Wednesday 25 September, 2013 
Birmingham City 3 - 1 Swansea City
St. Andrew's Stadium  -  Attendance: (only)7,470

I said at the end of the last entry that pie service always seems to be more of a challenge for Blues at evening games, so how did they cope this time......

 [sorry for the blurred picture, but I was hungry!]

Verdict:
As expected, not very well!

There were only Balti pies available (and only 5 of them left) when I really fancied Steak & Kidney. So straightaway, my pie-mood was low.

Starting with the middle, the filling was great. No arguments - Pukka (@PukkaPies) have nailed the Chicken Balti filling as far as I'm concerned.

But the pastry? 'Undercooked' would be 'understating' it!

You can even see in the picture that the centre hasn't risen. The top pastry was soft, not flaky. And the bottom pastry was soggy. And a soggy bottom is (almost) never good, in any context.

Slip-ups are allowed, but scoring has to be a terrible (and possibly even a little generous):

SCORE : 4/10

 

 

 

As with football matches, a poor pie showing can easily be forgotten by improving next time. So the pressure is on Blues!.

 

 

If anyone's off to the Reading match, please Tweet or DM me your own pie pic, score & review for inclusion.

 

 

 
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Saturday 21 September, 2013 
Birmingham City 4 - 1 Sheffield Wednesday
St. Andrew's Stadium  -  Attendance: 14,379

Well, the match was a BIG improvement from the last outing, but would being back on our own patch help the pie situation......

 

 

Verdict:
I was greeted with fast, friendly service, which has become the norm at St. Andrews this season (about time too)!  And my Balti pie looked fantastic.

The flaky puff pastry on the top automatically put this pie on a pedestal compared to the weak showing of Burnley FC.

Again as is the norm with this years' pies, the filling was hot, tasty and had plenty of meat. Pukka (@PukkaPies) really seem to have nailed a good Balti filling.

The downside for this pie came at the bottom. It was undercooked and, as any good pie taster will tell you, that leads to unwanted levels of sogginess and greasiness.

As I've said before, in previous years this showing would have got a great score. But the bar has been raised this year, both by the Blues and Pukka, so it only gets:

SCORE : 7/10

 

 

A night game this Wednesday sets a big challenge - stock levels and quality usually suffer in midweek. Let's see what awaits.

 

As always, feel free to Tweet your own reviews for inclusion, with #BCFCPieEatersUnion.

 

 

 
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Tuesday 17 September, 2013 
Burnley 3 - 0 Birmingham City
Turf Moor Stadium  -  Attendance: 9,641 (420 Bluenoses)

An extra special pie review this week, as we bring you a WORLD EXCLUSIVE from the inner-sanctum of any football club - the press box!

But firstly, having been to Turf Moor more times than most away grounds, and having had a very nice meat & potato pie last year - [yes, meat & potato pies can be nice!] - I was excited about half-time......

 

Verdict:
My excitement built as I remembered they had a peppered steak pie and there were plenty available too. Received with good service, and a little banter from the pie lads.

The first look of the pie (pic above) rang alarm bells. Everyone knows the best pies have puff pastry tops, and this was shortcrust!! But what about the taste?

Well, it was poor. The pastry around the side was far too thick (possibly overcooked). It even broke my flimsy plastic fork!

The filling was very nice, and lived up to its pepper-y and steak-y billing.
(Wonder if we could get these at The Cookhouse at St. Andrews?)

But the pastry was such a let down, that it cancelled out anything the filing could offer, so:

SCORE : 5/10

 

 

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As promised, now the WORLD EXCLUSIVE pie review from the press room, courtesy of Blues PR & Social Media bod Andy Walker (@_andywalker_).....

[N.B. I believe brown sauce on a pie is something VIPs do]!

 

"Sadly the disappointment of this pie set the tone for a miserable night at Turf Moor.

It quickly became clear that the pastry was the best aspect of this late afternoon snack, yet the well-cooked, thick crust only encased a bland potato filling that was lacking a suitable amount of chunky meat pieces.

 

The very fact that assistance was needed in the form of brown sauce to kick-start the taste buds into action further highlights that this pre-match pie, surrounded by a mushy pea moat, won't live long in the memory."

SCORE : 3/10

 

 

So, a bad night for Burnley FC off the pitch, and the Blues on it!

 

A big thanks to guest blogger, Andy. Blues games are coming thick & fast in the next few weeks so stay tuned, and feel free to Tweet your own pie reviews for inclusion.

 

 

 
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