The Dog and Crook, Brambridge, 25th October 2012

For this outing it was Si's choice of venue, and he allowed himself to be lured by sound reviews on Tripadvisor, and the prospect of a choice of several types of pie, including, for the first time, a fish pie. Si was joined by Nick, Trev, Joe and Paul T on the No. 69 bus bound for The Dog and Crook, which is a fine looking pub in the hamlet of Brambridge, between Colden Common and Otterbourne. 

We successfully managed to get off the bus at the correct stop, which is just a few hundred yards from the pub, although judging by the way that several of the gentlemen complained about having to walk so far anyone would have thought it was a major hike. As we arrived we noticed that there was a No. 8 bus stop just outside the pub, and someone observed that we could all have caught the No. 8 instead of the No. 69, thereby saving ourselves quite a long walk. At this point Si was duly contrite, and apologised for failing to carry out adequate research before organising this outing. 

As we walked in we were warmly greeted by Paul E, who had just driven back from Wales especially to be with us, and by Louise, the lovely landlady, who (seeing the state we were in after such an arduous trek) immediately offered us refreshments.

This being a pub tied to Enterprise Inns, the choice of ales was limited, but nevertheless quite satisfactory: There was Ringwood Best 3.8%, Sharp's Doom Bar 4%, and Fullers HSB 4.8%. Knowing that we might possibly have a long session ahead of us we mostly opted for Ringwood Best or Doom Bar (apart from the confirmed Guinness drinkers among us), and we found these both to be very satisfactory.

From the extensive lunchtime menu there were 3 pies available. Two of us chose the Steak & Kidney Pie, two chose the Chicken Leak & Mushroom Pie, and two chose the Fish Pie (all at £9.95, and all with a choice of new, chipped or saute potatoes, and mixed vegetables or salad). Whilst our meals were being prepared we had another beer or two, and discussed important matters of the day. 

When the food was served we were surprised to see that the pies were rather unconventional, being in the form of a puff pastry bap, sliced in half horizontally, containing the filling. To be fair to Louise, she had described to us exactly what form the pies were in, but the idea was so unconventional that we all failed to fully comprehend it. 

The Fish Pie had loads of filling, and plenty of sauce (although this was not altogether to Trev's liking):

The Steak and Kidney Pie was served in a similar style, with lots of filling and plenty of gravy:

Likewise the Chicken, Leak and Mushroom Pie:

The vegetables (carrots, broccoli and red cabbage) and potatoes came in huge portions, and were served separately:

By the time we had all helped ourselves to the accompaniments, there was certainly a good-sized plateful for us to get through. The vegetables were very nicely cooked, and there were lots of them. This shows just how much filling there was in the Fish Pie:

This also shows the curious nature of the puff-pastry case, which some of us thought was more like a bread bap, made from the sort of bread that the French use to make croissants. Not everyone was very impressed by this, as it sort of melted in the mouth and didn't add very much to the meal. Call us old-fashioned, but we really do prefer short-crust pastry. Still, we all finished our meals with gusto, although we didn't manage to finish off the potatoes and vegetables. Then Louise sprang a surprise on us by offering us free puddings! We were mostly so full that we couldn't face any pudding, but noblesse oblige and some of us forced ourselves.

This was the Apple & Rhubarb Crumble with Ice Cream:

Afterwards, we all felt replete. The bill came to £30 each, which, considering the number of drinks we had, is good value for money. The bill was presented to us with some accompanying mint chocolates (always much appreciated). The service throughout was very good. The ambience of the pub was also generally very good - we were particularly impressed by the array of items for sale in the Gents toilets (Louise had to explain to us what some of them were for). Unfortunately the pub closes at 3.00pm, so we had to leave before we were ready. When it came to assessing the scores for this outing, there were some heated discussions and differences of opinion. Regrettably the unusual pastry cast a long shadow over the whole proceedings, and as a result the final scores were low.

Scores (max. 5 in each category, 25 overall): 

• Pastry 1.39

• Filling 3.43

• Beer 3.75

• Ambience 3.57

• Value 3.97

• Overall 16.11

As we left the Dog and Crook someone suggested catching the No. 8 bus back to Bishops Waltham, as the bus stop was just outside the pub. Thus started another adventure: The No. 8 bus does a tour of the whole of southern Hampshire, taking forever to get to Bishops Waltham via Colden Common, Fair Oak, Horton Heath, Moat Park, Hedge End, Grange Park, Marks & Spencer Hedge End, Botley, Curdridge, Waltham Chase, and Swanmore before arriving at Bishops Waltham. This was despite a lot of encouragement from us to the driver, urging him to go faster and take a few short cuts. The driver did his best to oblige, but really, we could almost have walked home more quickly. When we arrived in Bishops Waltham after more than an hour on the bus, obviously some of us were close to bursting and felt the need to make full and immediate use of the facilities offered by The Crown, so in we went. And then some of us went on and made full and immediate use of the facilities offered by The Bunch of Grapes.

The Black Dog Inn, Waltham Chase, 27th September 2012

In a rare break with tradition we decided to re-visit the scene of one of our earlier outings,  The Black Dog Inn at Waltham Chase.  Our previous visit on 28th July 2011 was not altogether unenjoyable and the pies scored a commendable 19.65.  We'd heard that the pub had gone through a recent change of ownership, employed a new chef, and had a new menu, so we thought it was worth a return visit.

It being a pleasant autumnal day we thought that a good walk there and back would help us all to work up a good thirst and a healthy appetite, so off we all went.  Joe and Paul E met up at at  The Crown (if they had a quick pint there first they're keeping quiet about it) then set off at a brisk pace on the 2.1 mile walk to The Black Dog. Nick & Si set off from their homes at about the same time, saw Joe & Paul a few yards ahead, and struggled to catch up with them as they seemed to be doing some power-walking. Or were they just thirsty? Certainly they seemed to speed up as we got closer to the pub. We all walked straight past  The Chase Inn without any hesitation as it seems to be a particularly uninviting pub. We met up with Doug near his home in Swanmore, and met Paul T joined us in the Black Dog.

This is still a very pleasant pub, with large well looked-after gardens, two covered heated gazebos for the smokers, lots of beautiful hanging baskets, and a warm welcome inside from Peter, the new landlord, who has obviously made a considerable effort to improve the place.

This being a Greene King pub, there was, of course, Greene King IPA 3.6% available on tap. Tempted as we were by this fine ale, we couldn't help noticing some other interesting ales on offer.   There were two another Greene King ales, Abbott Ale 5%, which we felt was probably a bit strong for a session ale, and Bonkers Conkers IPA 4.1%, a seasonal ale. The guest ale was Everards Equinox 4.2%. The ales were all priced at around £3.40/pint, which is reasonable. 

We decided to start by sampling The Equinox and the Bonkers Conkers out in the garden, then, as we were getting a bit peckish, we moved indoors and had another one while we waited patiently for the food to arrive.

As we were waiting, and without any asking, the delightful waitress, Chelsea, brought us a warm baguette with butter for us a share as an appetiser. We thought this was a nice touch.  As there was only one pie available on the menu, we all ordered the same food: Steak & Stilton Pie with chips, watercress garnish, and mixed vegetables, at £7.95 each. Again, the price seemed very reasonable.  When the food arrived, the pie looked very appetising.

The pastry was a lovely golden short-crust on top, with a thin layer underneath that was perhaps a bit too thin as it had gone a bit soggy, although some people like it that way. There was plenty of filling, with large pieces of lean tender steak, plenty of juice with onions and mushrooms, and a thin layer of Stilton on top. Some of us felt that there could have been more Stilton, but there was just enough to add a subtle extra taste to the filling - any more might have been over-powering. Instead of the usual salad garnish, there was a generous helping of watercress, which was much appreciated: Pie Club members are well-known for their liking of healthy foods, and watercress is certainly good for you.

We were presented with two large platters of assorted freshly-cooked vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, mangetout) and chips. These were ample for the 6 of us, nicely cooked, and tasty. We were also given an extra jug of gravy, just as we like.


We all managed to clear our plates with gusto. The servings were generous, but we felt we still had room for a bit more - maybe it was the walk that did it, or maybe we felt we needed to build up our strength in readiness for the long walk back home, or maybe we were just too easily tempted by the pudding boards:

We chose a selection of puddings, all brought to our table by the delightful Chelsea:

Afterwards, we all felt replete. The bill came to £30 each, which, considering the number of drinks we had, is good value for money.

Scores (max. 5 in each category, 25 overall): 

• Pastry 3.7

• Filling 4.55

• Beer 4.31

• Ambience 4.15

• Value 4.27

• Overall 20.98

Our congratulations go to Peter, the new landlord. Compared with the scores from our previous visit, these scores show a considerable improvement, and we wish you well in your new venture.

Unlike our previous visit, this time we all managed to walk back home without resorting to public transport. We walked straight past The Chase Inn without any hesitation again, but stumbled at the next hurdle, The Barleycorn. Then some of us went on and stumbled again at The Crown. And then some of us went on and stumbled again at The Bunch of Grapes.

The Bunch of Grapes, Bishops Waltham, 26th August 2012

To help us celebrate the first anniversary of  the founding of the Pie Club we invited spouses, friends, and hangers-on to join us at a very special venue, our favourite pub of all time, The Bunch of Grapes in Bishops Waltham.

As usual, we were warmly greeted by Stuart, the landlord, who immediately offered us a choice of Goddards Ale of Wight 3.7%, or Sharps Doom Bar 4%. Two very acceptable ales.

 This was also the first occasion on which all members of the Pie Club managed to turn up for a meeting, and here is (very nearly) the proof (Doug was present, but too busy chatting with some ladies to make himself available for this historic photo). Here we (nearly) all are, proudly wearing our Pie Club badges:

The Bunch of Grapes is well-known as a beer-drinker's pub, but not so well known for its ability to serve up food. In fact they don't serve food at all, generally. But we Pie Club members are a resourceful lot, and Trev ordered a special delivery of pies from the Manydown Butchery, an award-winning butchery and farm shop near Basingstoke. Not just one pie, but two. For starters we had a Traditional Pork Pie, recent winner at the recent Butches Q Guild Awards Ceremony:

This was an excellent cold pork pie, very tasty, though maybe a little on the large side, as it didn't leave a lot of room for what was to follow. What could possibly follow a pie starter? Well obviously, a pie main course.  This was a hot Beef & Burgundy Pie (also a recent winner at the recent Butches Q Guild Awards Ceremony), served with delicious mashed potato and peas:

This was a very tasty pie, and the mashed potatoes were very good too. In a pub which doesn't normally do any catering, it took a lot of effort and organisation to serve more than 40 hot pies out all at the same time, so our thanks go to Mandy, the lovely landlady, and her helpers, who did an excellent job. In recognition of her efforts, Mandy was duly elected an honorary member of the Pie Club, and here she is proudly showing off her badges:

To round off the evening there was a pie-themed quiz, in which, contrary to expectations, the Pie Club members seemed to do very badly, but at least that shows that it was all fair and above-board, which is more than can be said, perhaps, for the raffle, in which some Pie Club members did very well. In spite of that, the raffle raised a substantial sum in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital. 

Trev expressed the thoughts of all of us when he thanked Stuart & Mandy and all the other people who helped to make this a memorable evening. And finally Pieman (who had been  observing the evening's proceedings from his secret bunker somewhere in Bishops Waltham) got in touch to give special thanks to Trev, who had organised the whole evening.

As we made our weary way home amid the gathering dark, most of the guests seemed to be quite pie-eyed, showing that they had had a good evening.

As the Pie Club members seemed to be among the most pie-eyed of them all, it proved to be impossible for them to formally score the session in the usual way. In any case, this was so different from our normal outings that the normal scoring system probably shouldn't apply. But an informal poll undertaken later by Pieman showed the following scores for The Bunch of Grapes, Bishops Waltham (Max 5 in each category - total 25 overall)

Pastry - 5

Filling -  5

Beer   -  5

Ambience - 5

Value  - 5

Overall  - 25

Wickham Festival, 3rd August 2012

Pieman  was at the Wickham Festival this weekend. Always on the lookout for pies, he happened to notice a fine-looking Chicken Balti Pie, which he couldn't resist trying. It was not bad for a £5 festival pie.

The vendor also does a good-looking range of other pies.

These pies are recommended. If you see them, try them!

Please note that Pieman visited the pub without any other members of the Club, so opinions expressed above are purely personal and not representative of the Club.

The Brickmakers Arms, Swanmore, 25th July 2012

Those of us who still have functional memories often look back on the early days of the Pie Club with some degree of rose-tinted nostalgia. It may be a trick of our memories, but many of us have been heard to observe that pies today are not as good as they used to be in the good old days. So, by way of a trip down memory land, and to put this hypothesis to the test, we decided to return to  The Brickmakers Arms, Swanmore, the historic site of the very first Pie Club outing on 20th January 2011. It is only fair to point out that the pub has undergone a change of ownership since our first visit, and so was ripe for reassessment.

It being a fine sunny day, some Pie Club members chose to walk to the pub. For some this was easier than others. It was easiest for Doug, obviously, as he lives in Swanmore and counts The Brickmakers Arms as his local. Others chose the road route and a few hardy individuals chose the cross-country route. Needless to say, by the time we all arrived at our destination we had all worked up a fine thirst. We were greeted warmly by the landlady, who proudly showed us what she had to offer:

The excellent range of beers available included several of our favourites, including Bowman Swift One 3.8%, 
Bowman Wallops Wood 4.0%, Hammerpot Woodcote Bitter 4.5%. At this point something struck us - we've grown (in more ways than one)! There were 3 of us present at the inaugural meeting, and now there were 7 of us. Only one member, Paul T, was absent.  On a fine sunny day, such was the allure of our favourite beer, the Swift One, that even the hardened lager and Guinness drinkers succumbed to its attractions and we ordered 7 pints of Swift One @ £3/pint. The landlady suggested that we might like to wait in the garden until the pies were ready, so off we went, to debate the important matters of the day.

There was only one type of pie available on the menu - Pork & Vegetable Pie, served with buttered vegetables and a choice of thin-cut fries, fat chips, or champ mash. All for a reasonable £10.95.

After our 2nd pint (or was it the 3rd?) we were shown to our table inside, and without much delay the food was presented to us. First to arrive was the pie with thin-cut fries:

The pie had the fully-approved home-made short-crust pastry (not Jus-rol!), and was filled with an interesting mix of shredded pork with carrots, peas, sweet corn, apple, onions and peppers. The accompanying vegetables were a seasonal mix of freshly-cooked steamed courgettes, mangetout, and cabbage, with a touch of butter added. The gravy was served in the approved manner, with a small portion pre-applied to the pie, and a larger portion served separately in a jug. We found the taste of the gravy very interesting - we had to ask to find out what the ingredients were, and found out that they included rosemary, calvedos, and ginger! All things considered, this was a very original pie and a far cry from the ubiquitous Steak & Ale pies, which, frankly, we're starting to get a bit bored with. It's a shame we don't award points for originality.

Next came the pies with fat-cut chips:

And finally came the pies with champ potato (again, an unusual offering):

We all agreed that all varieties of the potatoes very very good, and that the whole meal was very nicely cooked, very tasty, and well presented. The portion sizes were ample, but, unusually, we all managed to eat up what was put in front of us, and several of us still had room for puddings.  This is no reflection on the portion sizes, but rather reflects the ease with which we were all led astray by the sight of a tempting pudding menu:

We felt obliged to sample a selection of different puddings:

The puddings were all very good, but perhaps Doug made the best choice - The Love Puff Pastry Slices:

The ambience of the pub was judged to be very good. There was a TV and piped music in the bar area, but we couldn't hear the music in the (separate) dining area, and the TV was switched off. The pub is very clean and comfortable - there are even 2 sofas available, which is a very nice touch. The service was excellent. Another nice touch was that when we were presented with the bill we were also presented with a dish of home-made chocolate sweets, which were very tasty:

Scores for The Brickmakers Arms, Swanmore (Max 5 in each category - total 25 overall)

Pastry - 4.21

Filling -  4.57

Beer   -  4.13

Ambience - 4.32

Value  - 4.55

Overall  - 21.78

This was another excellent afternoon - another fine traditional pub, recently refurbished, with attentive staff, good beer, and another exceptional pie.  Surprisingly, despite having such a fine range of ales available, when it came to the scoring we had to mark the beer down slightly as it was served slightly too chilled (OK, it was a hot day, but anyone would have thought we were in Australia!). As it is, this score is sufficient to ease the Brickmakers Arms into 2nd place in our rankings, ahead of the Brewery Bar, and second only to the Wheatsheaf. But the competition is close, very close.

On our first visit to this pub in January 2011 we also had a Pork Pie, although the recipe was completely different. On that occasion our score for the visit was only 16.4, and yet, according to Pieman's recollection, it was a very impressive pie. Pieman imagines that as that was our first outing, perhaps we hadn't calibrated our scoring system correctly. Does this mean we're going to have to revisit all the pubs we've been to before?

Our normal monthly outing for August has been cancelled, in order to make way for our special first anniversary celebration, at a secret location on 26th August, when, for once, friends and wives will be invited. Look out for the full report in due course.

The Brewery Bar, Botley, 28th June 2012

On a hot, sunny and humid day in June a large gathering of excited gentlemen (Nick, Trev, Paul E, Paul T, Si, and, after a long absence, Doug) assembled outside The Crown in time to board the No. 8 bus to Botley, heading for The Brewery Bar. Having successfully managed to get off the bus at the right stop (with some help from the driver) our unfailing instincts led us to the pub without any further difficulties.

On entering the pub we were given a warm welcome by the landlord and staff.

Our initial impression of the pub was somewhat off-putting as we noticed the TVs, background music, fruit machines, dogs, pool table - all things which are normally anathema to discerning gentlemen such as us. And we were disappointed that there is no actual brewery in the pub, although we were told that there used to be.  And we also immediately noticed the fine and unusual selection of ales on offer.

We all had our eye on the Green Jack Orange Wheat Beer 4.8%, but at 4.8%* we felt it was a bit strong to start with. Most of us opted for a pint of Timothy Taylor Landlord 4.3% @ £3.70/pint, although as usual  Paul E preferred lager, and Paul T preferred Guinness). 

We sat in the garden and started discussing important issues of the day while our pie was prepared. As we were halfway through our 2nd pints the landlord came to tell us that our pie was ready to be served, so we went in and waited with baited breath. On the table next to us were about 14 women who had obviously had a good lunch - their chatter was so noisy that we could scarcely hear ourselves think - but never mind that, the pie when it arrived was fabulous. The landlord and chef were understandably proud.

It was a splendid Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie, which had been prepared especially for us.** 

It came with plenty of beautifully prepared home-made chips, made from new potatoes,

a fine selection of nicely-cooked fresh vegetables,

and beef gravy served just the way it should be, in a separate jug.

The portions were very generous. In the judging that followed some gentlemen thought that the filling was so good that it was perfect, and awarded it 5 out of 5. But some other gentlemen are harder to please. After the meal we were all so stuffed that nobody fancied any pudding, even though there was a fine range of reasonably-priced puddings available.

Instead of having a pudding, we sampled the Green Jack Orange Wheat Beer 4.8%. Being a wheat beer it has rather an unusual first taste, but it grows on you, and we all agreed that was a fine beer. Our only criticism of the beers we had was that they were served slightly too chilled. Notwithstanding our initial impressions, the ambience of the pub was good. The distractions noted above were not too distracting when we were there, although it's possible that the pub might be crowded, boisterous and noisy in the evenings. It's clean, tidy, and the service was excellent. Our final bill for the food and 4 rounds of drinks came to £25 each, including service, which we thought very good value for money.

Scores for The Brewery Bar, Botley (Max 5 in each category - total 25 overall)

Pastry - 4.08

Filling -  4.5

Beer   -  4.25

Ambience - 3.42

Value  - 4.25

Overall  - 20.5

This was another excellent afternoon - a nice traditional pub with attentive staff, good beer, and another exceptional pie.  Perhaps it is unfortunate that this visit came so soon after our visit to The Wheatsheaf and the exceptionally good pie that we had there. The Wheatsheaf has raised the standard to such a high level that it will be very difficult for any other pub to beat it. Sadly for The Brewery Bar, despite such a good effort, they will have to be content with coming 2nd this year (so far).

On our return to Bishops Waltham we adjourned to The Crown, and it was there that we noticed Paul E's dress sense. Should we agree a dress code for future outings?

* According to the brewer's web site, the Green Jack Orange Wheat Beer 4.8% is only 4.2%.


** There is some dispute among Pie Club members as to whether or not it is a good thing to tell the pub in advance that we are going to pay them a visit. If pre-warned then (as in this case, and at The Wheatsheaf) they can make a special effort to impress us with a made-to-order pie. We like this because we get to enjoy a very good pie. But if we turn up unannounced then our experience will be more typical and a truer reflection of the pub. Whatever we do, we should be consistent so as to be fair to all the pubs. Pieman senses a schism developing.

The Wheatsheaf Inn, Shedfield, 29th May 2012

Nick, Joe, Paul E, Stephen and Trev all met up on the No 69 bus heading in the direction of Shedfield and the The Wheatsheaf Inn. All had resisted the temptation to start off with a pint in the Crown mainly because Si could not join us as he was busy tasting cream teas in the Cotswolds.

After a shortish walk from the bus we arrived at the pub to be faced with a fine selection of beers - mainly from the Flowerpots Brewery in Cheriton. The range was Perridge Pale 3.6%, Flowerpots Bitter 3.8%, Goodens Gold 4.8%, Flowerpots IPA 6%, and Oakleaf Nuptu'ale 4.2%.

The price of the beers ranged from £2.50 - £2.90 which we all agreed was excellent.

We all settled down to our pints opting initially for the lower gravity beers of Perridge and Pots Ale and all agreed they were in excellent fettle. Paul thought his lager tasted the same as it always did.

Joe had carried out the research for this visit and they had offered to prepare a steak and ale pie for us on the day. The ale being used was the Flowerpots IPA.

Before the pie made its grand entrance Joe was presented with a rather dangerous looking knife and a slice and spoon for serving the creation. Our veg was presented separately on our plates. When the pie arrived we could not believe our eyes or our stomachs!

Joe attacking the pie!

The pie was built for 6 hungry men but, as you can see from the photo below, we were up for the challenge and the five of us managed to devour the lot. Everyone agreed that it was a truly excellent pie washed down with some excellent beers and lagers(?).

Nick felt it could have done with a tad more gravy so he decided to soak some of his portion in his beer to get the desired affect!

Needless to say puddings were out of the question so we supped up our beer and headed for the bus back to Bishops Waltham and the Crown to wish Joe a safe trip to Canada.

Scores for The Wheatsheaf, Shedfield (Max 5 in each category - total 25 overall)

Pastry - 4.36

Filling -  4.84

Beer   -  4.35

Ambience - 4.30

Value  - 4.86

Overall  - 22.71

An excellent afternoon - a nice traditional pub with attentive staff, good beer from a local brewery and an exceptional pie.  In fact, not only is this the highest-scoring pie of the year so far, it it also the highest scoring pie in the history of the Pie Club, making it a truly exceptional pie. 

Pieman is obviously upset at having missed this pie as he was unavoidably detained elsewhere. Pieman has noticed that there seems to be a trend developing; that all the best pies are sampled when he is away. If this trend continues, he may be forced to re-consider his position. Or maybe he should get his priorities right, stop whingeing, and just make sure that he turns up for all Pie Club outings in future.