The Bakers Arms, Droxford, 28th November 2013

For a special treat this time we decided to pay a visit to The Bakers Arms, Droxford.  We know that this may not be the cheapest place to eat in Hampshire, but it has a great reputation, and we wanted to see if their pies lived up to that reputation.  Droxford is a bit cut off from civilisation, so the only way we could get there was by taxi. So, at the appointed hour 9 hardy gentlemen (i.e. the whole Pie Club) met up outside the Bishops Waltham Tandoori to wait for the taxis and endure the spicy curry aromas wafting from the nearby kitchen. Luckily the first taxi arrived early so most of us didn't have to wait too long, but sadly the second taxi was late, so 3 of us had to wait a while, and by the time they arrived at the Bakers Arms the first group of gentlemen were already halfway through their second pint.

On arrival we were given a warm welcome, and presented with the choice of ales, which we found was a bit limited.

However, Bowman Ales is a fine local brewery (actually, very local in this case) and a firm favourite of ours, so we didn't find the limited choice too much of a problem.  The pub was very busy, and seemed to be fully booked, but despite that we were very well looked after by the attentive staff.  We noticed a number of nice small touches which added to our enjoyment. For example, on our table there were personalised menus for us:

As can be seen, we had a choice of 3 different pies, all individual pies made with short crust pastry and served with potatoes and mixed vegetables.  Although the menus specified mashed potatoes, we were able to request sauté or chipped potatoes instead. As we sat at our table, we were presented with another nice small touch: delicious warm bread served with unsalted butter and separate sea salt. 

We were also given a jug of chilled water and some glasses, but we weren't sure what to do with those, so we left them. It was a nice thought, though. And we were given a set of sauces to go with our pies, including English mustard, French mustard, and ketchup.

These were another nice touch, but in the event our pies were so tasty that I don't think anyone used them.  As this is the height of the game season, most of us ordered the Game Pie, but some had the Chicken and Mushroom Pie, and some had the Fish Pie. Externally, the pies all looked the same, and they were served with the same selection of freshly-cooked vegetables, but The Game Pie and Chicken and Mushroom Pies came with different gravies, just as they should, and of course the Fish Pie came with no gravy. The gravies were served separately, in individual jugs, just the way they should be.

The vegetables included small portions of carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, and celeriac puree, and they were all very nicely cooked. Although the vegetable portions were small, the pies were of a good size, and packed with meat (or fish), and the whole meal was very satisfying.

The game in the Game Pie was a mix of venison and pheasant. The Fish Pie contain a mix of several fish including Salmon and some (unidentified) white fish, in a white sauce.  The pies all had ample filling with just the right degree of moisture, but perhaps it was a bit difficult to taste the pastry because the filling was so good. The ratio of filling to pastry wasn't quite right.

Most of us were quite full after eating all this, but a few of us felt able to try the puddings.

The puddings were all extremely good.

Although the pub was busy, we were very well looked after by the staff, who never kept us waiting for food or drink. We all loved the ambience here, and the facilities were clean and tidy. Our main courses were £13.95 each, the puddings were £5 each, and the ales were $3.40/pint, so although this wasn't a cheap meal, it didn't end up being outrageously expensive, the total bill amount to £33 each (including service). And there was a final nice little touch - we were given a bowl of jelly babies with the bill!

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

• Pastry 3.82

• Filling 4.22

• Beer 4.42

• Ambience 4.56

• Value 3.88

• Overall 20.91

This score puts The Bakers Arms in 3rd place out of the 10 pubs that we've visited so far this year. The competition this year is so tight that the top 5 pubs are separated by a mere 0.6 points, so this score for the Bakers Arms is by no means a bad score. What caused a lot of anguish was the scoring for "Value": Which gives better value for money? A top quality pie for £14, or an average pie for £11? Pieman is of the opinion that here there were so many nice little touches that it was worth paying a little bit extra, but of course, Pieman has to remain impartial and is not allowed to influence the judging in any way.

Our next meeting will be the Pie Club AGM, held (as is traditional) at the pub which was the winner of last year's Pie of the Year Award, The Wheatsheaf, Shedfield.  Among other items on the agenda will be a heated discussion to decide the winner of this year's Pie of the Year Award.  It could be contentious. 

The Crown, Bishops Waltham, 30th May 2013

As 2 of our members were still on the road to recovery following their recent hospitalisation we decided to keep it simple and visit the Crown Inn in Bishops Waltham.  This was our first official Pie Club visit to the Crown since its recent very expensive refurbishment, when it was transformed from a dump into a smart hotel, although obviously several members have visited it before in a private capacity. 

                             

After Nick, Trev, Stephen, Doug and Paul had stopped off at the Bunch of Grapes  to help Stuart out by moving some of the beer left over from his event at the weekend, we met up with Joe at the Crown. We were faced with a welcoming selection of ales:

Fullers London Pride, Bowman South Sea Spice, Seafarers Ale, Gales HSB, and a new beer from Fullers called Brewers Bragg.

We were not able to try all the beers - maybe due to previous consumption at the Bunch - but all beers tasted were in good condition and went down very well.

There was only one pie on the menu, the pie of the day, which was a fish pie - so we all ordered this. This was our first fish pie!  The pie had a short crust pastry bottom and sides and was topped with mash potatoes and came with a selection of vegetables and buttered new potatoes and a separate jug of a parsley sauce.

There was some discussion as to what fish was in the pie and we came to the conclusion that there was definitely salmon, a white fish and some prawns were spotted. Overall, the general feeling was that the pie was very tasty, though some thought it was a tad on the dry side, which I suppose is why it came with a separate sauce to suit all sorts. It was felt, that at £12.50, it was a bit expensive for the size of the portions, but then again, the Crown is a hotel.

As service was very slow and at times non-existent we decided not to have a pudding and some of us decided to go back to the Bunch to help Stuart out with his beer, only to find out that Stuart and Mandy had done a runner - I wonder why? So an early night was had by all!

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

• Pastry  3.5
• Filling  3.5
• Beer  3.92
• Ambience  3.04
• Value for money  2.75
• Total  16.71

The Crown immediately sinks to bottom place in our rankings, due mainly to the poor service, which is reflected in the low score for Ambience, and the poor value for money. Perhaps it is not fair to judge the Crown (which sets out to be a smart hotel) by the same standards that we use to judge pubs. Nevertheless, we won't be coming here again (not for a pie at any rate). The beers were good, though.