The best pie on the planet

I have been lucky enough to try various pies from Fortnum and Masons, Harrods and from the world famous Guinea pub in London’s Mayfair. But none of these venues were able to supply a pie as luxurious and tasty as the one I was able to sample from Charlie Bigham’s range.

Apparently, Bighams hand make their Beef and Ale Pies with the finest British beef, several generous glugs of smooth ale and a dash of worcester sauce, all topped with butter rich puff pastry. For that level of pie luxury you will need to part with £14.99 for what is a 960g pie. Pretty expensive by pie standards, but by my reckoning well worth the investment given that you’re simply getting the best pie on the planet.

If luxury pies aren’t your thing you could try Charlie Bighams other time saving Christmas delights:

For instance Charlie Bigham’s range of Christmas canapés. Each canapé is individually hand-prepared by chefs in the Bigham’s kitchens, so all you have to do is pop them in the oven.

We sampled a selection of Bigham’s canapés and were truly impressed by their quality. They included (our views in bold):

• 12 Mini Filet de Boeuf En Croute, individual pieces of fillet beef, encased in light puff pastry and accompanied by a delicious duxelle – nice but not our favourite

• 10 Scallops, Pancetta & Salmon Skewers. The classic angel on horseback, with a Bighams twist – our personal favourite

• 12 Apple, Stilton & Walnut Puffs, butter rich puff pastry cuddling a delightful vegetarian filling

• 10 Persian Lamb Rolls – finest lamb, black olives, roasted red peppers, pine nuts and harissa in a fresh filo pastry roll – delicious

• 10 Miso Salmon and Lime Wraps – miso-infused smoked salmon, honey, ginger & lime wraps – fresh and clean taste

• 12 Drunken Devils on Horseback – plump prunes steeped in armagnac, wrapped in bacon – an acquired taste.

Interestingly they are well priced at a very reasonable £6.99 per pack of 10-12 canapés making the cost per head less than £2.50 if you allow 4 canapés per person. Available from the UK’s online supermarket Ocado.com.