The Rising Sun, Swanmore, 1st March 2011

Trevor, Nick, Simon, and new member Doug met for the 2nd meeting of the Pie Club at The Rising Sun, Swanmore . Joe had to duck out at the last minute, which was a shame as he missed some excellent pies. There was a choice of  Steak & 3 Mustards Pie, or Steak, Guinness & Chestnuts Pie, each served with chips, peas and gravy. After much debate, Nick and Simon opted for the Steak & 3 Mustards Pie:

Trevor and Doug chose the Steak, Guinness & Chestnuts Pie:

The portions were very generous. The Steak & 3 Mustards Pie was enclosed in short-crust pastry which was perfectly cooked, not too thick, and tasted excellent. The Steak, Guinness & Chestnuts Pie  seemed to have a short-crust pastry base and sides, with a flaky pastry top, which was equally satisfactory.
The fillings were packed with large pieces of tender lean meat and just enough gravy to keep it all together. Our only concern was that we all agreed that the fillings tasted very salty.  The chips and (frozen) peas were all nicely cooked.

There were 4 ales available: we tried Sharp's Doombar 4% (excellent), Hopback Summer Lightning 5% (also excellent), and Jenning's Cross Buttock 4.5% (not bad). All the beers were served well at the correct temperature, and went well with the pies. Ringwood Best was also available.

We don't usually bother with puddings, but on this occasion they looked so good that we couldn't resist them. Nick and Simon had Spotted Dick Currant Pudding with Custard:

Trevor and Doug had Treacle Pudding with Custard:

Extra custard was provided. The puddings were very enjoyable.

The general ambience of the pub was excellent.  On arrival we were given a warm friendly welcome. and found there was a log fire blazing in the bar area (very welcome on such a cold day). It's obviously a popular pub as there were several other customers there enjoying their meals, but noise levels were not intrusive (at least until we arrived). The service was good, and the pub was clean and nicely furnished (there is even a 3-piece suite in the bar area which we were able to retire to after we had finished our puddings). There was a commendable lack of background music, fruit machines and other distractions.

We felt that overall the portion sizes were very satisfactory, the quality was excellent, and at £10.95 the pies were good value. The total bill, including puddings, drinks and service came to £35 each, which is a little high, but we were generous with the service as we were a little drunk by then so impressed by the place.


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

• Pastry 3.75
• Filling 3.375
• Beer 4.25
• Ambience 4.375
• Value 3.5
• Overall 19.25

Congratulations to our hosts Sue & Mark. Your pies have earned our highest score yet. We'll surely be back for more!

The Brushmakers Arms, Upham, 24th February 2011

Simon went for an evening meal with some friends at The Brushmakers Arms, Upham , where he had a traditional Steak & Ale Pie, accompanied by chips and mixed vegetables, with a pint of Upham Ale 4%. Unfortunately, Simon was driving so his beer consumption was limited.

The meal was generally very good, not least because of the good company, and the general ambience of the pub, which was excellent. The pie was tasty, with a good meaty filling and proper short-crust pastry, but let down by 2 things: (1) The filling was far too hot when served (Simon scalded his tongue at the first taste), and (2) the pastry, though of good quality, was only a topping and not a full casing (it might also have been slightly overcooked).  The accompanying vegetables were fresh, tasty and nicely cooked. The chips were not bad. Portion sizes were ample. The ale was ok, but not as good (in Simon's opinion) as Upham Nectar 3.8%. At £10.50 for the meal it was average value for money.

Simon was disappointed to notice that Steak & Kidney Pudding was on the menu, but "sold out".

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

The Folly Inn, Whippingham, 3rd February 2011

Simon stopped for lunch at The Folly Inn and opted for the traditional Beef and Ruddles Ale Pie (just a small portion as he knew he was going to have a big meal later in the evening) accompanied by a pint of Goddards Scrumdiggity 4%.

The pie was disappointing as there was too much pastry and not enough filling. The short-crust pastry was good but soon became soggy from the gravy (which had been pre-applied). The filling was tasty, but perhaps rather too much gravy and not enough solid meat. The accompanying vegetables were fresh (apart from the frozen peas), tasty and nicely cooked. The chips were very good. The ale was the best part of the meal. At £6.79 for the meal, and £2.35 for the pint of ale, it was good value for money. The location (right by the water's edge) was good, but the ambience was let down by the presence of fruit machines and background music.

His companion had British Ham Hock and Broad Bean Pie with mashed potatoes and Colmans Diane Sauce.

Simon wished that he had ordered that instead.

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

The White Lion, Soberton, 22nd January 2011

Simon had a good meal at The White Lion but was slightly disappointed by the Steak & Wine pie because it had a puff pastry topping (Simon would have preferrred a full shortcrust pastry casing) and it had a Steak & Wine filling, which clashed with the beer. Admittedly, this would not have been a problem if he had been drinking wine. Otherwise the meal was very good, although Simon felt unable to have any of the (usually very excellent) puddings because he was anticipating a cream tea in the afternoon, and a curry in the evening. The Upham Nectar was particularly good - so much better than Upham Ale in Simon's opinion.

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

Incidently, Andy the landlord disclosed that the pub is now up for sale, as he is finding it very difficult to make enough money from it. He is now working full-time as general manager at the Upham Brewery to try and make ends meet. Apparently there is talk in Soberton of locals getting together to buy the pub. Let's hope that happens. We wish Andy well.

The Brickmakers Arms, Swanmore, 20th January 2011

The inaugural meeting of the Pie Club got off to a good start at The Brickmakers Arms,where the 3 founder members met to agree a constitution and sample their first pie. It being a quiet Tuesday in January there was only a limited menu available, with a choice of Pork & Cider Pie, or a Ploughman's Lunch with cold Pork Pie. We all chose the Pork & Cider Pie.

The short-crust pastry was perfectly cooked, not too thick, and tasted excellent. The filling was packed with diced pork meat, with a thin cider gravy, and traces of mushrooms and shredded carrots. It also tasted excellent. The fresh vegetables (new potatoes, carrots, sugar-snap peas) were nicely cooked, and (importantly) served in a separate dish so as to not contaminate the pie.
Nick drank Ringwood FortyNiner; Trevor & Simon had Bowman Ales Wallop Wood. Both are fine beers, served well at the correct temperature, and went well with the pie.
It was difficult to judge the ambience of the pub, as we were very nearly the only customers there, but the service was good, and the pub was clean and nicely furnished. We all felt that it was much improved, compared with how it was a few years ago, and we have learned that the clientele has improved.
We felt that overall the portion size was about right, the quality was excellent, but at £10.95 the pie was a little expensive. The total bill, including drinks and service came to £25 each, which is par for the course.
Scores (max. 5 in each category, 25 overall):

• Pastry 4
• Filling 3.5
• Beer 3.2
• Ambience 2.7
• Value 3
• Overall 16.4

Rules of the Club

The inaugural meeting of the Gentlemen's Pie Club of Bishops Waltham (hereinafter referred to as "the Club") was held on Thursday 20th January 2011, at the Brickmakers, Swanmore. The 3 founder members (Nick Crossley, Trevor Croucher, Simon Dorey) were present, and agreed the following rules:-

1. The Club is committed to the tasting and enjoyment of savoury hot pies, puddings and pasties.
2. Membership will be by invitation by the above named founder members.
3. The 3 founder members to agree a name for the Club.
4. The Club will meet monthly at an agreed venue with the choice of venue alternating between members. There will also be special ‘ad hoc’ events.
5. Venues should be within 1 hour walking distance/travel by other means from Bishops Waltham unless otherwise agreed by the members.
6. There may be occasional ‘one-off’ meetings in conjunction with the Bunch of Grapes Public House where member(s) will provide pie(s) for tasting by other members and invited guests.
7. The dictionary definition of pie is "a baked dish of ingredients encased in or topped with pastry". All dishes complying with this definition shall be eligible for consideration by the Pie Club, but for clarification the following dishes are specifically eligible: Sheppard's Pie (even though it has no pastry), Steak & Kidney Pudding (even though it is not baked). Cold Pork Pies are of such importance that they are to be judged in a class of their own.
8. Any member who ever suggests eating a quiche may, by a majority vote of the founder members, be dismissed from the Club.
9. Initial ratings of the pies and visited establishments will be conducted using a score of 1-5 (where 1 is poor and 5 is excellent) and will rate each of the following 5 areas:

• Pastry (or topping)
• Filling
• Beer – quality and range
• Ambience of establishment - including service, clientele, facilities
• Value for Money - i.e. price, quality, and size of pie