22 Pies You Must Eat Right Now

British pies are the best pies.

1. The Pie Shop, Wakefield

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Kebabs are alright, but nothing beats a 3am pie, smothered in chips, gravy and peas. Which Wakefield has discovered – their Pie Shop is open until 4am. The pies are also tasty enough to enjoy without needing to be drunk, and that is always a lovely surprise when it comes to 3am takeaway food.

2. Clark's Pies, Cardiff

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This pie company was founded over 100 years ago, and the pies have become pretty beloved since then. Known as "Clarkies" or "Clarksies", they also have "Clarpie" stamped on their bottoms. Inside there's a top secret mystery mix of beef and veggies which is far more delicious than the term "mystery mix" would suggest.

In conclusion: the Welsh people have a lot strange names in their country, but fantastic pies.

3. Pieminister, Leeds

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You'll find Pieminister dotted all over the UK, but the Leeds branch holds a special place in my heart. Not only are their pies very, very good, they also have a sign that reads “you won’t believe your pies”, and I am helpless to resist a good pun. I'm with my current boyfriend for his punning ability, and his punning ability alone.

4. Square Pie, London

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Is a square pie better than a round pie? Are four corners the cornerstone of truly good flavour? In the interest of pie knowledge, you should eat as many of Square Pie's lovely fare as necessary to find out.

5. Ye Olde Pie and Sausage Shoppe, York

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Full marks for the name, and full marks for the pie. This is a family run pie shop in the heart of pretty York city, that does deliciously golden pies with crunchy pastry and perfectly seasoned fillings.

6. Drake and Macefield Pies, Skipton

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Drake & Macefield have been making pies since 1898, and I think we can all agree that is a very long time. Which is probably why their pies are so good – a lot of time spent honing their pie craft. Skipton also have a pie and mash shop, which is really lovely too, but mash with pie is a CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC (peas vs. mash is the Sophie's Choice of pies). Drake & Macefield's don't push you into making that kind of heart-wrenching decision, and I respect that.

7. The Outdoor Pig Co., Evesham

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Screw mash or peas. I like my pie served with a healthy scoop of awards. The Outdoor Pig has won the Champion Pork Pie award at the Melton Mowbray British Pie Awards for three years in a row, and let me tell you, nothing tastes as good as accolades from an unbiased third party awards ceremony.

Seriously though, you should try their pork pie. It is really very good.

8. Great North Pie Co., Cheshire

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"Supreme Champion of the Great British Pie Awards 2015." If that isn't enough to make you eat someone's pies, I honestly don't know what is. Great North Pie Co. makes pies that are filled with things like braised beef and cheesy leek and potato, and are the perfect size for a mouthful (just short of three fingers deep). There is nothing more heartbreaking than a pie slightly too thick for your mouth, so kudos to them for making sure their pies are at optimum size.

9. Piebury Corner, London

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A good solid pie shop up in North London. Their pies are good, and their name makes me chuckle, so they're on the list. I also like that they started as a stall in the owner's front garden in Highbury, because selling pies out the front of your house is every childhood dream of mine realised.

10. H Weatherhead & Sons, North Yorkshire

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Before you ask: yes, that is a pie wedding cake. There were other pictures I could have used that had more #foodporn-esque shots of oozing pie innards. But you are getting the pie wedding cake because it is amazing and the world deserves to know about it. This butcher's shop is one of Yorkshire's finest, has tons of awards, and is beloved by all who taste their pies. And they made a pie wedding cake for someone. Weatherhead & Sons, I salute you.

11. The Hull Pie, Kingston-Upon-Hull

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Hull Pie have all the traditional pie fillings, then a few interesting ones like jerk chicken and BBQ pulled pork. At Hull Pie, you can see the pies being made as you walk in, and they're all handcrafted, because of course. People say Hull Pie's sweet pies are just as good as their savoury pies, and I believe them. I heard Hull Pie's hair was insured for $10,000. I'm also pretty sure they do car commercials in Japan.

12. Nice Pie, Leicestershire

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It's in the name – these are remarkably nice pies. And what more can you want out of life than a nice pie?

They've also won roughly 29 awards in just 18 months of business, proving that sometimes nice pies do finish first.

13. Mad O'Rourkes, Tipton

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As the name suggests, they are a bit bonkers here. You'll see this in the menu, with pies that are mad, but also quite delicious. Their most famous pie is the "Desperate Dan Cow Pie", which makes me very nostalgic for the Dandy. And I mean the proper Dandy – not this "Dandy Xtreme" nonsense, a.k.a one of the most tragic re-brandings of our time.

14. Morecambe FC, Lancashire

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Most football clubs serve pies during their games. Some of these pies are overpriced as all hell (*cough* Arsenal *cough*), but not so Morecambe FC. The pies they serve during their matches taste amazing (they've won a few British Pie Awards) and are only £2.50. They're so good in fact, they're also now served at Harrods. Drawbacks to eating your pie at Harrods: they do not approve of shouting "who ate all the pies?" in their food hall.

15. The Ginger Pig, London

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The Ginger Pig are very well known in London, with seven of their butcher's shops now to be found in the city. Despite being Southern-based though, they know where the good stuff really is – they farm up in the North Yorkshire moorland with a small group of local farmers.

Their meat is really terrific, and that makes for a really terrific pie. They also do a tiered "wedding" pork pie, because apparently pie wedding cakes are a thing? I'm really excited about this new knowledge.

16. Dunkleys Pies, Northamptonshire

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Dunkley's produce one million pies a month, all mostly for the pub trade. Chances are, if you have a really cracking pie in a pub, it's a Dunkley's. They were also voted England's best pie back in 2011, which is pretty cool.

17. Humble Pie & Mash, Whitby

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The building this Whitby pie shop resides in is wonderfully old, dating back to the 1600s. So you'll be hard pressed to find prettier surrounds to eat a pie in, with the interior featuring fireplaces and timber everywhere. The pies are really good too – proper pies that are down-to-earth and hearty, with a few lesser known recipes on the menu, like the Romany Hommity pie.

18. Bowen, Adlington

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Lancashire is known for their fantastic pies (butter pie, and cheese and onion pie are their most famous fare), and Bowen's do some of the best in the area. They're all made according to secret recipes, so you won't find the same taste anywhere else.

19. The Pie Kitchen, Suffolk

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You may have spotted these guys on Heston Blumenthal's Great British Food. Heston-approved, they are really very delicious pies. The fillings are flavourful, and stuffed with things like chicken, chantenay carrot and bacon, and steak done every way imaginable.

20. Denby Dale Pies, Denby Dale

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Nicknamed the "pie village", Denby Dale village has been making giant pies since 1788. Now you can buy their pies in a slightly more bite-sized format, thought they're still big on flavour (yes, I made that joke. No, I don't regret it.).

21. Goddard's at Greenwich, London

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The debate rages on. Pie and mash, or pie and peas? Sometimes dear reader, and don't be too shocked now, I have BOTH. Goddard's at Greenwich serves theirs with mash, and has gone completely off-piste by also serving their pies with a "liquor", which is green, but HAS NO PEAS IN IT. I say off-piste... *technically* it's a really traditional London dish that dates back to the 1800s. It's also really tasty, so even if you're a diehard pea-lover, it's worth trying their combo.

Can confirm Goddard's also serve peas, so don't worry, they're not totalitarian about the whole mash thing.

22. Wilson's Butcher, Leeds

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Wilson's have won a ton of awards, do really cracking pork pies, and are local to Leeds. Definitely pick one up when you're next in the area.

If you know of any amazing pies that should be on this list, let us know in the comments!