New low-fat version of pies prove a hit at Tynecastle!

SOME will say it is another sign of Scottish football going soft. Others will welcome it as a much-needed health kick for a breed hardly renowned for its good diet.

Either way, the arrival of the new low-fat pie at Tynecastle raised eyebrows at yesterday's match, and divided opinion among supporters.

Hearts have become one of the first clubs in Scotland to introduce the new delicacy, developed by McGhee's Bakeries, in a bid to make Scottish football fans' favourite half-time snack less of a guilty pleasure.

It comes at a time when the game is changing, with more women and children attending matches, less emphasis on an alcoholic drink before the match – largely thanks to alternative kick-off times – and a clampdown by stewards on standing up and singing.

Is this latest initiative a step too far for the SPL purists, or is it a natural progression in a sport that is attempting to reach out beyond its traditional followers?

Aimee Howland, 18, a business management student at Edinburgh Napier University, usually indulges in a half-time pie at Tynecastle.

The Lanark Jambo said: "I love having a pie at the game, it's a tradition. I like them anyway, but today they are tasting pretty good as well.

"It means I could have two of them now without feeling guilty."

Fellow fan Craig Collins, 36, a builder from Longstone, added: "I didn't actually know this was reduced fat until you told me.

"If I knew beforehand I probably would have bought something else. I'm a bit suspicious of things like this, but now I've tasted it and never noticed, it has proved me wrong."

He added: "I suppose a pie is a pie at the end of the day, and it's no bad thing if it's plying you with a few less calories."

Word of the new slimline pies was clearly spreading fast during yesterday's game as many stalls sold out of them before the half-time rush.

There was no clear indication that the pies were low fat, and they had replaced the standard models without much fuss.

Hearts eventually won the match against Hamilton 2-0.

Partick Thistle are the other Scottish club to have trialled "healthy" pies, producing a special low-fat version at a recent Scottish Cup clash with Dundee United.

Alastair Inglis, a 48-year-old landscaper from Corstorphine, added: "I think the catering here is really good and I usually have about three or four pies every game.

"I actually thought they tasted better today. Usually you get a mouthful of grease with a full-fat pie, but there was none of that today. I'm really impressed."

The low-fat alternatives didn't go down well with everyone though.

Malcolm Gray, 20, a student from Dalry, said: "It's not for me. I like my pies to be pies. What's going to be next, vegetarian Bovril?"