I’ve loved a good pie since i was a kid but it wasn’t until a short stint in Oz that I became slightly obsessed with the flaky pastry topped, gravy laden meaty goodness that is Pie Face! What’s Pie Face you ask? Bite sized, golden crumbed pockets oozing with your favourite filling topped with a big smily face that donned every street corner as far as the eye could see amptly paired with a generous dollop of mash, peas and a good glug of gravy. What other stodgy delights could help you soak up your 10 scooners of Tooheys at 4am on Kings Cross?
I had visions of opening up my own Pie Face rip off on my immediate return from down under in Cardiff’s capital as pie and mash restaurants were doing the rounds in London at the time too but not seen anyone challenge the good ole trusty Clarke’s Pie in the capital. That said these were only left to go stale for hours on end next to a mouldy rissole in a glass heater in Chippy lane and nothing compared to the selection of meaty parcels offered by Pie face coupled by option to stack it with mash, peas and gravy and the fact you could buy a a multipack of up to 12 for the taxi ride home and breakfast!
The first and only dedicated Pie and mash shop in Cardiff called Pie Minister, which is a chain opened over a year ago nearly 3 years after I got back from Australia so I could of sweeped right up there! I popped in one Saturday afternoon to sample the pie’s on offer as I don’t do much shopping in Cardiff these days opting for shopping online instead and browsed the fine selection of Pie’s on offer whilst i sipped a tankard of their Bounders cider, which was on draft that day. Me being me couldn’t just go for pie on it’s own, which probably wouldn’t of touched the sides and needed a sub from New York Deli to walk to the train with to fill me up so I went straight to the top of the menu and ordered THE MOTHERSHIP!
I picked the Moo and Blue my favourite flavoured pie in the world ever beef and stilton after eating my own bodyweight in beef and stilton cornish pasties from the Cornish Bakehouse over the years on Church Street. Now the mothership as the name would suggest wasn’t just your bog standard pie it came with all the trimmings with mash on the plate but ramekins filled with chunks of cheddar cheese, crispy shallots, minted mushy peas and a healthy portion of yummy gravy! I had to go one better with a wedge of crusty bread and butter to mop up the gravy and any remnants of the beefy blue cheese centre!
Due to me being too lazy to shop around Cardiff these days and opting to shop from the comfort of my sofa I haven’t been back to Pie Minister yet but browsing through the daily deals websites this week one deal was jumping out at me!
You can get a Pie Minister discount meal for 2 people consisting of your choice of pie upgraded to the mothership with all the sides and toppings you could want to add extra flavour and texture to washed down with a good pint of of draught Bath Gem, Bounders cider or Freedom lager, or a pint of draught cola, diet cola, or lemonade for just £15 saving you 50% on the normal price they charge. I had to pay that for myself the last time and have successfully attempted a meal for 2 myself on many occassions but this would end me and look like i’d just had a hernia if i attempted two plates of some of the best pie’s in Cardiff.
You can use the Pie Minister discount voucher up to October and can even upgrade and get the same 50% savings for a group of 4 for just £30. Great for keeping in the wallet or purse for when your out for an impromptu shop with the other half or kids and sick to death of McDonald’s or Burger King and who wants a scabby burger you could use as tracing paper it’s that thin over Great Taste Gold award winning pies and as much stodge as you can shake a stick at! Pie Minister is located just a few doors away from Mcdonalds on St Mary Street too if you can’t find it.
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