As today marks the beginning of British Pie Week (6-12 March 2023), we’re revealing which bbcgoodfood.com pie recipe is the most popular with our audience.
We’ve analysed which pie recipes have had the highest amount of web traffic in the last 12 months, and with a huge 3.2 million page views, our trusty cottage pie has come out on top as a fan favourite.
This is the second year in a row that this comforting family classic has topped the list of our most popular pie recipes. Its appeal shows no sign of fading – so far in 2023, its page views have actually increased by more than 10% year-on-year.
In second place is our no-fuss shepherd’s pie recipe, which has overtaken our easy fish pie with more than 1.8 million page views. Fish pie is still a popular choice though and has come third with than 1.6 million views.
Most popular BBC Good Food pie recipes for 2023*
- Cottage pie
- No-fuss shepherd’s pie
- Easy fish pie
- Mince pies
- Ultimate lemon meringue pie
- Next-level chicken pie
- Ultimate apple pie
- Easy steak pie
- Chicken & mushroom puff pie
- Pumpkin pie
*Based on bbcgoodfood.com page views between 27 February 2022 to 27 February 2023.
It’s not surprising that crowd-pleasing favourites like cottage pie and shepherd’s pie topped the list, and the fact you can batch-cook and freeze them makes them all the more appealing for busy families.
To help you perfect your cottage pie, the BBC Good Food cookery team suggests using a potato ricer or sieve to get really smooth, creamy mash and allowing the meat to cool before topping with the mash, to stop it from sinking into the filling. And for a really crisp, golden topping, flash under the grill for a few minutes before serving.
BBC Good Food’s Barney Desmazery also suggests adding mustard powder to your cheesy mash topping to create a rarebit-style flavour. A generous squeeze of ketchup, extra tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce will bring some acidity and sweetness to the meat sauce, too. Try Barney’s next-level cottage pie, or olive magazine’s recipe for individual cottage pies with cheesy mash.
Other top-performing pie recipes on BBC Good Food over the last 12 months include our easy banoffee pie, key lime pie and chicken, leek & mushroom pie.
Readers have been experimenting with more adventurous pie fillings, too. For those looking to branch out, try our one-pot paneer curry pie or this Goan prawn & coconut pie. If you’re looking for less traditional sweet pies, see our fig, raspberry & cardamom pie, plus this dark chocolate & hazelnut meringue pie from olive magazine.
It’s no secret that Britain is a nation of pie lovers. Versatile and comforting, we’ve been baking and eating them for thousands of years, and according to the British Pie Awards, £1 billion-worth of pies are consumed in the UK every year.
Pies come in a range of sizes, shapes and forms: some encased by shortcrust, puff, filo or suet pastry while others are topped with mashed potato and cheese. They can be filled with almost anything too, from hearty steak & ale to classic apple with lashings of custard, and beyond.
Three top-rated pie dishes to buy right now
Baking a pie starts with choosing a good-quality, reliable pie dish. From style to shape and size, there’s a range of factors to consider when shopping, and the good news is you don’t need to spend a fortune to achieve the best results.
We’ve rounded up a selection of the best pie dishes, which we assessed for pastry browning, how easily they released the pie from the dish, and other practical factors like whether they were dishwasher and freezer-safe.
MasterClass Crusty Bake non-stick deep pie pan
Best for no soggy bottoms
Star rating: 5/5
The perforations on this 23cm pie dish are designed to improve air flow and remove moisture, and in testing we were pleased to find they did exactly that. Our apple pie was evenly golden and well-cooked on the inside, with a crisp crust and no leaks. While a little plain-looking, the materials are robust and the dish has an impressive 20-year guarantee. It also benefits from a good-value price tag of under £20.
More like this
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Lakeland diamond round pie dish
Best for easy cleaning
Star rating: 5/5
Available as a set of four, these sparkly pie dishes impressed us with their good looks and non-stick coating. They’re ideal for generously sized mini pies and we liked their fluted edges, which add a decorative touch. These dishes are also dishwasher-safe, though handwashing is recommended to help maintain the non-stick coating.
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Falcon pie set
Best investment set
Star rating: 5/5
This versatile five-piece set has an attractive retro look, and gave us a perfectly cooked apple pie with crisp sides and solid base. We liked that each dish nestles neatly inside each other, so you can easily store them all away. The set also offers a variety of sizes, and while on the pricier end, the dishes are made from enamelware that’s built to last. They can be cleaned in the dishwasher and they’re hob-safe, too.
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Stock image from Getty
