Whether it's to settle pre-match nerves, or to take stock at half time, the pie is an important part of many football fans' matchday ritual. This perennial favourite is also deeply embedded in football culture itself.
One only need look at the source of the mean-spirited chant “who ate all the pies” - sung at a Sheffield Wednesday match in 1894 - and ‘piegate’ in 2017 - sparked by Sutton United’s goalkeeper Wayne Shaw tucking into one post match to help his friends win a bet - to appreciate the role the humble pie plays.
For many years through, fans were used to the same bog standard meat pie and a steaming hot cup of Bovril. But today, just as the beautiful game has evolved, so too has matchday fodder.
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Stockport County fans have plenty to rejoice about at present, after sealing promotion to the Football League after 11 years away. Jubilant fans invaded the pitch following their last game of the season at home to Halifax in May was a true celebration of how far the club has come - and fortunately there’s still plenty to be excited about, not least, the award-winning pies now doing the rounds at Edgeley Park.
Cue Great North Pie Co, the multi-award winning pie makers famous for their traditional, handcrafted pies made with quality British ingredients. Founded by husband-and-wife duo, Neil and Sarah Broomfield, the North West-based business has gone from strength-to-strength over the past decade - but its beginnings were humble too.
Before starting the business, and prior to working in the police, Neil gained experience working with some of the UK’s leading culinary talent, including Paul Heathcote and Jeff Baker - the latter was the first chef to bring a Michelin Star to Leeds.
“I’d always wanted to work in food, and work for myself so it was just an idea that came from that really. I went away and did a couple of different jobs, but it was always with a view to come back to food.
“When I used to work in restaurants we used to make these really good pies, so that was my starting point. I knew if I could recreate what we made in the restaurant then we could do quite well.”
While still working his full-time job as a police officer, Neil began to create their famous all-butter pastry pies, using ingredients from the local supermarket and cooking them up in the couple’s kitchen. Fast forward to today, and things have certainly scaled up.
“At the beginning I started out in my kitchen part-time and did that for about three or four years, and I managed to get in at a few farmer’s markets. I would make something like 30-40 pies and then go off and sell them. And then in 2011, when we won the first competition, we thought there could be something there.”
From using the family’s domestic oven to supply local farmer’s markets and restaurants, to opening a full-scale warehouse and bakery in Wilmslow - not to mention the trophy cabinet worth of awards along the way - the last 10 years have certainly been busy. Crucially though the recipe has always stayed the same, while the ingredients have been switched up, and new flavours introduced.
Currently, pie fans can choose from their 14-hour Braised Beef & Ale made with Yorkshire grass-fed beef, Manchester union larger, seasonal veg and a number of spices and condiments; Roast Chicken featuring crispy skins, lemon and poppy seeds; Lancashire Cheese and Onion, with Dewlay's delicious cheese, caramelised white onions and Japanese breadcrumbs; and the Daal Gobi, which brings together lentils, marinated cauliflower and a mixture of spices.
“The recipe has always stayed the same really - an all-butter pastry which just gives the best flavour. In terms of ingredients as well, it’s always about supporting local producers and promoting them along the way.” From Unwin’s Grocers in Bramhall - who they’ve worked with from the start - to Dewlay's Cheesemakers who supply the cheese and butter for their all-butter pastry, and chicken and beef from suppliers they’ve worked with for 10 years and 25 respectively, the quality of local talent runs through the heart of Great North Pie.
And it must be working judging by the impressive number of awards they’ve picked up so far. Since the brand began they’ve won nine categories in the British Pie Awards, have been listed as a finalist in the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming Awards, and has been nominated for Independent Food Producer of the Year at the Manchester Food and Drink Festival awards.
And now, they are making their way into football clubs, starting with the recently promoted Stockport County. “It’s unbelievable really, because my dad used to play for them years ago and I grew up in Stockport.
“When they first contacted me I was over the moon. I thought if there was one club I could have chosen. And I think it says a lot about the new ownership as they took a hit on their own margins to bring us in, so in a way they’re sort of subsidising it for their fans - they could have brought in a slightly cheaper supplier but they wanted to bring in something of a higher standard.
Supplying Stockport County fans is one thing, but this autumn, the couple will add another string to their bow, with the opening of a flagship café on Little David Street in Manchester City Centre. With a pie & mash cafe in Ambleside already a hit with walkers and foodies, and a concession over at Altrincham Market popular with the south Manchester brunch crowd, they're not totally new to the service game, but for Neil the stakes are certainly high.
“It’s always been an ambition to have a site in Manchester. It was just by chance that we saw the location at Kampus and we just thought we would give it a go. We wanted it to be quite small and cosy, and to keep the menu refined so that we can focus on a few things and do those well.”
The new space will be clean and simple in design, achieving a minimal look, which Neil has said is something they all wanted. “There’s also an outdoor area for food and drink, which I think really suits what we’re trying to achieve in Manchester."
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