A village pub in south Warwickshire is once again proving it has the recipe for success after scooping a string of awards for five of its pies.
The Fleur de Lys shortlisted recipes have been selected from hundreds of entries in the prestigious British Pie Awards. The pub’s Butter Chicken Pie scooped Gold while their Beef & Mushroom Stroganoff Pie took Silver. Bronze was awarded for their Butternut Squash & Goats Cheese Pie; Cheeseburger Pie and Christmas Steak Pie (filled with British beef steak, pigs in blankets, honey roasted carrots and parsnips, mulled wine sauce.)
They were among the ‘hot favourites’ singled out by a panel made up of over 180 leading experts from the retail, baking and butchery sectors as part of British Pie Week last week.
Held annually in Melton Mowbray, the Rural Capital of Food, the Awards honour the best pie-makers across Britain, from small independents to large-scale producers.
Owner Emma Woodhouse said:
“We’re so delighted to continue to honour the pie-making legacy that the Fleur De Lys is renowned for. It always feels a bit like David vs Goliath going up against the likes of Ginsters, Tesco and Waitrose in these awards, but what we lack in scale we more than make up for in love."
“Our pie chefs - Rachel Griffiths and Gemma Hughes - are forensic about creating the perfect pie. We have the confidence of our customers who return time and time again to try our pies, but it’s like the cherry on top to be recognised nationally by the judges at the British Pie Awards.”
The pub first began serving pies through the infamous kitchen hatch during the 1950s, drawing crowds from all over the Midlands to sample Mr Brookes’ finest steak and kidney or chicken and mushroom pies.
The inn was mainly frequented by farmers who'd come in for a pie and a pint after they'd finished harvesting. The licensee at the time bought Emscote Mill in Warwick, from where they distributed nationwide but eventually the original pie recipe and company was sold to Pukka Pies.
But, under the auspices of current landlords Emma and Nick Woodhouse, in 2018 The Lowsonford Pie Company was born and all 11 flavours of pie are now handmade and served directly from the Fleur De Lys kitchen, headed up by Rachel Griffiths. Rachel said:
“We cooked 317 pies in order to get the handful that we entered into the awards. Planning for these awards starts well in advance and we experiment with new recipes to get just the right mix of traditional entries and fusion flavours. This is the first time we’ve received a Gold award and we’re really proud that all the hard work paid off.”
It wasn’t until the early 20th century when The Fleur de Lys first opened as a tavern, later going on to introduce the ‘pioneering’ idea of serving food and giving rise to the now famous Fleur De Lys pies.
It is not the first accolade for the Fleur de Lys, whose pie making team have a real appetite for awards success.
All the unique flavours created for the awards are currently available on the Specials Menu at the Fleur De Lys, whilst stocks last.
