Melton Mowbray, is a small town in rural Leicestershire, UK and is the centre of the production of Stilton Cheese. Whey as a bi-product of cheese production is beloved by pigs and so the area also became renowned for raising pigs and creating pork meat products.

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The king of these is the famous Melton Mowbray pork pie.  It was originally created in the 1700s as a convenient portable food for those involved in fox-hunting which was a popular sport in the area.  The popularity of the pie spread as a result of visitors to the area who came to follow the hunt.

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The pie developed from being baked in a clay pot covered with a pastry lid, to what it is today; a portion of chopped fresh pork meat, seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked inside a ‘hand raised’ hot water crust pastry case.  It has a particular pot-belly shape which is created as the pie cooks and the pastry case takes on that distinctive shape.

Similar pies from other areas have straight sides because they are cooked in containers rather than freestanding.  Another hallmark of the authentic Melton Mowbray pie is the colour of the cooked meat, which should be grey not pink.  Pink meat indicates that the pie is made from cured meat rather than fresh.  The pie should also contain a decent amount of clear jelly which is created when stock, made from bones and poured into the pie after cooking, cools and coagulates.

It is that unique combination of well seasoned meat, a pot-belly shape, unctuous jelly and crispy pastry that is the sign of a good pork pie from Melton Mowbray.  These days, mini versions are very popular as snacks and picnic food.  Whatever there size, they are undoubtedly one of my favourite English foods.