As we move slowly and reluctantly towards darker, cooler evenings, the idea of comfort foods and warm kitchens is coming to the fore. Pies By Post is making those pastry-wrapped dreams a quick and easy reality.
Having the time to create a fresh, homely pie to bake is a weekend luxury, but as our shopping habits are changing, having fresh, cook-at-home food options delivered is becoming more commonplace. The possibilities are endless, and businesses are booming, which is where Mad O’Rourke’s Pie Factory
in Tipton comes in.
Pies By Post was created by owner Peter Towler at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic as a spin-off from Mad O’Rourke’s Pie Factory, which has been feeding Tipton locals and visitors since 1987. Peter, the son of a baker, has been at the Hurst Lane site for 30 years, purchasing Mad O’Rourke’s in 2000.
Having built on the firm foundations already in place, Peter has developed new aspects of the business, including offering accommodation at the Pie Factory site and now sending freshly created Pie By Post nationwide.
Pies by Post: Tell Me the Basics…
We tried out the service, receiving a selection of six different flavours delivered directly to our door. Mad O’Rourke’s schedule delivers on Thursdays and Fridays only (which can be selected at the checkout), so planning ahead is essential if you’re looking for a pie-based feast on a specific day.
Securely packaged, the contents arrived in tip-top condition and looked fabulous. The cooking instructions were easy and clear, with both an oven and a microwave option. You can even home freeze them, if you need to.
Pies by Post: How Do They Taste?
Our selection of flavours included the single vegan option of Eeny Meeny Beeny, and the interestingly titled Sticky Rib Pie. We tucked into these first and found that the pastry-to-filling ratio was near perfect, with a crisp crust folding the contents firmly in place once cooked. If you’re not a fan of a firm pie, try the microwave cooking option, as this creates a more gentle crust, once heated.
The Eeny Meeny Beeny was well filled with a very tasty mix of beans, mushrooms and garlic, in a tomato and chilli sauce. The sauce, however, unlike the gravy in the meat-based pies, didn’t give the same level of moisture to the filling to offset the pastry, making it a little dry, which was a shame as the overall flavour was excellent.
The fillings in the meat-based pies were all tender, with good-sized pieces of meat and plenty of gravy or sauce to accompany them. The flavour balance of all the pies we tried was good, although we could have happily omitted the mint in the Wham Bam Thank You Lamb, as it would have been even more fabulous without it.
Pies by Post: The Verdict
As well as having pies delivered for your own enjoyment, Pies By Post can also be ordered as a gift for friends or family. Each box costs £24, including delivery, and you can opt to include a couple of bottles of Lumphammer Gold from Big Brew Co — another West Midlands-based company — and a gift card if you’re feeling flush.
If our pies are anything to go by, they won’t last as long as flowers, but they will certainly hit the spot.
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