Scotch pie
A Scotch pie is a small, double-crust meat pie, traditionally filled with minced mutton (whereby also called a mutton pie) but now generally beef, sometimes lamb.[1][2] It may also be known as a shell pie or mince pie (although the latter term is ambiguous) to differentiate it from other varieties of savoury pie, such as the steak pie, steak and kidney pie, steak-and-tattie (potato) pie, and so forth.
![]() A cooked, intact Scotch pie | |
Alternative names | Mutton pie, shell pie, mince pie, football pie |
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Type | Meat pie |
Place of origin | Scotland |
Serving temperature | Hot or cold |
Main ingredients | Mutton or other meat, hot water crust pastry |
![](../I/Scotch_pie_dissection.jpg.webp)
The Scotch pie originated in Scotland,[3] but can be found in other parts of the United Kingdom and abroad.
They are often sold alongside other types of hot food in football grounds, traditionally accompanied by a drink of Bovril, resulting in the occasional reference to football pies.
Ingredients
The traditional filling of mutton is often highly spiced with pepper and other ingredients and is placed inside a shell of hot water crust pastry. It is baked in a round, straight-sided tin, about 8 cm in diameter and 4 cm high, and the top "crust" (which is soft) is placed about 1 cm lower than the rim to make a space for adding accompaniments such as mashed potatoes, baked beans, brown sauce, gravy or an egg.
Scotch pies are often served hot by take-away restaurants, bakeries and at outdoor events. The hard crust of the pie enables it to be eaten by hand with no wrapping. Typically there is a round hole of about 7.5mm in the centre of the top crust.
Competitions
Every year, since 1999, Scottish Bakers,[4] a trade association, hold the World Championship Scotch Pie Awards.[5] The winner of the Scotch pie section of the competition is judged to be the World Champion.
See also
- Killie pie – a steak and gravy pie
- List of lamb dishes
- List of pies, tarts and flans
- Rabbit pie – pie consisting of rabbit meat in a gravy
References
- "Scotch pies". BBC Food. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- "The Fife Larder 2nd Edition by List Publishing Ltd - Issuu". issuu.com.
- Classic Scots Cookery. Neil Wilson. 21 August 2011. ISBN 9781906476564.
- "Scottish Bakers". Scottishbakers.org.
- "World Scotch Pie Championship". Scottishbakers.org. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
External links
- "Dumfries bakery lands World Scotch Pie title". BBC News.
- "Aiming high for the best Scotch pie". BBC News Online. November 18, 2004.
- "World Scotch Pie champion named". BBC News Online. November 30, 2004.