Scots set to serve up biggest pies

Published on Wednesday 29 December 2010 17:04

The biggest commercially made pies in the UK are going on sale in Scotland for Hogmanay. They weigh 3.9lb, contain a pint of gravy and serve 12 to 14 people.

Made by Falkirk-based pie-makers Malcolm Allan, they are officially called the Celebration Pie and will be exclusively sold by Tesco stores in Scotland from today.

The retailer decided to sell them only in Scotland because demand for pies is known to be high north of the Border at this time of year.

Lynne Roxburgh, Tesco Scottish marketing spokeswoman, said: "The Celebration Pie is an absolute gourmet's delight made with the very finest Scottish beef and sealed to the foil by hand.

"Pies are extremely popular in Scotland over the Hogmanay period and as only a limited amount have been made we just don't have enough to go over the Border.

"In Hogmanay week we sell 40 times more pies than we do in a regular week which is why we have launched this one now."

The 11.99 Celebration Pie is 12.5in long, 9in wide and 4in deep and is on sale at Tesco delicatessen counters. Eight hundred of the pies have been made and they will be on sale until stocks run out.

Gordon Allan, managing director of Malcolm Allan, said: "The Celebration Pie was inspired by the wonderful old pies created to order in butchers' shops a long time ago when customers came in with their own ashet and got them made to their own specifications."

Although the biggest commercially available pies in the UK, the Celebration Pie has a long way to go to be a record breaker.

South Africa set the benchmark in the Guinness World Records after a group of farmers baked the world's biggest pumpkin pie in 2007.

Weighing in at 1.15 tonnes, the 8.4 metre long and 2.2 metre wide pie took two days to bake.