Pork Pies from Bristol
"So, is there anything that I can get you from here?" (Pic on the left is as delivered from Si, with the calculations of how much it cost written in pencil on the bag)
As the words appeared accross the screen on gmail chat, I knew there was only one thing I wanted. Well, two actually, but we won't go there. This is an, umm, PG rated blog you know.
"Pork Pies. YUM! With a nice wodge of cheddar and some Branston Pickle."
'Wodge' mind you. Not 'wedge.'
I actually just meant that I wanted the Pork Pie and that I could have it with some cheddar and Branston. But Si was sweet enough to bring me some farmhouse cheddar from his local deli in Bristol. And boy, was I glad he did.
Si's our diving buddy from Bristol, UK. He makes his annual pilgrimage to this part of the world, suffers our predilections with his easy blushes and brings us Pork Pies.
I abso-bloody-lutely adore Pork Pies from the more reputable manufacturers like Marks and Spencers or Waitrose. But I must admit, Si's Deli version was very uppercrust. And I use the pun deliberately. The Hot Water Pastry was short and tender, the sausage meat a little coarser and more rustic and the aspic, a little thinner but in terms of flavour it won by a long pig's snout!
And the Cheddar. Omigod. Grassy (I'd always wondered what they'd meant before but I could truly taste a herbaceous note), earthy, salty, nutty, and roasted garlic overtones. Sigh. How am I going to ever go back to President Cheddar again?!
Now, don't get me wrong.
Some of you who might be going to the UK (LFB and Prada) or who have been or lived there might be wondering why I blather on about Pork Pies because I've noticed that some people don't take to it like I do. But for me, it's an English Ploughman's Lunch. And you have it at a Pub, in the back garden, when the sun is out, and you're enjoying that minute of glorious British Sunshine, knowing that, if you don't live in the moment, in the next, you're liable to be clouded over for the next few months or so. 
Did I mention the pint of bitter that usually accompanies the Ploughman's Lunch?
OK, I'm exaggerating but you get the idea.
So here we have it. A boiled egg, a dollop of home-made mayonnaise, a green salad with grape tomatos tossed in a simple balsamic vinaigrette, the Pork Pie, a WODGE of cheddar and thou.
The perfect Sunday lunch.
23 Comments
5:51 PM
No scotch eggs? =(
I love pork pies...especially the Melton Mowbray ones!
11:50 PM
Oooo no scotch eggs with Ploughman's lunch! The Melton Mowbray ones are sooo good but this one was omigod good! hahaha
9:11 AM
allan y so shy?? haha
12:20 PM
Joe; DATS what I tot too! ;-)
12:21 PM
i'd recognise that hunk anywhere.
2:23 PM
Yum yum. Only thing is... what other PG-rated thing would you have asked for? :P
2:33 PM
Oooh.. I remember my first ploughman's lunch served on a wooden board at The Eagle and Child in Oxford. The portion was HUGE - good for 3 ppl!! I was amused that it even included a whole apple!
11:30 AM
love pork pie.. ! can eat like 5 without stopping and wash it down wiv warm lager.. why the allan so shy.. how out of character :P teehee
2:57 AM
nvr had pork pie worr.. hhmm...
10:30 AM
LL; haha It's the hair right?
Savante; Have a look on FB to see pic of Si ;-) Then you'll know what I mean ;-)
GFAD; aren't they great?
Ciki; yaaaaa ;-)
Nomad; J&R makes one
6:21 PM
We're in the UK now but shame on us, we haven't tried pork pies before. Ok, we'll try it out soon. Other than M&S, do you know any shops/restaurants offer good pork pies?
12:07 AM
Sugar Bean; Try a deli or Melton Mowbray(a brand) which I THINK you can get at Waitrose. :-)Happy Hunting. Don't forget Branston pickle. AND the wodge of cheddar ;-) A pint of bitter with it is good too :-)
8:49 AM
Hi Nigel,
The Pork Pies look delicious... drooling and mouth watering already :P
I have tried out your Inche Kaybin published in the May-Jine issue of Flavour Magazine. Its finger licking good! Crispy on the outside and yet the meat remains tender and juicy on the inside. Good one. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I have posted it up on my blog http://www.elinluv.blogspot.com
Cheers,
Elin
12:13 PM
Thanks Elin :-) Glad you liked it. The curry leaves was a nice touch.
2:51 PM
you very england hor....
2:52 PM
oooh, melton mowbray...i like... eh, can have pork pie class ah? i want to learn leh.
are the M&S ones from melton mowbray too?
4:05 PM
Aiya, you post this after we set off for UK ma... so no lah, we didn't get to try any pork pies there. Just means we've got yet ANOTHER reason to return to good ol' Avalon ya? ;)
10:48 PM
FBB; wat to do? live there like forever almost ;-) M&S has different styles now ;-)
LFB; absolutely ;-) And Avalon might be Glastonbury ;-)
4:37 PM
Yeppers, I know but I am such a big fan of Arthurian legends ma... ;)
3:12 AM
Avalon, we almost went there...gosh could those Pork pies be hand carried? Too bad I'm Penang for a whole week b4 i get to KL, I don't think they'll survive lor - if u hv any ideas let me know hor. So far I'm bringing the chocs from scratch ingredients. ;-)
3:15 PM
Pey...caaaannnn ;-) one night only and they're chilled in the hold anyway :-)
2:38 PM
food looks good,yumm...
12:23 AM
Thank you Nigel for such a generous review of The Ming Room! The photos are fantastic and such a thrill to see them on your blog especially when I was there when you took them almost casually....! Not fatal but one minor correction, the horses are not wooden but terracota from Xian, China.
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