Looking at Giles Coren this morning in the Times - he was writing a 'tongue in cheek' article about Country Pursuits, one of which was killing and eating sparrows. It jogged my memory of my father speaking of doing just that.
He was born into a family of eight children - he particularly was born in 1880. His father was a Minister in the Methodist Church, but with eight children they didn't have much money and he used to tell stories to me about his mother catching sparrows in the back garden. His father had built a brick square 'trap'. On the top he balanced a garden sieve propped open with the copper stick and attached to a piece of rope which went through the open kitchen window. He would put food of some kind on the grass inside the trap, wait until it was full of argumentative sparrows each intent on getting their share of the food, then he would pull the rope which would fall on the grass and hopefully the sieve would fall and trap the sparrows. According to my father it didn't always work but - as my father used to say - when it did they would have a splendid sparrow pie for lunch. Fancy a slice?
My mother's favourite pie, which we had often as she dressed poultry for the village butcher, was giblet pie (some people didn't want the giblets left inside the carcase - in those days they were cleaned and left inside to be made into stock for the gravy. I can't tell you what it tasted like because I would never eat it - on giblet pie days I had to take potluck.
Pies are very popular up here in the North. Pork pies especially and when I came up here to live when we retired from the Midlands, we would have Pork Pie and salad for tea. But oh no. Up ere Pork Pies are put in the oven to heat up and are eaten hot, often with peas.
I would love to hear of any other popular pies that are eaten in your part of the world - and how they are eatcn. Of course apple pie reigns supreme here as it does almost everywhere. And as they say up here 'Apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze' so if you haven't tried it that way - give it a go and see what you think.
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35 comments:
When I used to spend most winter weekends rabbit catching, rabbit pie was a favourite of mine.I used to put the rabbit carcass in a pressure cooker and cook it, then pick all the meat off it. I then had, and still do have, one of those meat mincers that you attached to the side of a table and then put the meat in the top, turn the handle and then the meat came out further down all nicely minced. That meat was then mixed with gravy and veg and then put into a freshly made pie mix and cooked in the oven - lovely jubbly!
My mother made giblet pie which was basically a tasty stew with pastry. If any meat was available it would be added to the pot. The giblets and meat would be cooked first and then made into a pie and baked in the oven. I still have the recipe. Nothing wrong with it and a good hot meal for a cold winter's day. She plucked and dressed chickens for the Christmas market so giblets were often put in front of us and we would eat what we were given.
I find the idea of a heated up pork pie wrong quite frankly. I eat pork pies regularly and enjoy them. I would never in a million years heat one up though.
You couldn't pay me to eat giblets. In all probability they're quite tasty but I guess it's the name that puts me off. I love eating offal but I guess that name also puts a lot of other people off.
I agree re. pork pie, it should only be eaten cold, in wedges with, in my case, nice dollops of French mustard.
I'd have to take Pot Luck rather than eat either giblets or sparrows. I love pork and chicken pot pies but they are too messy to eat without a plate and fork.
We've found a few of my grandmother's recipes but the ones we've tried to make didn't come out well at all. Perhaps some ingredient was omitted? Grandma Hall was born in 1881.
Hugs!
I'm a huge fan of pie crust. It's pretty much my favourite part of the pie, (although the filling acts as a nice flavouring to the crust.) Our family always used leftover pie dough to make cinnamon rolls. We'd roll out the dough, spread it with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, roll, slice, and bake. Yumm!
I think Barbara Anne does not understand the texture of a pork pie. There is nothing remotely messy about a pork pie. The pork is set, the jelly is set. They are eaten cold with pickle and/or salad or just ketchup. A knife and fork can of course be used for aesthetic reasons but are not needed for prevention of messy fingers because there is no mess. British Pork Pies are probably quite unique and not understood outside this country.
A fork on its own with a pork pie would be useless.
My father loved his apple pie with cheese but I was the only one of my siblings whoa also enjoys it that way.
In Canada the most famous pie would be a French Canadian Tortiere. A mix of ground pork and beef and apparently everyone's grandmother had their own mix of herbs and spices that were used. I have a store bought one in my fridge which I am serving to my French Cdn. friend tomorrow night - it will be served with mashed potatoes and beans cooked in a maple sauce.
Chicken pot pie is my favorite and as Barbara said they (mine at least) would not be eatable without a fork. I never put a bottom crust, just the top and allow for a good bit of gravy so a fork is necessary.
As to apple pie and cheese that is the best! We always had it with sharp cheddar, but most people seem to think that ice cream is the best topping. Also sharp cheddar on top of a slice of mincemeat pie heated just a bit to soften the cheese is delish!
There can't be much meat on a sparrow but I suppose if you catch enough of them a meal could be made. In days gone by, with a large family to feed I daresay all manner of birds and animals might have been caught and eaten. During the war my mother made use of pidgeons and rabbits. I don't recall a regional dish from my childhood but when I moved North I well remember meat and potato pie with pickled red cabbage being a local favourite.
Haven't actually tried apple pie with cheese, but I know it goes with cold Christmas pudding, fruit cake, and raspberry jam!
I made a chicken pie today. My pie includes: a top and bottom crust, lots of chicken, a whole chopped onion, mixed veggies (mostly leftovers) and gravy. For seasoning, I add: thyme, sage, salt and pepper. Apple pie with a slice of cheese on top is a favorite in my family too. Sparrow pie is new to me. I suspect many sparrows were required to fill a pie and provide a meal for 8 children.
The maternal side of my family were English and they made pork pies. In my home we had all kinds of pie: Apple, raisin, mince, lemon and Saskatoon. I bet you never heard of Saskatoon pie before.
No Red - nor Raisin. Heather - meat and potato pie with red cabbage- had forgotten about that. Marge - never heard of that pie before Rachel Iwould never heat a pork pie now I am on my own again. David only liked them heated as do most Yorkshire country folk.
Some lovely memory ticklers for the appetite here.
My grandma ran her own bakery. Her best sellers were meat and potato pies, and meat pies. I would eat one or the other everyday, with lashings of HP sauce on the side.
*Drool*
Jo
I'm not "up" on pies except my own favorite and hard to come by pie: peach praline.
My late mother became a 'foodie' after reading Elizabeth David. On returning from her frequent trips abroad she would always bring exotic foods. On one occasion I remember her opening a small tin of Sparrows in wine sauce (Spanish, I think). There wasn't a lot on them!!
Nothing beats a good Aussie meat pie. Die hards have it with tomato sauce on top. And you have to be able to eat it out of the paper bag one handed. The other hand holds your beer.
I would eat a pork pie any way, hot or cold! As for pies, I am more a quiche person, finding them easy and quick to make (although I don't make them very often, admittedly).
When it comes to giblets, offal or any other "insides" of animals, I think it is right to make use of ALL the dead animal, so that is has not died in vain. But I don't like the smell or taste of any of that, and if I had to kill any living being in order to eat meat, I'd simply go without (as I do for most of the time anyway).
I was born in Leicester and it is/was a tradition that pork pies are eaten for breakfast on Christmas Day. We still do it to this day, although not lived in Leicestershire for nearly 50 yrs. Many years ago I worked next to a Walkers butcher shop( makers of famous pork pies) and would occasionally buy a small pork pie for my lunch. Sometimes they were still warm from being made, and they were delicious like that.
Have to agree with sparlingmerlot - the tradies go-to for lunch, in which case, replace the beer with an iced coffee.-Pam.
My Mrs Beetons has a recipe for lark pie. It required 12 larks.
I seem to have the worst problem leaving comments these days. Your memory had me singing about 4 and twenty black birds in my mind.
We don't have a lot of pie here, although I do have half an apple one in the fridge right now. In the UP of Michigan, Pasties (pronounced Pass-tee) are the thing. A hand held pocket of meat and vegetables baked in a crust. Later I heard that the area was settled by people from Cornwall, Ireland and Wales, so I'm sure that that treat was brought here from your corner of the world.
My mother used to make very austere 'meat and potato' pies with mince. I have tried to replicate them but never get quite the same results. Have you ever seen a lark lure? It is a box with a clockwork mechanism which turns a pole covered in dangling bits of broken mirror. The lark cannot resist coming down to have a look.
Pies have been my downfall since we returned to Yorkshire, the scales just keep going up. Your post reminded me of an Italian friend who told of eating wild birds during the war when there was nothing else. In fact small birds are still hunted and eaten now but this is becoming much less popular.
Alan's childhood in Rochdale is fondly remembered with meat and potato pie...in a pot with a pastry lid...my children and grandchildren still request it regularly!! Northern pies...we didn't have in Belfast in my home with a Scottish mother and an Armagh father!...memories get fonder by the years xx
My British grandmother made a very good egg and bacon pie that I still make here in Australia.
I love a good pie, in fact anything wrapped in pastry and cooked is delicious ... edible things are best though!!
My actual favourite pie or pasty contents are buttery leftover mashed potatoes stirred through with cooked sage and onion stuffing and a sprinkle of cheese. Cheap to make, clears the fridge of leftovers and is delicious either piping hot with Bisto gravy or just warm with a large dollop of mayo.
R
Penny - never tried an egg and bacon pie but have heard folk rave about one.
Gerry - I think Lancashire and Yorkshire have always vied over who can make the best pie.
Jenny - I have read about small birds being caught on nets and eaten on their long flights to somewhere warm for winter. I hope indeed that it is dying out.
Tom - sounds barbaric
Debby - Cornish pastoes are famous the world over.
Rachel - Lark pie with 12 larks - no longer larks disappeared from many areas.
Frances - not so sure about pork pie for breakfast although if it is a tradition then one will have been brought up with it.
Cro - in my cooking days I was a great Elizabeth David fan. My favourite book of hers which I have had for years is 'An Omelette and a glass of Wine
Thank you for your super response everyone. It has made my mouth water - especiallly that peach praline Joanne.
There are around 40 to 60 million small birds netted across North Africa each year as they fly north to Europe for the summer. Legislation to stop it is rarely enforced, that's if there is legislation in existence at all, and it isn't in all areas.
In France the Ortolan Bunting, no bigger than a Sparrow, is trapped, cooked and eaten whole and considered a delicacy. As a result, it's population is dangerously low.
I've never eaten a bird smaller than a chicken. I can imagine sparrow pie would probably be good, but I can not imagine being the one having to prepare it.
I've never had cheese with apple pie. I may have to try it. My husband grew up spooning leftover beef gravy on his apple pie. I've never tried it, and he rarely does that now-a-days. LOL
Blessings~
I love giblet gravy with roasted turkey.
In the southern United States pecan pies are a favorite. Pumpkin pies are an important part of theThanksgiving feast.
I’ve never had cheese with apple pie.
Yes, pecan pies here in the southern US, although I have to admit they are far too sweet for me. Then there's shoo fly pie, one I have never tried, and green tomato pie which is actually very good. Sweet potato pie is very like pumpkin pie. Vinegar pie is hard to explain--it's made with eggs, sugar, a little salt, vanilla and vinegar and is quite good.
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