Pieminister Manchester Northern Quarter

Pieminister was born in Bristol in 2003, the not-so-pie-in-the-sky idea of two mates, Tristan Hogg and Jon Simon, who decided to earn an honest crust by reinvigorating the humble pie – helped by a stall at London’s Borough Market and a pitch at Glastonbury.

They now employ around 300 people, but still make all the pies in their Bristol kitchens. These are your Pieminister stalwarts: the Moo Pie, a classic steak and craft (natch) ale number; the Heidi Pie, featuring goat’s cheese, sweet potato, spinach and red onion. The veggie Wild Shroom includes asparagus and white wine; the vegan Mock-a-doodle puts tofu “chicken” with leek. There are plenty more flavour combos where those award-winners came from and then there are the pocket-sized patties, a Cornish pastyalike but with inspiration from around the world and, inexplicably, served with a wedge of lime. Mash, peas and gravy put in an expected appearance, as do pigs in blankets or on a stick, and there are pie meal deals, Sunday Best offers and even a 5% Pieminister lager. Yes, there is booze and there is bottomless brunch on Saturdays, featuring meat sausage, veggie sausage or vegan sausage pies, smoky baked beans and other breakfast favourites.

Pieminister’s ethical and environmental credentials are gold plated, and plant-based pies mean planted trees with Forestry England. They have also set themselves targets to meet by 2025: reducing waste and carbon emissions, scrutinising ingredients to ensure the highest standards of animal and ecological welfare, and supporting human wellbeing through charitable donations.

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