Saturday 5 October, 2013 

Birmingham City 1 - 2 Notlob
St. Andrew's Stadium  -  Attendance: 13,627

A new challenge today with an early kick-off. So, were my lunchtime pie urges met......

[do you like the new addition of a fork in the pic?]

 

Verdict:
With an evening Balti on the horizon, it had to be another Steak & Kidney pie - with ketchup, obviously!

Despite a queue, I was served quickly and pleasantly, and even managed to get 2 pies as the old man joined in the pie exploits.

As you can see from the pic, it looked great. Golden crispiness, that crinkled beautifully with the fork insertion.

Initial tastes were also great. Perfect pastry, lots of filling, including big, tender chunks of steak (although not a great deal of kidney).

Everything was going great, so I expected a burnt bottom (pie, not mine), soggy bottom (pie, not mine) or greasy bottom (both me & pie)!

But not so. The pie was cooked perfectly throughout, with a thick but not too soggy or too greasy bottom.

So I was thinking to myself, this could be a perfect 10 out of 10 score???

But I can't bring myself to do that. The pie was lovely, but there was nothing 'special' that grabbed me by the throat and gave me a big pie-based snog!

I have no idea what that special-ness could be, but there has to be something that WOW's me to get that full score.

Maybe I'm being harsh, but this pie gets a very near perfect:

SCORE : 9.5/10

 

 

There isn't a match for a few weeks now, so this is a great way to enter that break. Perhaps that special something will even be present next time and we'll reach the promised land of 10/10!
 

 
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Tuesday 1 October, 2013 

Birmingham City 4 - 0 Millwall (no-one likes them)
St. Andrew's Stadium  -  Attendance: 13,133

A new month, and a new ex-Blues player on my club calendar, but what does October have in store for pie lovers......

 

Verdict:
I couldn't take the risk of a half-time poor showing (see previous blogs), so went for a pre-game Steak & Kidney pie, with compulsory ketchup.  Everyone knows that pre-match pies aren't as good as half-time ones (again, see previous blogs), so I was already on the defensive.

Service was great as usual and the pie looked OK, with a bit of sinkage in the middle, suggesting undercooking.

First tastes were great. Crispy top, hot filling. I thought the mid-week pie problems had finally been solved.

But my enthusiasm was short-lived.  Whilst tasty, there was a paltry (not poultry) amount of steak or kidney and - completely opposite to my undercooking expectations - the bottom was burnt!

I don't quite understand how that's possible in a tinfoil encased pie, but the bottom pastry tasted like bread that's been in a toaster turned up to 11.

Some good points, especially for a mid-week pre-game pie, but the overcooking is inexcusable, so:

SCORE : 6/10

 

 

Another match on Saturday gives a great chance to undo this poor(ish) score and go into the International break in fine form!

 

 

 
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Wednesday 25 September, 2013 
Birmingham City 3 - 1 Swansea City
St. Andrew's Stadium  -  Attendance: (only)7,470

I said at the end of the last entry that pie service always seems to be more of a challenge for Blues at evening games, so how did they cope this time......

 [sorry for the blurred picture, but I was hungry!]

Verdict:
As expected, not very well!

There were only Balti pies available (and only 5 of them left) when I really fancied Steak & Kidney. So straightaway, my pie-mood was low.

Starting with the middle, the filling was great. No arguments - Pukka (@PukkaPies) have nailed the Chicken Balti filling as far as I'm concerned.

But the pastry? 'Undercooked' would be 'understating' it!

You can even see in the picture that the centre hasn't risen. The top pastry was soft, not flaky. And the bottom pastry was soggy. And a soggy bottom is (almost) never good, in any context.

Slip-ups are allowed, but scoring has to be a terrible (and possibly even a little generous):

SCORE : 4/10

 

 

 

As with football matches, a poor pie showing can easily be forgotten by improving next time. So the pressure is on Blues!.

 

 

If anyone's off to the Reading match, please Tweet or DM me your own pie pic, score & review for inclusion.

 

 

 
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Saturday 21 September, 2013 
Birmingham City 4 - 1 Sheffield Wednesday
St. Andrew's Stadium  -  Attendance: 14,379

Well, the match was a BIG improvement from the last outing, but would being back on our own patch help the pie situation......

 

 

Verdict:
I was greeted with fast, friendly service, which has become the norm at St. Andrews this season (about time too)!  And my Balti pie looked fantastic.

The flaky puff pastry on the top automatically put this pie on a pedestal compared to the weak showing of Burnley FC.

Again as is the norm with this years' pies, the filling was hot, tasty and had plenty of meat. Pukka (@PukkaPies) really seem to have nailed a good Balti filling.

The downside for this pie came at the bottom. It was undercooked and, as any good pie taster will tell you, that leads to unwanted levels of sogginess and greasiness.

As I've said before, in previous years this showing would have got a great score. But the bar has been raised this year, both by the Blues and Pukka, so it only gets:

SCORE : 7/10

 

 

A night game this Wednesday sets a big challenge - stock levels and quality usually suffer in midweek. Let's see what awaits.

 

As always, feel free to Tweet your own reviews for inclusion, with #BCFCPieEatersUnion.

 

 

 
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Tuesday 17 September, 2013 
Burnley 3 - 0 Birmingham City
Turf Moor Stadium  -  Attendance: 9,641 (420 Bluenoses)

An extra special pie review this week, as we bring you a WORLD EXCLUSIVE from the inner-sanctum of any football club - the press box!

But firstly, having been to Turf Moor more times than most away grounds, and having had a very nice meat & potato pie last year - [yes, meat & potato pies can be nice!] - I was excited about half-time......

 

Verdict:
My excitement built as I remembered they had a peppered steak pie and there were plenty available too. Received with good service, and a little banter from the pie lads.

The first look of the pie (pic above) rang alarm bells. Everyone knows the best pies have puff pastry tops, and this was shortcrust!! But what about the taste?

Well, it was poor. The pastry around the side was far too thick (possibly overcooked). It even broke my flimsy plastic fork!

The filling was very nice, and lived up to its pepper-y and steak-y billing.
(Wonder if we could get these at The Cookhouse at St. Andrews?)

But the pastry was such a let down, that it cancelled out anything the filing could offer, so:

SCORE : 5/10

 

 

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

 
As promised, now the WORLD EXCLUSIVE pie review from the press room, courtesy of Blues PR & Social Media bod Andy Walker (@_andywalker_).....

[N.B. I believe brown sauce on a pie is something VIPs do]!

 

"Sadly the disappointment of this pie set the tone for a miserable night at Turf Moor.

It quickly became clear that the pastry was the best aspect of this late afternoon snack, yet the well-cooked, thick crust only encased a bland potato filling that was lacking a suitable amount of chunky meat pieces.

 

The very fact that assistance was needed in the form of brown sauce to kick-start the taste buds into action further highlights that this pre-match pie, surrounded by a mushy pea moat, won't live long in the memory."

SCORE : 3/10

 

 

So, a bad night for Burnley FC off the pitch, and the Blues on it!

 

A big thanks to guest blogger, Andy. Blues games are coming thick & fast in the next few weeks so stay tuned, and feel free to Tweet your own pie reviews for inclusion.

 

 

 
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Saturday 31 August, 2013 
Birmingham City 1 - 1 Tractor Boys
St. Andrews Stadium  -  Attendance: 14,328

Been a little while since I was back in Brum, so thought it had to be a Balti pie today......

 

Verdict:
Generally OK.  Good, quick service. Lots of pies available. [I believe they'd sold out of Meat & Potato, but what kind of numpty orders Meat & Potato anyway?!]

Back to the pie. Felt it needed longer cooking. Top pastry wasn't flaky enough & bottom pastry was too soggy - as any pie lover knows, a clear indication of insufficient cooking time.

The Balti filling in these Pukka Balti pies is good. Very nice flavour (good attempt at proper Balti) and plenty of chicken. Needs to be a bit spicier though.

Last season, this would have got at least an 8, but good experiences so far this year, and the fact they're now Pukka pies, raises the bar, so:

SCORE : 7/10

 

 
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*** Stop the Press ***

Burnley FC have given us a glimpse of the future, with their new pie app (as reported on Whoateallthepies.tv - @waatpie)

Ordering refreshments ready for half-time has long been reserved for theatre going snobs, but now it seems it may be possible for us poor, downtrodden football fans.

Everyone knows Burnley folk have a good tradition of pie-munching - although I seem to recall a rather dry, tasteless Meat & Potato offering from them when I went last season - but now they have encased the digital age in a pastry shell, and are showing all football clubs the way to treat the humble pie-eating fan.

In an age when Blues' mobile website doesn't always work, this really is a show of force by our northern counterparts. I know @KRO1975  is also a big fan, and we'll hopefully see BCFC catering following suit soon.

Burnley FC - BCFC Pie Eaters Union salutes you!

 

 

 

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*** BONUS ENTRY ***

Saturday 17 August, 2013 
Birmingham City 0 - 1 Brighton
St. Andrews Stadium  -  Attendance: 14,885

The impressive start to Blues' catering offering this year was added to when they gave out FREE samples of Balti pies at the start......

 

Verdict:
Yes it was cold. Yes having a pie at the start of the game is a bit a no-no. And yes, it was just to encourage people to part with £2.90 they hadn't planned to spend.

But also.... Yes it was free! Yes it was a decent size sample! And yes, it was served by attractive women in full Blues kit!!

Genius move by Blues.  Am sure @_sarahgould_ had a hand in this great initiative. Perhaps some samples from the Cookhouse next game???

 

 
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Saturday 17 August, 2013 
Birmingham City 0 - 1 Brighton
St. Andrews Stadium  -  Attendance: 14,885

Once again opted for the traditional Steak & Kidney, but with the addition of a good dollop of ketchup......

Verdict:
Again, a very nice pie. Hot, plenty of filling. Good crispiness to the top. Felt it was a little undercooked, leaving the bottom pastry a bit too soggy.

Really good service. Impressed that there seems to be extra serving staff this year. Plus, there was plenty of pies left (probably because the attendance was fairly poor).

Overall, a decent showing, but not up to last weeks' exceptional standards.

SCORE : 8/10 

 

 
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Tuesday 6 August, 2013 
Birmingham City 3 (aet) 2 Plymouth Argyle
St. Andrews Stadium  -  Attendance: 10,178

Here's the pic of my Steak & Kidney pie.....

 

Verdict:
Absolutely gorgeous pie. Cooked perfect. Plenty of tasty filling. Crispy pastry top. Great service.

SCORE : 9.5/10 

Would have been 10/10, but I had to get it at the start as I knew they'd sell out. Half-time pies are always better.
 
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Saturday 3 August, 2013 
Birmingham City 0 - 1 Watford
St. Andrews Stadium  -  Attendance: 18,830

Disappointed as I wanted Steak & Kidney but they'd sold out, so I gave the Balti pie a go......

Verdict:
Generally OK. Hot, though a little undercooked. Nice filling, though not spicy enough. Good service. Decent, solid start.

SCORE : 7/10 

 
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Welcome to the Internet's newest and best blog (about pies at Birmingham City FC).

Every game I will post my review on my pie. Of course, that's only if I have a pie (ha ha ha ha... as if I wouldn't have a pie!!)

And feel free to Tweet your pie reviews with #BCFCPieEatersUnion and I'll add them to the blog too. Make sure you include the customary pie pic and score out of 10.

Enjoy!


 
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