly recommend it if you fancied a chicken pie. But for me, it didn't quite taste as good as their steak & potato version.

Calorie wise, 539 calories per pie.

Rating? 7.5 out of 10.

Birds Eye Steak & Kidney Pies

Description: Prime steak pieces and kidney, within rich gravy and delicious shortcrust pastry.

Cooking: Number 6 for 35 minutes from frozen.

Verdict: Having tried a few steak and kidney pies in my time I was really looking forward to this one. 35 minutes in the oven isn't bad from frozen and I had this one with new potatoes and carrots to make a nice change. The shortcrust pastry was lovely, really tasty and crumbly in the mouth. Inside, loads of gravy came flooding out once cut, nice, tasty and just the right thickness. The downside I found was whilst there were nice small chunks of kidney there was literally no mince. I honestly didn't find a bit anywhere. It was like having a lovely thick beef/onion soup with some kidney. Still, it was very tasty and if Birdseye just added some lumps of beef this would be an awesome pie.

Calorie wise, each pie is 505calories.

Rating? 5 out of 10.

Pukka Pies Shortcrust Minced Steak & Onion Pie

Description: Minced steak, chopped onions and dark gravy in a shortcrust pastry case.

Cooking: 45 minutes number 4

Verdict: Pukka Pies need no introduction, and as regular readers of my blog know I am a big fan. The last one I had I gave a beefy 9 out of 10. Cracking pies.

To my surprise, I found these lurking in the back of my freezer which was a lovely surprise. As a special treat I also let Mrs Pieman have one, so I put 2 in the oven and set the timer.
 
Out of the oven and on the plate, they looked great, along side some mash and peas. Cutting them open I dived in and was immediately disappointed. I had to double check to make sure I was actually eating a Pukka Pie. The filling was bland, no taste and not much mince at all. In case my pie was faulty I had to check Mrs Piemans one on her plate, and it was unfortunately the same. She confirmed my opinion and expressed her disappointment too. I don't know what Pukka Pies are playing at, so I am hoping this was a one off and the next pie from them I try is back up to their usual standards.

Sadly I cant recommend this pie. If you want a minced steak & onion pie, id reach for the Tesco own brand ones instead.

Calorie wise its 414 calories per pie.

Rating? 2.5 out of 10.

Ginsters Peppered Steak Pie

Description: British steak with onion in a creamy pepper sauce in a shortcrust pastry base topped with light puff pastry.

Cost: £1.89 for an individual pie.

Cooking: Number 6 for 25minutes from fresh. Add 10minutes if frozen.

Verdict: I didn't realise Ginsters did pies like this, I normally associate the brand more with slices and pasties which you might get from your local garage. Still, I do enjoy a nice steak pie and since this is a peppered steak I thought it would give the pie a nice twist.

In the oven the pie went, one pie is a single serving. Its a typical sized pie, ideal for one person. I had it with my usual peas and potatoes. Cutting the pie open, it started to disappoint. There were only a few very small pieces of steak. At one point I did wonder if it was minced beef instead of steak as I couldn't find any, but eventually I did find a couple of small pieces. The gravy for me was the biggest disappointment. There was plenty of it, but it was like water. You could taste the onion & peppers in all fairness, but it was just too watery. If they put 4 times the meat in the pie and made the gravy a bit thicker then it would be much better. All in all it was quite a let down, especially after the last steak pie I tried. I wouldn't buy again.

Calorie wise, 534 calories per pie.

Rating? 1 out of 10.

Heinz Big Pie Steak & Potato with HP Sauce

Description: Tender pieces of steak, chunky potato and sliced onions with a dollop of HP Brown Sauce, smothered in a rich beef gravy, encased in a shortcrust pastry base and topped with a light puff pastry lid.

Cost: £1 for single pie as special offer. Normally £1.65 per pie which isnt bad.

Cooking: Number 5 for 30minutes from fresh.

Verdict: Well, Mrs Pieman was out shopping in the week and spied these new pies on the shelf from Heinz. Yep, thats right, Heinz are now making pies! So, she had to buy a couple for me to try.

This particular pie is a Steak & Potato pie, with HP Sauce added for flavour made by a company called "Peters" for Heinz. They have more info on their website. http://www.petersfood.co.uk/ The pie on the cover looked great, nice chunky filling with a nice pastry.

In the oven the pie went, one pie is a single serving. It looked really substantial out of the box. It took 30minutes which was just the right amount of time for me to prepare some potatoes & some veg.

On the plate and it looked even better, nice shortcrust casing, which was solid enough to hold the contents in with no leakage, and yet thing enough not to be too over powering. Cutting open, there were plenty of contents. The steak was slightly smaller pieces than in the picture on the box, but very tasty and with the pieces of potato also in the pie meant this could really be a meal in itself. Ideal for a lunchtime snack. The steak was tender and cooked perfectly. No fatty pieces here. The sauce was perfect, just the right amount & consistency. You could even taste the HP sauce which gave it a nice flavour.

All in all, I couldnt fault it. Really yummy pie, so its a rare 10 out of 10 from me. Definite full marks and I will buy again. Im now looking forward to the other Heinz pie Mrs Pieman bought for me which is a chicken one!

Calorie wise, 564 calories per pie.

Rating? 10 out of 10.

ASDA Chicken and White Wine Pie

Description: Tender British Chicken Smothered in our glossy cream and white wine sauce, with a crown of crisp, flaky pastry.

Cost: £1 for single pie.

Cooking: Number 4 for 25mins from fresh or 45 mins from frozen.

Verdict: I hadn't had a Chicken & White Wine pie for a long time, and I remember being really impressed by the Sainsbury's version which I tried last year, so I had high expectations for the ASDA version.

Out of the packet and the pie is the typical decent single portion size. In the oven it goes whilst I get some potatoes boiling ready to make some mash.

25 minutes later and the pie was smelling lovely. Out of the oven and the pastry has risen nicely. On the plate and cutting open and the contents didn't disappoint me visually. Nice creamy gravy, I could see some nice lumps of chicken and the sauce smelt good. I couldn't smell any wine though so it must have all been absorbed during making the sauce.

Taste wise, the pastry was nice and filling, plenty of it and it held the contents in perfectly. The chicken was tender and there was the right amount of sauce for the pastry. Unfortunately the sauce was very bland which is where the pie let itself down. I couldn't taste any wine, or anything else for that matter really. It was like a creamy chicken soup sort of sauce rather than anything special.

Still, for a chicken pie, it wasn't too bad, therefore I would be tempted to buy it again in the future.

Calorie wise, 585 calories per pie.

Rating? 6.5 out of 10.

Sainsbury's Chicken & Spinach Puff Pastry Pie

Description: Succulent British chicken and spinach with a cream sauce in shortcrust pastry topped with golden flaky puff pastry.

Cost: £2 for a 235g pie (1 serving).

Cooking: 30 minutes on Number 4 from chilled or 45 minutes from frozen.

Verdict: First impressions? Never tried Chicken & Spinach pies before, normally Chicken & leak seems a more popular choice by makers, so I was intrigued as what this combination would taste like.

In the oven from frozen and it was soon ready. There was a nice amount of chicken inside, tender and no dodgy bits was found. I couldn't really taste the spinach at all, it seemed to vanish in the sauce which in itself didn't really do it for me. It wasnt as creamy as I expected and wasn't as thick as I normally like.

The pastry was about average for a pie, wasn't the best ive tried and wasn't the worst.

All in all, i felt it was a very plain pie. Not one I would buy again.


Calorie count is 663 calories per pie, which isn't bad at all.

Rating?   3.5 out of 10.

Pie in the Sky Peppered Steak Pie.

Description: Tender braised beef pie with cracked black pepper and onion in a rich sauce

Cost: £1 for a 200g pie (1 serving).

Cooking: 25minutes from chilled on number 6.

Verdict: First impressions? I happened to be in Morrisons and saw this in the pie isle. Never seen this make before and the packaging looked really cool, so I just had to try them out as they seem to be new on the market. They had a Chicken & Chorizo pie and this Peppered Steak Pie on the shelf, so I bought both. Will try the Steak one today and Chicken later in the week.

In the oven it went from chilled, whilst I stuck some boiled potatoes on and for a change some broccoli instead of my normal benchmark peas.

Out the oven and its quite impressive, looks quite substantial for a single pie compared to others ive tried. Cutting open and there was a generous amount of gravy and a perfect amount of steak. No scrimping here. The pie casing was very tasty, nice, solid, and held the contents in perfectly. The crust had crushed black pepper on it, which must be where the peppered bit comes from as there was no pepper inside the pie. The actual contents however I was a bit disappointed with. The steak, whilst nice chunks and plenty of them, they weren't as tender or as tasty as I expected. Also, the gravy, whilst again, plenty of it for a change compared to other similar pies, it just wasn't tasty as I expected which was a big shame.

All in all, I was a bit disappointed. I had high expectations, and they have got quite a few things right, such as the gravy and amount of steak, but the flavour just didn't do it for me. But, for £1 you cant go wrong, so give it a go!



Calorie count is 512 calories per pie, which isn't bad at all.

Rating?   6.0 out of 10.