We reveal goodfood.com users' most popular pie for British Pie Week 2024
From steak and kidney to classic apple, pies are a comfort-food staple for many. But which is the UK's favourite? We unveil the most popular pie recipes on our website
British Pie Week is back (4-10 March 2024), and we're revealing which goodfood.com pie recipe is the most popular with our audience.
We've analysed which pie recipes have had the highest amount of web traffic in the last 12 months, and with a huge 3.9 million page views, our trusty cottage pie has come out on top as a fan favourite. This is the third year in a row that this comforting family classic has topped the list of our most popular pie recipes. Its appeal also shows no sign of fading – so far in 2024, page views have increased by more than 13% year-on-year.
Still in second and third are our no-fuss shepherd's pie recipe and easy fish pie, but knocking mince pies out of fourth position is our next-level chicken pie, which has climbed three places with over 883,000 views.
There's also a new and potentially controversial entry for 2024: banoffee pie. Whether or not you agree this creamy dessert qualifies as a pie, our recipe has had over 655,000 page views over the last year.
Most popular Good Food pie recipes for 2024*
- Cottage pie
- No-fuss shepherd's pie
- Easy fish pie
- Next-level chicken pie
- Mince pies
- Ultimate lemon meringue pie
- Ultimate apple pie
- Easy banoffee pie
- Easy steak pie
- Chicken & mushroom puff pie
*Based on goodfood.com page views between 28 February 2023 to 28 February 2024.
It's not surprising that crowd-pleasing favourites like cottage pie and shepherd's pie topped the list, and the fact you can batch-cook and freeze them makes them all the more appealing for busy families.
To help you perfect your cottage pie, the Good Food cookery team suggests using a potato ricer or sieve to get really smooth, creamy mash and allowing the meat to cool before topping with the mash, to stop it from sinking into the filling. And for a really crisp, golden topping, flash under the grill for a few minutes before serving.
Good Food's Barney Desmazery also suggests adding mustard powder to your cheesy mash topping to create a rarebit-style flavour. A generous squeeze of ketchup, extra tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce will bring some acidity and sweetness to the meat sauce, too. Try Barney's next-level cottage pie, or olive magazine's recipe for individual cottage pies with cheesy mash.
Other top-performing pie recipes on Good Food over the last 12 months include our pumpkin pie, key lime pie, and chicken, leek & mushroom pie.
Readers have been experimenting with more adventurous pie fillings, too. For those looking to branch out, try our one-pot paneer curry pie or this Goan prawn & coconut pie. If you're looking for less traditional sweet pies, see our fig, raspberry & cardamom pie, plus this dark chocolate & hazelnut meringue pie from olive magazine.
It's no secret that Britain is a nation of pie lovers. Versatile and comforting, we've been baking and eating them for hundreds of years, and according to the British Pie Awards, £1 billion-worth of pies are consumed in the UK every year.
Pies come in a range of sizes, shapes and forms: some encased by shortcrust, puff, filo or suet pastry while others are topped with mashed potato and cheese. They can be filled with almost anything too, from hearty steak & ale to classic apple with lashings of custard, and beyond.
Baking homemade pies is also a great way to use up leftover ingredients in your fridge or cupboards, particularly if you've signed up to meat and veg box subscriptions like Oddbox, Abel & Cole or Field & Flower.
If you'd rather leave it to the experts, there are also artisan pie makers like Chunk of Devon, which delivers freshly made pies straight to your door. In fact, its Mushroom Stroganott pie was awarded 'best vegan pie' at the British Pie Awards in 2023.
For even more on pies, visit our guide to the best pie dishes, plus our reviews of the best baking equipment and best rolling pins for making pastry.
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