Premium pie brand Pieminister has launched Handy Pies, a snackable range of deep-filled pastries designed to eat on the go, hot or cold.
Debuting via Ocado this month and Tesco from May, the range features four flavours including Cheese & Onion, Chicken Tikka, Steak & Peppercorn, and Banger & Bean (rsp: £3, 170g).
The Cheese & Onion Handy Pie is suitable for vegetarians, and is made with a strong vintage cheddar, potatoes, chives, and a touch of English mustard, baked in flaky pastry. The Chicken Tikka Handy Pie is filled with free range British chicken marinated in tikka spices and cooked in a rich creamy sauce.
The Steak & Peppercorn Handy Pie contains British beef steak, a splash of brandy, and cracked rainbow peppercorns, while the vegan Banger & Bean Handy Pie has plant-based sausage and baked beans in a herby tomato sauce.
Bristol-based Pieminister identified snacking as a new premium pie eating occasion after conducting research on a sample size of over 3,100 consumers. Of the one in 10 respondents that said they not purchased from the savoury pastry snacking category in the past six months, 38% revealed this was because ‘they don’t look appealing’, 31% blamed ‘poor quality meat’, 27% cited ‘poor quality pastry’, and 20% said they ‘don’t trust the ingredients’.
Pieminister MD Jon Simon, who founded the independent family-run business with his brother-in-law Tristan Hogg in 2003, said their key innovation objective is to offer ‘pies for all, for all occasions’. These would cater for consumers with a variety of dietary choices and requirements, he noted, while always sticking to company values of only using premium quality ingredients that are sourced for their deforestation-free and high animal welfare credentials as well as great taste.
“This objective led to the expansion of our Classic pie range to include gluten free and plant-based SKUs,” added Simon. Pieminister teamed up with plant-based food brand This to launch a vegan Chicken & Bacon Pie last September, having unveiled new filo pastry pies earlier in the year.
“Launching Handy Pies into the snacking category is the obvious next step for us as we find tasty, new ways to welcome younger, conscious consumers into the pie category,” commented Simon.
According to Nielsen data for the 26 weeks ending 23 September 2023, Pieminister is the fastest growing pie brand over the past six months – value sales were up by 26% compared to 23% of rival brand Pukka.
Pieminister operates a chain of 15 restaurants across England as well as a stall at Borough Market in London. It supplies its packaged products to the likes of pubs, supermarkets, farm shops, travel locations, sports stadiums, and other venues, as well as selling them online via its website. It achieved B Corp accreditation in January 2023. It recently won the Fusion Pie class at the 2024 British Pie Awards for its Harissa Chicken Pie.
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