Melton Mowbray was a curious nexus of three factors, cheese, pigs, and hunting, that put it at the epicentre of the Pork Pie world from the 18^th century. By this time the dairy farms in the area had concentrated on the production of cheeses, not least Stilton, and one of the by-products of the process was whey, protein-rich and a free source of food for livestock, especially pigs. Willing to eat almost anything, pigs were relatively inexpensive to keep and provided a much-needed source of protein in rural communities. When the supply of whey dried up in the winter, the pigs were slaughtered, and, as there was no need to preserve the meat, uncured pork would go into the pies that labourers ate.

Three local fox hunts, Quorn, Cottesmore, and Belvoir, based their operations around Melton and the huntsmen must have seen the local grooms and servants tucking into a portable pie that seemed almost indestructible. Although a local hunting correspondent thought in 1872 that it was unlikely that “our aristocratic visitors carry lumps of pie with them on horseback”, so ideal were they for eating on the hoof that the huntsmen’s provision bags must have included them.

The secret of the pork pie was out. The aristocratic huntsmen could not get enough of them, insisting that they be served for breakfast, and news of the local delicacy reached London’s clubland. Spotting a commercial opportunity, in 1831, Edward Adcock was the first to supply the capital with Melton Mowbray Pork pies, sending them down on the daily Leeds to London stagecoach.

In northern England, they have their own version of the pork pie, the “Growler”, a name said to refer either to the anticipatory rumble of a tummy just before eating one or the noise the stomach makes after consuming it. They are slightly smaller than the Melton Mowbray pork pie with moulded cases and a distinctive crimped lid. Made from cured pork, the meat is pink, which aficionados claim gives the pie a hammier flavour.

Regional and generational preferences have fuelled a debate as to how the versatile pork pie is best served. Should it be warm, fresh from the baker’s oven, served with mushy peas or is it better at room temperature with either a dash of brown sauce to the side or pickles or mustard? Should the jelly be removed carefully so that the meat can be enjoyed in its unadulterated state or left to bring another flavour profile to the pie? Should pork pie be eaten for breakfast on Christmas Day, an East Midland tradition, fervently embraced by the family of D H Lawrence? And are pork pies with flavoured toppings and stuffed with exotic ingredients beyond the pale?  

The passion a pork pie can rouse in some is evident from the website of the Lancashire Pork Pie Appreciation Society (LPPAS)[1], established to appreciate the very best pies the county has to offer. “For a pork pie to be worth its name, it must consist of CURED pork”, it bellows. “On no account will insipid pies, using uncured pork, such as the Melton Mowbray pie, be considered. There is a disturbing trend towards the appearance of the “artisan” pie. In the pie world, artisan is merely code for expensive. Pies must be affordable in order to be acknowledged by the LPPAs”. Less bellicose but equally as fervent are the members of the Pork Pie Appreciation Societies of Rutland and Yorkshire. Gamely fighting their corner in this melting pot of emotions is the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association.

One thing is certain; pork pies have come a long way from being often the only foodstuff to be found in a public house, sitting uninvitingly in a Perspex container on the bar. With vegan traditional no-pork pies now available, there is one to suit every taste and pocket.

[1] https://lancashireporkpieappreciationsociety.com/about/