… recreate the magic of the stadium at home.
For millions of football fans, it has been more than 15 months since they’ve been able to get into stadiums and cheer on their teams – and to partake in their favourite halftime refreshments.
But with England set to go head-to-head against Denmark tomorrow, ATV Today Lifestyle has spoken to someone who has spent the last 30 years perfecting the pie – so you can recreate your ultimate pastry-topped halftime treat from the comfort of your own home.
Cue Peter Towler – owner of the iconic Mad O’Rourkes Pie Factory, situated in Tipton – the heart of The Black Country. Son of a baker, 60-year-old Peter has spent his entire life in the food business – and he’s dedicated half of it to pies. Here are his top tips to recreating the perfect half time pie.
How to eat your pie
He says the best way to eat a pie is undoubtedly to take the pastry lid off first and dip in your chips – and a helping of extra gravy is an absolute must.
“When you’re at the football, you have to wolf it down as quickly as possible straight from the tin foil case, while balancing a paper napkin and often a pint of beer – all while you’re being jostled in a crowd.
“Your halftime pie eating experience can be much more enjoyable while watching the match on TV. You’ve much less chance of burning your fingers or your mouth – or spilling your beer.
“I always take the pastry lid off first to help the delicious filling cool down, while providing the perfect dip for your chips.”
To sauce or not to sauce?
“Your pie absolutely doesn’t need tomato or brown sauce – that’s disgraceful!” laughed Peter.
“There’s plenty of flavour in our Pies by Post pies as they are; you’re eating the wrong kind of pie if you need it with a sauce – although some of the pies you get in football stadiums might need a sauce to mask their contents!
“You’re going to want to serve that delicious pie either with chips or mash, nothing fancy is needed.”
Perfect pastry every time
When it comes to pastry, Peter says his personal preference is to have his soft – though he’s offered tips for those who like theirs crispy too.
“Each to their own,” said Peter.
“If you want your pastry crispy, pop it in a nice hot oven – but our Pies by Post don’t take long to heat up, so take care not to overdo them!
“If you want the pastry soft like I do, and like you often get at a footy match, pop them in the microwave – you don’t need an oven for these.”
Best chips around
When asked for the secret to the perfect chips, Peter said unfortunately those from Mad O’Rourkes Pie Factory can’t be replicated at home – but he did give one top tip to improve homemade chips.
“Here at Mad O’Rourkes, we don’t cook our chips three times – we get them right the first time,” he chuckled.
“You can’t make them at home like we do here, as it’s as much down to the machinery we have as it is the process.
“But an important part of preparing chips is to make sure you remove the excess moisture. At Mad O’Rourkes, we order potatoes a ton at a time and treat them at the right temperature overnight, before covering them in tempura batter and frying them in a huge double deep fryer.
“But if you want to make better chips at home, try using kitchen roll to soak up the moisture from the chopped potatoes – you’ll only need to do this for around half an hour.”
Liquid refreshment
Peter says if you can’t get your hands on one of the pub’s delicious Lump Hammer bitter or gold or Sledge Hammer IPA, you’re best to go for a top beer.
“Don’t score an own goal by matching your pie with a cheap lager,” added Peter.
“You’re absolutely best to go for a good quality beer, such as a nice bitter or IPA.
“The only other pie accompaniment we’ll all need tomorrow is a hat trick from Harry Kane to put England through to the finals!”
Mad O’Rourkes Pie Factory – a landmark restaurant in Hurst Lane, Tipton – introduced a new venture to the business, Pies by Post, selling its famous pies online to customers across the UK to help the business pivot during the last lockdown.
https://madpiesonline.co.uk / https://www.madorourkes.com
