Tuesday 15 August 2017

Kate and Sydney.



My oldest son, Kimbo, knows my tastes well. Other than a selection of wonderful cheeses, some superb bacon, and a couple of luxury Pork pies, this year he arrived with two of the above.

For anyone who is unaware, these are 'ready to cook' pies, that simply require a tin opener and an oven.

They were, and probably still are, a life-line to many students, who might otherwise exist exclusively on Beer and Pork scratchings. The thought of a Fray Bentos pie on a Sunday was heaven on earth.


The last one I ate was in 2013. I eat them alone because Lady Magnon doesn't approve. More fool her!

Bloody delicious.




35 comments:

  1. Haven't had one of those for years. Tempted when I see them in the UK but something always stops me.

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    Replies
    1. I'd rather like to try one of their Steak-n-Kidney puddings; I haven't had one of those for over 50 years.

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    2. My husband calls these babies brain pies! Yuk.

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    3. And who says Babies Brains aren't delicious? You should try one!

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  2. I would guess that it is the older generation who still eat them rather than students. It brings back memories of Sundays in London for me at 17. Always with a tin of peas. P's mother still buys them. Maybe that's where I am going wrong, I don't.

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    1. I remember putting them into my Baby Belling cooker in my very first London flat in Bayswater.

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  3. Snap! If this was FaceWozzit I'd photograph the empty that's just behind me..... and post it here in the comments.
    We get them occasionally, too.... but off the English shelf in the local Intermarché.... we keep the tins as they make excellent pie dishes.
    Take one of those ready made foolish-yeti pastries.... or the pâté sablé.... push into the empty Fray Be tin.... fill with your desired eat... be it meat or veg or frooot. Fold the remaining pastry over....it only just fits.... and because of that, it is easy to leave a hole in the middle.
    Bake, eat.... makes a perfect sized pie for two!
    It is also dead easy to part-bake and freeze.... then remove by dipping the base in hot water.... and bag up. That just requires taking out and putting in a Fray Bentos tin for thawing and final cook.
    Last night was a meat and potato one.... Limousin steak and chunks of nice fluffy Stemster spud.... with chard!

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    1. I must say, I'd never thought of keeping one as a pie dish; what a very good idea, I'll rummage in my dustbin!

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  4. You eat that and yet you've never had a Greggs!

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    Replies
    1. These pies to me are pure nostalgia, No Greggs in France.

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  5. I used to love those.....not had one for probably more than 40 yrs! I have bought a " fresh" beef and ale pie for tonight's meal ! With runner beans from the garden.

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    1. The French Beans above were from my garden too. Perfect with a meat pie!

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  6. I can remember feeding 4 of us on one of those with veg when times were hard.

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    1. You make me feel like a Pig; I ate it all by myself!

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    2. Yup, my Mum did the same. Extra veg and four servings. Done.

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  7. My brother who lives alone, loves these pies, he always has a few in his cupboard.

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    1. Perfect bachelor/student food. I would have a stock too.

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  8. What a tart! You Cro... not the pie... are you anybody's for a touch of nostalgia I idly wonder?

    I am a condon bleu trained cook and even I bought one a few years ago... only to see if they were as tasty as I remember, mind!

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    1. And was it? To me they taste exactly as I remember them.

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    2. Most definitely... Oh the joy of remembered flavours and tastes of a bygone age. To this day I can still taste the French bread and butter of a holiday in Le Touquet at the tender age of five. Sadly I have never even got close since.

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  9. Being short of money my Mum often gave us these in my childhood. You can buy them here in the pound shop. I think that pastry would not sit very happily with me these days but they were scrumptious.
    Briony
    x

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    1. They're actually quite light; not at all stodgy.

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  10. I find offal awful, so not for me.

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    1. There's something about Kate-n-Sydney that goes so well. You probably wouldn't notice it.

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  11. I know that wouldn't be something I would enjoy, but why does Lady M not like you eating one?

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    1. She thinks like you. I think she's frightened of them!

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  12. Our household it's Snake and Pygmy or at least it was. One of the F.B.pies has not darkened our pantry for more than 40 yrs!

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    1. Or Snake and Midget. Potty, it's about time you had your pantry re-darkened.

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  13. Not had on in 35 years I guess. Remember the tough as shoe leather top pastry, but scrape top bit off, nice soggy pastry, meat n gravy was nice. Mum used to do that with mash n peas, white mothers pride sliced bread n butter.ok was the 80.s

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    1. It'd flaky pastry these days (wasn't it always?) very non-shoe-leather.

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  14. I have a strange feeling you have blogged this before (I haven't bothered to check) and if it wasn't you it was someone else. I went and bought one for nostalgia's sake. I cannot say that my enthusiasm matched yours. However I might have to try again just to be sure.

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    1. Yes, I had one back in 2013 and wrote about it. I enjoyed this one so much I thought I'd do so again.

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  15. It has been 48 years since I had either pork or steak & kidney. I wonder if I can get them online?

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    1. I have a lovely Pork Pie in the fridge that Lady M brought back from London yesterday. We shall eat it for lunch!

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  16. Well I never. I find this a wondrous thing. In America we do not have canned meat pies, and we have nothing that is sold in ready-to-cook metal packaging, and now grocery shopping will never be the same.

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