Pie anyone?

Myself and some of my colleagues went out for lunch last friday to a pie shop as it was a little reward for the hard work done on one of the client implementations currently ongoing. Pie shops are quite common in UK and Australia and don't refer to pie's such as apple pies, lemon meringue pies which are deserts. These pies are traditionally meat pies and in my opinion not too different from a pasty.

I guess you know where I'm going with this but these things are deeelicious. However, I'm not writing this to rave about how good these things are (and trust me they are good), but to describe my pie experience at this particular pie shop. The place is called 'Sweeney and Todd'. It's not 'Sweeney Todd' who was the well known (possibly fictitious) barber and serial killer appearing in various stories in the mid 19th century, but a pie shop located on Castle Street in Reading.



The best part about this pie shop is the old lady who reads out the menu. (Although they provide a menu at the table, it's pretty much useless because they might not have whatever is listed there.) It's almost like you're at a speed reading contest, when you hear her start off on the menu. This time I made sure I listened carefully so I could actually say 'Cheese and vegetable with chips(fries) on the side'. I felt redeemed as the last time I went there, everybody said exactly what they wanted apart from me. I had to ask her what the vegetarian option was because she was too damn fast. It's almost like a game and the best part comes when somebody (there is always somebody) who will ask her to repeat it with the hope of understanding what's on the menu.

The place is quite decent, however it seems quite old (probably over 50 or 60 years old). If you go downstairs, it feels like a bomb shelter of some sort redone, but it's the coolest part because it keeps opening up to these areas which act as nice little niches giving you a private but 19th century-ish feel.

Afternoon delight....

I love pastys. No, not pastries, pastys. To those of you who are unfamiliar with this, it's a wonderful british delicacy originally from Cornwall (a county in the southwest of UK). It's a type of pie if you can call it that but filled with various things. For those of you interested in details, history, etc... go here.

I have to be honest, I wasn't very fond of these things when I first tried them about ten months ago. I used to think who the hell would eat this. About a month ago, on our way back home from the station, I bought my wife a cheese and tomato basil pasty from Cornwalls (A pasty shop in the train station). I had refrained from taking a bite for the most part but after hearing the ranting and raving from my wife, I decided I'll humor (humour - UK) her and take a bite. I took a bite and my taste buds were exploding with action. I couldn't believe it was the same thing that had made me stay away from it for so long. I realised the first pasty I had tried was cheese and vegetable, which in my opinion sucked. I have since then become a huge fan of the cheese and tomato basil pasty (thanks to my wife). I really can't believe I've written more than two sentences on this but it really is delicious and most probably because I just had one today and the taste is still lingering in my mouth. :)


This picture is not that of the shop at the station but on the high street. Same chain, different location.