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What to eat in England? Top 12 English Savory Pies

Last update: Fri Feb 14 2025
Top 12 English Savory Pies
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01
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Fisherman’s Pie is a traditional and Irish dish similar to shepherd’s pie, but made with seafood instead of meat. It typically includes a mixture of white fish like cod or haddock, sometimes with salmon or shrimp, cooked in a creamy sauce, such as bechamel, or cheddar cheese sauce.


The fish is often mixed with vegetables such as peas, corn, or leeks. The filling is then topped with mashed potatoes and baked until golden and bubbly. It's a hearty, comforting meal often served in coastal regions.

02
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This classic British dish is a staple of pub food, consisting of a pastry shell filled with chunks of tender braised beef, vegetables such as onions and carrots, stock, dark brown ale, freshly chopped herbs, and Worcestershire sauce. The whole concoction is topped with a layer of flaky pie crust and baked until golden brown.


It is recommended to serve this comforting dish with chips and peas on the side.

MOST ICONIC Steak and ale pie

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03
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One of the most popular comfort foods in the United Kingdom is called shepherd's pie, a hot and savory dish reminiscent of a casserole, consisting of minced lamb or mutton meat, potatoes, onions, carrots, Worcestershire sauce, thick gravy, and seasonings such as marjoram, parsley, and black pepper.


All of the ingredients are placed under a roof of buttery, creamy mashed potatoes, and baked in an oven until the pie is ready for consumption. This simple delicacy was invented by shepherds in the 18th century England and Scotland. The pie became extremely popular in the 1870s, and not by coincidence, as mincing machines became widely available to the public in those years. 

MOST ICONIC Shepherd's pie

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04
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Cheese and onion pie is an English comfort food dish. Although it is consumed all over the country, some sources suggest that it's a north-western tradition. The pie is typically made with a combination of shortcrust pastry, cheddar or crumbly cheeses, and cooked or fried onions.


Common, yet non-traditional additions include potatoes, crème fraîche, and a sauce made with flour, milk, and cream. It is recommended to serve the pie warm or cold, preferably accompanied by chips and a salad on the side.

MOST ICONIC Cheese and onion pie

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05

Savory Pie

LONDON, England
3.8
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Pie and mash is a traditional dish consisting of a pie filled with either chunks of beef or ground beef, and a side of mashed potatoes. Although the pies are nowadays filled with ground beef, in the past they were filled with eels from the Thames, which is the reason behind numerous Pie, Mash, and Eel shops in London.


Inexpensive, yet filling, pie and mash is still a staple dish of London's working class.

MOST ICONIC Pie and mash

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06

Savory Pie

MELTON MOWBRAY, England
3.7
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A multiple winner of the annual British Pie Awards, the world-famous Melton Mowbray pork pie is filled with the finest fresh pork meat which is chopped and seasoned with salt and pepper. When baked, the meat filling turns grey in color, just like roast pork, and it is particularly succulent.


Melton Mowbray pies are traditionally baked free-standing, without a hoop, which gives the golden-brown pastry case its typical shape.

MOST ICONIC Melton Mowbray pork pie

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07
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Meat and potato pie is a comforting English staple that's perfect for a family meal. The pie shell is made from flour, beef suet, and cold water, while the filling is usually a combination of onions, beef (or sometimes lamb) chunks, and potatoes, whether waxy, floury, or both.


This meat pie is baked until it becomes golden bown, and before serving it's left to stan for a short while. The filling can optionally be enriched with carrots. Meat and potato pie is usually made at home and it's often accompanied by red cabbage on the side.

MOST ICONIC Meat and potato pie

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08

Beef Dish

WEST SUSSEX, England
3.6
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The satisfying and comforting steak and kidney pie is a classic British dish which incorporates beef steak and kidneys that are cooked inside a flaky, buttery pastry shell. This dish first appeared in written form in 1861, when it was added to Isabella Beeton’s The Book of Household Management by an unknown Sussex local.


Originally prepared with a suet pastry, today it is usually made with butter and employs beef, lamb, or pork kidneys. The combination of tender beef meat, earthy-flavored kidneys, and flavorful gravy inside the pastry make this pie one of the favorite traditional British delicacies that is still found in numerous pubs throughout the country.

MOST ICONIC Steak and kidney pie

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09
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Game pie is a traditional dish consisting of a pastry shell filled with rich gravy and slowly cooked game meat such as venison, rabbit, and pheasant. The dish is typically prepared during the colder months, since the British game season usually runs through autumn and winter.


It is believed that game pie became popular during the 16th century in Britain, when it was prepared with whatever meat could be found, such as pigeons and blackbirds. Today, the availability of game makes it easier to prepare even the more elaborate pies that are often heavily decorated or engraved in order to impress the consumers.

MOST ICONIC Game pie

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10

Savory Pie

SHROPSHIRE, England
3.3
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Fidget pie is a traditional pie originating from Shropshire. Although there are a few variations on the dish, it’s usually made with a combination of bacon, onions, Granny Smith or Bramley apples, salt, pepper, cider, parsley, cornstarch, beaten eggs, and hot-water crust or shortcrust pastry.


The crust or pie shell consists of flour, milk, salt, water, and beef suet, lard, or shortening. It’s placed into a pan pie, then filled with the mixture of bacon, chopped apples, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. The combination is topped with a mixture of cider and cornstarch. 

MOST ICONIC Fidget pie

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Savory Pie
CORNWALL, England
n/a

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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English Savory Pies