A pie lover sampled every pastry one town has to offer and ranked his findings.
The man, who asked not to be named, set out on a quest to try every pie in St Helens. A difficult, but rewarding task- with the historic town boasting some of the most famous pie favourites, such as Pimblett's and Burchall's.
He posted his findings to a local Facebook group, St Helens Food Reviews. The posts gained a lot of attention, with other people commenting their views.
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Burchall's
Located on Westfield Street in St Helens town centre, Burchall's butcher's shop and its homemade pies have become synonymous with the town, boasting a fascinating legacy spanning back to the 19th century. People flock from across the north west to try the famous pies.
Burchall's was first on the list to try. In a post, the man said: "Only one place to start.... Burchall's. Crisp pastry on the outside with the unique juicy filling inside Priced at £2 they aren't the cheapest especially as they are relatively small, but you pay for the quality and I don't mind if it keeps these delicious pies in production."
Greenall’s
Next was Greenall's. In a post, the reviewer said: "Not been for many years and going into the shop really was like stepping back in time, very traditional.
"I got a steak pie and a small meat and potato pie. The steak was very reasonably priced at £1.65 and the small meat and potato was a bargain at £1, especially as it was same size as the steak. Both very nice. I'd say the steak pie was more like a minced beef pie, it wasn't big chunks of meat, but tasty nevertheless.
"The gravy on top was an interesting concept. Would definitely recommend."
Galloways
The next pie shop on the list was Galloways, a chain with many stores across the north west. The post said: "I said I was trying to stick to local businesses and avoid chains, so Galloway's is pushing it slightly.
"It's a Wigan based company with 25 stores across the north west so I'd say it's still a local company despite it being from Wigan and with 25 stores, yes it's a chain, but it's certainly not like Gregg's with 2,000 stores.
"So priced at £2.85, these are expensive steak pies if you ask me. But, this is the "deep filled" variant so it was always going to be more expensive.
"At risk of being called a traitor, this was my favourite so far. Big chunks of meat and I love the pastry."
Blackburn's
Independent bakery Blackburn's was up next. The review said: "Priced at £1.70, I chose the classic steak pie. I'd say the price was around average but it was quite small compared to the Galloway's (which was more expensive).
"The pastry was firm on the outside, but nice and soft as I bit into it. The filling was good. Less chunky than the Galloway's but chunkier than Greenhalgh's.
"At the risk of being unpopular, I don't think I liked this one any better than a Galloway's deep filled, or a Burchall's, but even so, it was a very good pie. I managed to resist the urge to buy cakes whilst inside the shop but they all looked delicious.
"I've not been here for a while but I can see why it's so popular."
Pimblett's
Finally, was arguably the most famous of the lot - Pimblett's. The review said: "Every Saturday morning as a kid we would go to Pimblett's on Junction Lane for pies, then up my nans. Obviously Pimblett's disappeared but what popped up to replace it was Pimmies.
"So it had to be Pimmies for reasons of nostalgia. So here it is, the Pimmies steak pie. Weighing in at £1.60, it was very reasonably priced.
"On biting into it, I could see why it was the cheapest pie, the filling didn't seem enough and towards each end it seemed to be a mouthful of pastry. Also, the meat was nowhere near as chunky as the Galloway's.
"It wasn't a bad pie, it was nice, and if the level of competition wasn't so high maybe it would have fared better. So in conclusion, it was good, not great."
Ranking the winner, he said: "I can't look past the Galloway's deep filled chunky steak. The amount of meat, the pastry was perfect, and you actually felt like you were eating something substantial.
"Now it could be argued that this is a chain (which I tried to avoid) as they have 25 stores, but in my eyes it's a local company (Wigan, sorry) that has expanded. It still had that feeling of a traditional bakers, rather than mass produced factory pies.
"Special mention to Blackburn's who were also delicious
"However, what's muddied the water is Burchall's. These things are something special. I've never had a pork/meat pie like this. They are unique to this town and hopefully they never disappear. But it's a different kind of pie than a steak pie, it has a different purpose, a different audience. So how can they be compared? Well they can't. So I won't.
"So the winners are. Steak Pie - Galloway's. Other Pie - Burchall's"
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