Research commissioned by online market research company, OnePoll, has revealed that shepherd’s pie, steak and ale, cottage pie and steak and kidney all come out in the top five of Britain’s best loved pies.
The study of 2,000 people saw shepherd’s pie come in second behind apple pie, followed by steak and ale in third place, cottage pie fourth place and steak and kidney coming fifth.
Chicken and mushroom, pork pie and chicken pie also appeared in the top 13.
Kevin Smith, panel director for OnePoll, said: “The extensive list shows the versatility of the pie and what a big feature it is when it comes to the British diet.
“Whether sweet or savoury, pie passion is clearly high.”
The research showed that between men and women, men overwhelmingly voted in favour of steak and ale, while in the 25-34 year old bracket, sweet pies were least popular and steak and ale pie came out top with 35% of the vote.
It’s said that Brits tuck into an average of 2.2 pies each month, with 6% admitting to scoffing up to six and 1% eating over ten.
The study also revealed that the average person will eat over 1,500 pies in their adult lifetime.
A total of 84% of the population described pies as one of the best comfort foods, and the same amount added that they are ideal for feeding a family.
However, even though it’s believed that the pie pastry was invented by the ancient Greeks thousands of years ago, a huge 94% of Brits think that the pie is a traditional Great British dish.
The research also revealed that 23% of people would rather eat a ready-made pie than make their own at home.
Smith added: “Many of our favourite foods are things we enjoyed as children and carry with them a strong sense of nostalgia.”
Britain’s Best Loved Pies:
1. Apple 39.55%2. Shepherd’s pie 39.25%3. Steak and ale 39.15%4. Cottage pie 35.95%5. Steak & kidney 34.20%6. Lemon meringue 31.80%7. Chicken and mushroom 30.85%8. Pork Pie 29.35%9. Mince pie 27.25%10. Meat and potato 26.60%11. Chicken 25.50%12. Cheese and onion 25.35%13. Apple and blackberry 23.80%14. Minced beef 22.60%15. Chicken and gravy 22.05%16. Chicken and bacon 21.45%17. Chicken and leek 20.45%18. Cherry 20.35%19. Beef and beer 20.10%20. Banoffee 20.05%
This story was originally published on a previous version of the Meat Management website and so there may be some missing images and formatting issues.
