][1]Well, according to many a food trend forecaster, we, the British nation will have eaten all the pies by the end of next year. While for some of us the pie was never off trend, lots of commentators predict that we will all be pie-eyed in 2011.
In Britain, the pie is a figure of fun for many who see it not so much as a food as a football chant. Having said that, some regions have already been quick to capitalise on their reputation for pie fondness.
Click here to see the winner of last week’s World Pie Eating Championships which were held in Wigan.
In the States, the pie is a semi-sacred food stuff with Mom’s apple pie being up there with the Bald Eagle and the Stars and Stripes when it comes to potent American symbols.
Andrew Freeman and Co, an influential restaurant and ingredient consultant in the States, has decreed that the pie is due a renaissance in the USA and what happens over there tends to filter over here.
The Huffington Post has a good slideshow of Mr Freeman’s predictions here but there are signs of the coming pie avalanche in the UK.
Breville and Antony Worrall Thompson have just launched a nationwide search for Britain’s best pie while we hear rumours that the Dogs restaurants in Edinburgh are planning a pie spectacular in the New Year.
Research company Mintel have backed up the rosy pie predictions with some hard facts. Their studies conclude that ‘UK sales of pies and pasties are thriving and by 2012 we’ll be wading our way through over a billion pounds worth of the tasty treats’.
Vivianne Ihekweazu, Senior Food and Drink Analyst at Mintel, added:
‘ Today, more and more Brits are continuing to buy pies and pasties as they rediscover their benefits, and they are proving particularly appealing to those on a limited budget. While pies were often previously seen as being old fashioned, they have benefited from being repositioned as a popular gastro pub meal staple – moving them a step beyond the sausage roll in the eyes of the consumer as a versatile snack or viable main meal.’
All of which means that there is likely to be increased interests in the results of the 2011 World Scotch Pie Championships which are announced on the 6th of January.
So, pies are this blog’s top tip for 2011 but we’ll make some other ill-judged predictions tomorrow.