5 Great Cambridgeshire places to find a Great British pie

It’s a tradition going back decades – and across Cambridgeshire there’s been a renaissance of interest in them.

It used to be that football and pies went hand in hand. There are few more traditional British combinations than a piping hot steak and kidney during a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon at your local ground.

Sadly, all too often, the quality of pies at football matches can be disappointing: soggy bases, meagre fillings, poor value for money.

But it doesn’t have to be this way as some of the pie shops on this list prove.

As chants of ‘who ate all the pies’ begin to echo around the terraces once more, what better way to commemorate a new football season than to compile a list of some of Cambridgeshire’s premium meat filled pastries.

Here are some favourites:

The Alma, Cambridge.

Pie and mash at the Alma - and all the trimmings. Well tasty mash peas and gravy of course in its own boat (Image: Archant)

The Alma is a wonderful and classic British pub (Image: Archant)

If you’re looking for high quality pie and mash in a traditional pub setting, look no further than the Alma in central Cambridge.

Offering a selection of 4 award winning, classic flavours to be enjoyed within its cosy and intimate dark wood interior, the Alma is an excellent experience for pie and real ale lovers alike.

At £11.45 for a Steak & Guinness or Chicken, Leek & Mushroom, it will come at a cost.

When compared with other food outlets in town, however, there is considerable value to be found here.

Especially given that all their pies are served with mash, peas and gravy.

Robinson Manor Farm, Glatton, Huntingdon.

Wow - super pork pies. Thankyou to Robinsons for sharing - well making them available in plentiful numbers. (Image: Archant)

For one of the best Chicken & Ham pies in the country, as evidenced by the highly commended mention it received for best Cold-Eating Savoury Pie in the 2020 British Pie Awards, visit Robinson Manor Farm.

The Chicken and Ham with Apricot, as well as the traditional Pork Pie, cost between £4.50 to £9.50 depending on size.

Alongside their refined menu of excellent cold pies, Robinson Manor Farm also sells ham and bacon cured in Wiltshire brine, continuing the process used by their butchers for years.

The meat is flavoured using the farm’s own onsite smoke room so as to guarantee the quality its loyal customers expect.

Measures Butchers, Brampton.

Measures is such a perfect shop. It has the lot - pies of course included (Image: Archant)

A feast fit for a king. Your mouth stopped watering yet? Probably not. Head to Measures to satisfy their appetite (Image: Archant)

Another great shop on the Cambridgeshire pie pilgrimage,

Measures Master Butchers boasts the only pie shop in the country to have been awarded 3 gold medals for England’s best steak pie.

This is the place for beef lovers.

To go with the classic Steak & Kidney there is Steak with Onions and Steak with Mushrooms & Red Wine, while the Steak & Stilton and the Beef & Bombardier are both gold medal winners in the British Pie Awards.

Measures’ carefully selected beef is dry aged on the bone for tenderness and flavour, the pies proving very popular since the butchers expanded its product range in 1985 after purchasing a second-hand cooker from the local school.

The Oliver Twist Country Inn, Guyhirn, Wisbech

Unadulterated pie heaven. Other food is course is available at the Oliver Twist. But today we're focusing only on pies. (Image: Archant)

Back to the pubs now and if you live in Wisbech you will probably already be familiar with the Oliver Twist Country Inn and its high-quality food and drink.

Slotting in amongst its menu of typical gastropub grub, their steak and ale pie is an established and well-reviewed favourite.

Why not sample one of their selections of award-winning ales as the perfect way to wash down a well-cooked pie.

The Poacher, Elsworth

Definitely worth a trip to the Poacher. Wonderful pub and a great varied menu (Image: Archant)

Finally, to Elsworth and The Poacher; a quaint, thatched village pub which prides itself on providing customers with a welcoming atmosphere and, of course, a fantastic pie.

The Landlord’s Homemade Pie of the Week keeps things interesting here but, whatever the filling, the customer can be assured of the quality of the ingredients and of the handmade short crust pastry which encases it.

Top it all off with the signature ‘Poacher Gravy’ and you have a pub pie to savour.

With football fans from across Cambridgeshire finally returning to the stands this month many will not have missed the familiar disappointment of purchasing sub-standard sustenance from one of the grubby kiosks which populate the outskirts of their club’s home.

Here’s to hoping they may find solace in some of the better pies our county has to offer.