I tested supermarkets’ best offerings on National Pie Day… winner was tasty veggie option packed with real ingredients

WHETHER you privation to drawback 1 connected the spell oregon marque it the centrepiece of a meal acceptable for a king, what could beryllium much comforting successful the depths of the British wintertime than a hot, wholesome, hearty pie?

Today is National Pie Day, and 9 successful 10 of america reckon pies are an important meal, with astir 165million of them made and much than £1billion spent connected them past year.

While steak is the nation’s favourite filling, followed by chicken, a study by pastry shaper Higgidy shows the emergence of vegan and vegetarian diets, with veggie fillings present successful 3rd place.

Plus determination are caller flavours to situation the aged favourites, including afloat English meal and smoked haddock and cider.

Pretty overmuch thing is just crippled for a pastry filling and, arsenic with each fashionable foods, the scope successful prime is phenomenal.

A bully pastry is 1 of life’s large pleasures.

So here, Blur bassist and Sun foodie Alex James tries a enactment of pies with a premix of accepted and modern fillings, past scores each retired of five.

Pieminister Mooless Moo jackfruit steak, trade ale and achromatic pepper

270g, £4.70, Ocado

THE casing of this jackfruit steak, trade ale and achromatic capsicum pastry is remarkably flaky – I don’t deliberation you would cognize it was vegan pastry if nary 1 told you.

It’s brimming afloat of meaty-looking goop that has a pleasing Monster Munch twang and you truly sensation the 11 per cent brew – truthful possibly not 1 for Dry Januarists.

It’s singular however “meaty” this is.

But there’s a not- too-pleasing lingering ­aftertaste of bulb powder.

Nonethe­less, vegans tin rejoice.

RATING: 3/5

Sainsbury’s Minced Beef and Onion

150g, £1.25

A STEAL astatine £1.25. I similar the packaging, excessively – each the different pies travel successful unnecessary “boasting boxes”.

The pastry is conscionable a small connected the adust broadside (a knob of food connected a lukewarm 1 would hole that), but the filling has a decent savoury footwear and plentifulness of Bovril-like heft.

This offers a truly decent bang for not overmuch subordinate astatine all.

Highly grabbable and it would wholly deed the spot with a steaming blistery cuppa astir lunchtime.

If you’ve got clip to beryllium down, adhd immoderate crockery leaves to soak up those juices.

RATING: 4/5

Higgidy Roasted Sweet Potato, Spinach and Feta Pie

200g, £3.75, Waitrose

ALTHOUGH the cheaper of the 2 veggie picks, this is inactive rather pricey.

However, the ingredients database reveals it’s an all-butter pastry and contains a assortment of existent foods, alternatively than a agelong database of flavour enhancers and preservatives.

There are satisfying layers of texture successful the wonderfully tasty filling – those existent ingredients radiance through.

Purists mightiness reason a pastry should person a lid, but the unfastened apical makes it look beauteous connected the array – and a spot lighter for each of america who join­ed the gym this month.

Perfect with a solid of fizz.

RATING: 5/5

Pukka Minced Beef and Onion

215g, £2, Asda

KEENLY priced astatine conscionable 2 quid for a good-sized, good-looking pie, but unluckily looks are deceiving successful this case.

Removing the lid reveals that the filling is astir 50 per cent air.

The pastry has a bully taste, but is simply a ­little connected the chewy side.

Sadly, the aerial is the nicest spot of the filling, which had a gristly texture and reminded maine of a atrocious schoolhouse dinner.

But ever bully for a hangover, I guess.

RATING: 2/5

Charlie Bigham’s Chicken and Mushroom Fresh Pastry Pie

270g, £5, Waitrose

THE terms tag makes this a luxury option, but it needs fractional an hr cooking – truthful not a convenience pick.

A good piquant filling, it tastes conscionable similar a home-made pastry but, if you’re going to walk £5 and hold portion it cooks, you’re amended disconnected buying a rotation of ready-made pastry, a tin of chickenhearted crockery and adding immoderate leftover cooked chickenhearted and a fistful of frozen peas to marque your own.

If you’re a pastry fan, a rotation of ready-made pastry is simply a truly bully bargain – you tin crook leftovers into pies with large ease.

RATING: 2/5

Waitrose Chicken and Mushroom Pie

200g, £2.75

A LITTLE bland, the pastry lacked a spot of seasoning, but that’s easy fixed – and it was afloat to the brim with delicious filling.

A coagulated wintertime warmer – pies are amended served hot, obviously.

In fact, this ­handsome beast is astir large capable to stock for a candlelit wintertime diner à deux.

It’s crying retired for chips, mushy peas and a solid of beer.

RATING: 4/5

Sainsbury’s Taste The Difference Ultimate Steak Pie

250g, £4

ULTIMATE is simply a beauteous large claim, but it is surely OK – a chunky aged pastry with bully flaky pastry and plentifulness of heavy gravy successful the filling.

Would beryllium cleanable with a fistful of tomatoes and immoderate caller basil leaves connected a agleam luncheon time.

Even amended connected a acheronian and stormy night, on with a heap of buttery mash and a solid of Guinness.

RATING: 4/5

Higgidy Slow-Braised Steak and Craft Ale Pie

200g, £3.75, Sainsbury’s

NICELY layered pastry with satisfying smacks of ­cayenne pepper.

The filling looks appetising, with due chunks of steak alternatively than modular fare mince.

It tastes affluent and smells fragrant.

This is simply a premium pastry that would beryllium large successful the ­evening successful beforehand of the telly with immoderate cauliflower food and a solid of abdominous red.

RATING: 4/5