Wigan and Bolton have both spawned cultural and sporting icons; from the likes of wrestling legends the British Bulldogs from Wigan, to Great Britain's most decorated Olympian Jason Kenny, who is Bolton born and bred.
There's tasty rivalry between the neighbouring, historical mill towns' two football teams - (affectionately dubbed 'T'Classico' as a nod to Spain's El Classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid) - but the main debate that splits the town is much tastier one: Pasty or pie?
Wigan's history with the pie goes back a long time and is such that residents of the town are often referred to as 'pie-eaters' - a moniker that is said to have started after the 1926 General Strike, when Wigan's coal miners were starved back to work before their counterparts in surrounding towns and so were forced to metaphorically eat 'humble pie'.
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While not quite as synonymous with the town as as Wigan is with pies, there is no denying Bolton's love for a pasty. Whether it be Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe, Carrs, or even HMPasties, Boltonians are spoilt for choice - and one thing that is native to the town is inserting a pasty, from one of the aforementioned eateries, into a barm. It's a similar story in Wigan, with the pie barm or 'Wigan kebab' as it is often dubbed.
But which culinary invention is better? I tried both to settle the battle of the barms, once and for all.
Pie barm - Wigan
After trying Muffin Man's 'sensational' meat and potato pie back in February, I wrote that it was "definitely worth a trip back to Wigan" so there seemed no better bakery to test the Wigan kebab.
Upon entering the store in Park Road, Springfield, I asked for a "pie barm", which interestingly seemed to take the server by surprise. Despite the apparent confusion, she put it through the till and it came to £2.50 in total - £2.15 for the large meat and potato pie and 35p for the buttered barm.
I then had to assemble the Wigan kebab myself as the barm and pie came in two separate bags. The pie was red hot so taking it out of its foil container and stuffing it into the barm with my bare hands wasn't particularly fun but it had to be done.
Firstly, I think the Wigan kebab looks more aesthetically pleasing than the pasty barm. The round shape fits that of a barm better, even if it does make it more difficult to eat, as pies are usually taller than pasties.
This was something that factored into my first bite, which was underwhelming as I only got barm and a bit of the pie crust rather than any of the delicious filling. The barm was really soft which can only usually be a good thing but here it was a double-edged sword because it struggled to contain the huge pie in the middle and started falling apart after a few bites.
The pie itself tasted really fresh, the pastry was a bit darker than when I originally tried Muffin Man but it was not overdone by any means. Due to the size of the pie, I was struggling by the time I finished but I still didn't let any go to waste - a good sign.
Pasty barm - Bolton
My love affair with the pasty barm goes back to when I was in the Year 10 football team at Mount St Joseph school in Farnworth. After years of being perennial losers, our science teacher-cum-coach promised the school team pasty barms from Mistry's Bakery across the road if we could win our first ever game.
I can't imagine that such culinary incentives were on offer when Jason Kenny was a pupil at the school or his cycling career may not have taken off the way it did. But for us, it did the trick and we miraculously went onto beat Westhoughton High, putting four goals past them in the process.
My pasty shop of choice is Carrs. Whilst I appreciate the history of Ye Olde Pastie Shoppe, I'm a Carrs man through and through.
At Carrs, the pasty barm is officially listed on the menu and as such, there was absolutely no confusion about what it was I wanted. It was slightly more expensive than Muffin Man's pie and barm combination at £2.94 but I was happy to pay the extra 44p as I didn't have to burn my fingers assembling it.
This time, the first bite was heavenly. There's nothing quite like the filling of a Carrs pasty and it's a good job that I was in my car as I'm fairly sure the appreciative noise I made when I had that first taste would have raised eyebrows from passers-by.
The barm was still soft but not so much so that my fingers were causing irreparable damage. With a thinner pastry shell, the flavours of the meat and potato filling can also really shine through and, while indulgent, it doesn't quite seem as much of a carb overload as the Wigan kebab does. So much so that I probably could have eaten another one straight away.
The verdict
First things first, the name 'Wigan kebab' is objectively a lot cooler than pasty barm. I don't think that's up for debate. The price was also a plus point.
However, those are superficial points - what it really comes down to is flavour, texture and the joy that the food brings to my taste buds. In my opinion, the composition of a pasty, with its thinner pastry casing and lack of real crust, just works better when placed in a barm.
So, staying very true to my Boltonian roots, the pasty barm is my undisputed champion.
Have you tried a pasty barm or a Wigan kebab? Which is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.
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