Crust Above the Rest: A Year of Proper Pies on Mow Cop Hill

At Mow Cop Inn, a pie is not just something to order when you cannot decide. It is a small, pastry-topped promise that the hill outside can do what it likes, because inside there is gravy, mashed potato and a table with your name on it. The pub pie is comfort food with a backbone, and on a cold ridge in Staffordshire or Cheshire — depending on which side of the hill you claim — it earns its place all year round. What follows is not a rigid menu. Think of it as a season-by-season wish list, the kind of pie list we would happily work through from the first frost to the last bank holiday.

The case for a seasonal pie list

A good pie can be many things: a suet pudding, a shortcrust parcel, a deep dish with a puff pastry lid. But a good pub pie should always taste of where it is. In winter that means something dark and slow-cooked. In spring it means green things and a lighter hand with the pepper. Treating pies as a fixed, year-round list is fine for a caff; for an inn on a hill, a little seasonal movement makes sense. It gives the kitchen something to look forward to, and it gives regulars a reason to come back and argue about pastry.

Winter: steak and ale, all the way down

If there is a platonic ideal of a hilltop pie, it is steak and ale in January. Beef chuck, cut generously, braised until it gives way under a spoon. A local ale in the gravy — nothing too hoppy, something with a bit of malt and a gentle bitterness. Add onion, a little carrot, perhaps a spoonful of mustard. The pastry should be shortcrust at the base and rough puff on top, with a lid that shatters rather than bends. Gravy protocol matters here: the filling should be moist but not soupy, and a small jug on the side is not an insult, it is insurance. Serve with buttered mash, greens and a sharp pickle. This is the pie that makes a winter walk worthwhile.

Spring: chicken, leek and tarragon

As the hill starts to green up, the pie list should lighten. Chicken thigh is a better bet than breast for flavour and juiciness. Leeks soften into the sauce, tarragon gives that faint aniseed lift, and a little cream brings it together without turning it into a heavy stew. A shortcrust base and a lighter puff lid works well, or a single all-butter shortcrust if you prefer a biscuity crunch. Gravy should be pale and chickeny, not dark. Sides: new potatoes with butter and mint, peas, perhaps a handful of watercress. This is the pie for a blustery April evening when the daffodils are out but the wind has not read the memo.

Summer: lamb, mint and garden peas

Pies in summer can feel like a contradiction, but only if you insist on suet and stodge. A lamb pie with mint and peas is fresh enough for a warm evening, especially if it is an individual pie rather than a trencher. Shoulder of lamb, cooked slowly and shredded, mixed with peas and a little mint jelly or fresh mint. A hot-water crust would be traditional, but a crisp shortcrust tart-style case is easier to love in July. Serve with a simple salad, buttered Jersey royals and a jug of light gravy. Or, if the sun has actually appeared, take it outside and let the view do the work.

Autumn: mushroom, chestnut and game

Autumn is the pie season that does not get enough attention. Wild mushrooms, chestnuts and a bit of game — venison or pheasant — make a filling that tastes of leaf litter and log fires in the best possible way. Sage, thyme and a splash of dark ale or red wine. A suet crust is a fine choice here if you want proper pudding heft, but a shortcrust with a lattice lid looks the part on a Sunday. Serve with buttered cabbage, mustard mash and a spoonful of quince or damson if you have it. This is the pie for the first weekend the clocks go back.

Pastry, gravy and the proper sides

Pastry is not a delivery system; it is half the point. Shortcrust should be short, which means cold butter and a light hand. Rough puff should be rolled and folded enough to rise but not so much that it turns into a brick. Hot-water crust is a different beast — sturdy, savoury and built to hold a wet filling. Whatever the style, the base needs blind baking or a hot oven to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom. Gravy is next. A pie should not swim. The sauce inside should coat the meat, and any extra should arrive in a jug. As for sides, a proper pie meal needs contrast: mash or chips, something green, and something sharp. Pickled onions, red cabbage, beetroot or a good chutney all earn their place. And please, no scattering of micro herbs on top unless the pie has personally requested them.

Help choose the limited-time Mow Cop Inn special

This winter, we want the hill to decide. Three limited-time specials are on the shortlist: a classic Cheshire beef and ale; a roast pumpkin, sage and Cheshire cheese pie for the vegetarians; and a chicken, leek and tarragon pie with a suet crust for the traditionalists. Vote at the bar, or tell us on social media which one deserves a place on the specials board. The winning pie will get a run through winter 2026, and the runner-up will almost certainly be argued about for months. That is the thing about pies on a hill: everyone has a favourite, and everyone is convinced theirs is the correct one. Bring your appetite and your opinions.