Description
The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie (PGI) is a pie containing chopped pork inside a bow-shaped hot water crust pastry case filled with pork stock jelly.
Production Area
The production area of Melton Mowbray Pork Pie PGI centres on the town of Melton Mowbray and most of Leicestershire and bordering areas of neighbouring counties.
Production Method
A hot water crust pastry is made from flour, water and lard or shortening and formed into billets and lids which are then rested. Fresh pork meat is diced or minced and mixed with filling ingredients including salt and pepper. The pastry billets are either blocked in hoops or raised round a dolly or similar. They are then filled with the pie filling and sealed with the lid. Some pies are hand raised while others are finished off with a decorative hand crimp. The pies are then placed on to a baking tray without support. Some pies may be frozen in this state and stored or sold to be baked later. The pies are baked free standing to a golden brown pastry colour, allowed to cool and jellied. They are allowed to cool to below 8 °C before packaging.
Appearance and Flavour
The pastry has a golden colour, while the filling, roughly cut and seasoned with salt and pepper, has the grey colour of roast pork. Between the filling and the pastry wall there must be a layer of jelly. The pastry has a rich, baked taste while the filling is full of meaty flavour and seasoned in particular with pepper.
History
The tradition of the Melton Mowbray pork pies goes back to the 18th century, when foxhunters began to centre their hunting activities on the town of Melton Mowbray during the autumn and winter months. Pigs fed on the whey from Stilton Cheese, which originated in the Melton Area, were slaughtered, and the fresh pork was made into pork pies. These delicious simple peasant pies were eaten as snacks by the hunt servants but soon came to the notice of the hard riding fox hunter who then began to carry them in pouches and pockets to eat while involved in the chase. Hot water crust pastry and the addition of pork jelly made the pies more robust for the hunters jumping over hedges and ditches. In 1831, Edward Adcock commenced exporting pork pies from Melton Mowbray to London using the daily Leeds to London stagecoach. With the coming of the railway age the industry of the pork pies transformed and they were transported in all the United Kingdom.
Gastronomy
The Melton Mowbray Pork Pies PGI is generally eaten as a delicious snack. It is best kept in the refrigerator.
Marketing
The product is sold as Melton Mowbray Pork Pie PGI, available in sizes that range from 50 gr, 450 gr and 900 gr, (mini, one pound and two pound pies). The pies are placed into a chill cabinet to await purchase. Some pies are sold warm within 4 hours of jellying. The pies are packaged in plastic and paper materials.
Distinctive Features
The characteristics that make Melton Mowbray Pork Pie PGI different from other types of pork pies are the grey colour and particulate texture of the pork filling and their bow-shaped sides. The Melton Mowbray Pork Pie PGI are distinguished from other pork pies thanks to their packaging, presentation and marketing, and their high quality.
