Pie Demand, Carlisle reviewed on National Pie Day

National Pie Day is a celebration of pies that occurs annually on January 23, and to mark the occasion I visited Carlisle's own bakery business, Pie Demand. 

After discovering that they only sell pies at Carlisle railway station from Wednesday onwards, I went the extra mile (literally) to reach their base on Water Street. 

There, I met owners Laura and Brian Twigg, who set up their dream business in 2019 with the aim of bringing something different to the pie world.

After starting in their kitchen at home they quickly realised that they needed more space, and after lots of planning, stress and hard work they now have their very own production unit in the centre of Carlisle.

They now sell pies regularly across the north at farmers markets, agricultural shows, food festivals and events, including Fenwick food hall in Newcastle. 

Each pie is individually made by hand in small batches to ensure they are produced to the highest quality and standard, and I was more than happy to sample their steak pie offering, although the chicken and mushroom option was also tempting.

I followed the advice of their website and heated the pie up in the oven for around 15 minutes before tucking in. 

The pie was polished off quickly (Image: Jimmy Moorhouse)

The pie was certainly different to other traditional steak pies, as it was jam-packed with good quality meat, rather than relying too much on gravy.

Despite being staunch in my love of the northern nectar, the pie was perfectly moist in itself and would've been easy to eat on the go, thanks to the focus on meat, rather than gravy, filling.

The pastry was delicious and not too flaky, and before I knew it, the pie was finished. My only disappointment is that I didn't get the apple pie for dessert. 

While it wasn't a pie, I'm also reliably informed that the vegan sausage roll was top notch.

It's no sur-pies that business continues to be good for Pie Demand.