Score: 7.8 ⁄ 10

A well presented individual pie which consisted purely of tender meat, a rich gravy and (weirdly) two types of pastry. Accompanied with a great mash and a selection of perfectly cooked vegetables. The ale taste wasn't as strong as I would have liked but then I don't think we've ever found a pie with a strong flavour of ale.

Definitely worth a visit!
Lee

A short crust pastry house filled with delicious chunks of succulent steak (no veg or mushrooms in this bad boy) topped with a puff pastry lid. Served with some mash and an excellent selection of vegetables.

A very good pie, just missing out on my top place due to a lack in ale taste and disjointed lid (although I do like the dual pastry thing).

Will definitely eat here again.

Camilo

Oh, how close is this pie to greatness? I'll tell you. It's 2.5 points short.

Let me talk about the good point first - the filling. This meaty, tasty concoction is superb. While my only criticism is the absence of a diced veg base [mirepoix] to add depth, it's up there with the best.

The spanner in the works for me is the pre-cooked pastry 'cup' and separate puff pastry lid which sat askew the meaty dish like a flipflop resting on an upside down sod of soil. I can only assume someone at the Lamb and Lion has INSISTED the pie be served with two different textures of pastry, which is a 2.5-point-deduction mistake. For if this pie was wrapped [and cooked] in that same delicious short pastry that the 'cup' was made from, then I would be, y'know, delighted... Only then do you get to keep in all the flavour and aroma of the meat and gravy and generate that most delicious duel texture - soggy v crisp - pastry that only comes from cooking the stew and pastry together, which all good pies have.

Dear Lamb and Lion: If you read this, please do it [the above]. If you can't, please comment to tell us why.

Flava Dave

Score: 7.3 ⁄ 10

Easily the most classy pie we've sampled, heck Flava and me had flippin' wine, although judging by how the 'ale' went down elsewhere, this wasn't a bad shout.

This would never have happened if Pistol were here, he'd have battered us, or at the very least stopped us in our poncy tracks with some cutting and deserved abuse.

The pie you ask, delicious, but not one that will stick in the memory.

I'm of the opinion that a pie and a restaurant should stay clear of each other, the pie being the domain of pubs and other institutions carrying either no plates, or at most plain circular ones (I will tollerate oval).

I take no issue with mushrooms, apart from that market trader who spends the last hour of work shouting the sale of his (singular) bag o' mushroom.

Mash and gravy were tasty, and unlike others, my pie had plenty meat.

Puff pastry lid does not a pie make.



Steve

Man, I'm still sweating... That pie was hot, and so was ALL of the air INSIDE the Living Room. Hot air and hot pie equals sweating, doesn't it? Why did I not wait for the pie to cool down you may ponder? Well time is money and all that, life's just too bloody short.

So, I wish I'd done a comparison. I wish I'd actually laid out each and every particle of meat in a single line, on my plate, next to each and every last cutting of mushroom. Because I didn't means that I have no scientific PROOF that there was more mushri in the pie than pieces of, er, mi [meat]. My colleagues may or may not concur. but the fact that I have raised the question helps you get an understanding of the mushroom to meat ratio in this pie, albeit pure hypothesis.

Well what the hell anyway, you might like more mushroom than meat in your STEAK and ALE pie...?

OK, on to the ale infusion. There was none. Now let's address the pastry. Puff. So what we have here is a mushroom and gravy pie, garnished with carrot, celery, pastry, mash, meat and more gravy.

I'm not very good at estimating the volume of gravy, but I'd say the total gravy content of this pie is bordering 6.5 to 6.6 litres.

The thing is, it's still a tasty damn pie. It's well presented, the service is good but it's just a tad expenno, and perhaps contravenes the property mis-descriptions act or whatever, somehow - we've covered that. All the best, Pistol, mate.

Flava Dave

Well, the first review post Pistol, who we had put down, sorry, is living out his days on a farm far far away...

Having already sampled their pie I knew what to expect and it didn't disappoint. Ok, it didn't have pastry surrounding all the sides, instead was served in a ceramic dish with Layer of pastry on top. – I don't see this as an issue anymore but some pie connoisseurs would disagree. It was also nicely presented but then we were in a restaurant rather than just in t'pub.

It seems the amount of meat inside wasn't equal amongst all the reviewers today, not that I really care, mine had quite a lot! I also like the inclusion of the assorted veg inside, I'm a big fan of mushrooms in a pie. However, I did think there wasn't enough of an ale taste, well, any to be fair, but it didn't stop me devouring everything in front of me. Not sure how it was achieved but the last mouthful was as hot as the first - Rather it this way than cold eh?!

All said and done, this is a good pie I'd recommend to others.

Lee

Another tasty stew with a pastry lid calling itself a pie.

Nicely presented - with mash and extra jug of gravy. I purchased some extra Spinach too.

LOTS of mushrooms. I hate mushrooms. I can't mark a pie down because it has mushrooms, but I can mark it down for having too many mushrooms. It did. I have.

Disappointing lack of ale taste (Old Speckled Hen apparently).

Wouldn't have this one again.
Camilo

Score: 7.5 ⁄ 10

Here we are tasting a pie from Richardson's butchers, skillfully heated up by the staff at HOTM and garnished with some absolutely delicious mash. There's also a ramekin of mushy peas, and underneath it all is a stone cold plate. At the time of writing I have not read the other guy's reviews, but I suspect this lack of heat to be a primary bug-bear.

Now, I know it's not cooked in their own kitchens, but it is cooked in this fine city, by someone.. Casting that aside, this is a bloody good pie. Excellent short pastry (a bit like you'd expect on a good pork pie) and filled to the brim with tender meat.

It's a big, heavy meal. The smaller pie (which you can buy cold, downstairs) would have been an easier meal to swallow. That's not a criticism, I suppose they'd have heated up a small pie if I'd have asked them (or indeed, 'known').

Anyway.. Good pie. Bye for now.
Flava Dave

The plate. It is cold, and cracked. The mash. Warm, but of satisfying consistency. The peas. Mushy.

OH the peas. Mucky, filthy, mushy peas. What stupifying marrowfat hell is this in which I have awoken? Dirty, mucky peas. Terrible peas. Terrorist peas. Peas grown in a field of regret, fertilised with hate.

No, mucky peas, NO.

The pie though? Great pastry, generously sized, good chunks of meat and a thick, rich gravy. I very much enjoyed the pie itself. Sadly, it was an island in an ocean of gravy.

With, like, a mash potato jetty.

Overall this was a great dish, which could have been helped immeasurably if everything was hot upon arrival, but I'm willing to be lenient with that since they don't really have a kitchen, and they prepared five dishes all at once. Furthermore, the biggest dude I have ever known works there, and if he thought I was being disparaging towards his place of business he may crush me betwixt thumb and forefinger, in a cynical display of physical supremacy.

Or he won't, because he's a really nice guy.

God just go there and try a pie yourself, who even cares what I think?

I won't bore you with the story of this particular pie's fate later on in my evening, but needless to say it's a bloody brilliant story.

Also, it's entirely gross, and I wouldn't want to put you through that.
Pistol

A very tasty individual pie with plenty of filling surrounded by shortcrust pastry. It was served with a nice cracked black pepper mashed potato, onion gravy and mushy peas.

Couldn't finish this huge meal, it was just too much - but you can't dock points for that! I can even look past the lack of an ale taste in the gravy and filling. My main criticism would be the temperature it was all served up - a hot pie but a lukewarm mash and gravy served on a cold plate. No excuse for this. It might be harsh, but for me, if the pie isn't made on the premisses, instead bought from a butchers, the only thing left to judge is the mash, veg, gravy and the ability to heat it all up.

That said, it was the only place we've reviewed where you can go downstairs to the shop and buy a souvenir pie!


Lee

Good lookin' tasty pie. Touch cold. Mushed peas, mashed potato, massive portion. Tired. Visit.
Steve

It can't be easy cooking five pies without a kitchen, but the House of the Trembling Madness can do it. Well almost.

Perfect pie, magnificent mash and superb surroundings, unfortunately let down by a tepid temperature. Served piping hot, this would be a clear contender.

I wouldn't hesitate to go again, especially whilst only ordering one or two pies, and would highly recommend it.

They also do a lamb pie and they've been known to serve pie until quite late at night!
Camilo

Score: 6.8 ⁄ 10

It was a good pie overall. A good sized portion with plenty of meat, a really tasty gravy - particularly liked the addition of whole grain mustard and good home made chips. My only criticisms were that it didn't really count as a pie as the pastry didn't surround the filling, instead a puff pastry lid was placed on top and it was a little cold. Non the less, still a crackin' pie.
Lee

It said beef and ale pie on the menu and we were served a beef and mustard pie. The distinct aroma of the spicy seed came wafting through the kitchen door before the pie did. Never the less, it was quite delicious, with a rich and non-gelatinous gravy confirming the claimed 'homemade' marker.

But is it really a pie? It's hard to call any concoction a 'pie' when the pastry and stew are cooked separately. Evident in the photograph, this stew came with a side order of puff pastry. It's a short-cut technique used by most eateries in England, and I think it has to stop. We'll struggle to find a real 'homemade' pie fully encased in the fluffy stuff - it simply takes too long to prepare in the kitchen. (Does it?). The chips were excellent. The plate was too small.The serving temperature was tepid.
Flava Dave

I've always liked this pub for beer and never really considered eating, but actually this pie was pretty good. Not exactly refined, but tasty.

Extra marks for lots of meat in tasty gravy, and great chips. Marks off for limp pastry (pretty much everyone gets this wrong) and somewhat harshly, an overflowing plate.

Probably should be a technical point to make about mustard, and not ale gravy, but I would have smothered it in English anyway.

Worth a trip, and a pint.


Steve

Another pie, another pub that plays with the very definition thereof. The Ackhorne served up an elliptical dish of pie filling, with a pastry island floating atop.
Now - don't get me wrong - I cleaned my plate, but it appears to be increasingly uncommon to actually get a pie when ordering one. I'm with Dave that it's a shame that kitchens are no longer bothering with pastry down the sides. While I can't argue with what someone else considers the optimum form-factor for the dish, I know what I think a pie is, and this was straying from that vision..
Still, it was a satisfying dish, with a healthy-sized portion and particularly tasty chips - the homemade touch makes a real difference there.. I'd definitely consider having it again, although the next time I would definitely prefer it to be hot when landing on the plate..
Overall a good pie, but it has so much potential that could easily be unlocked..
Pistol

The Ackhorne has been one of my favourite pubs for years, though largely down to it's ale selection and almost secret location. Up until this, I'd never eaten here - so what about their pie...

Overall, very impressive. With a few tweaks this could be a champion - good chunks of meat, excellent gravy, superb home made chips and a perfect portion. It was also reasonably priced.

Improvements? A bigger plate (so there's some room), short crust pastry and hotter!
Camilo

Score: 6.3 ⁄ 10

Overall I was disappointed by this place. Although the pie it's self wasn't too bad; a large amount of meat, nice pastry and a portion size that could appease an American's appetite, it was ultimately let down by everything else on the plate. The chips were just your box-standard oven chips (although there was the option for new/roast potatoes), the vegetables tasted like they had been cooking since Christmas and was topped off with a Bisto style gravy that was far too salty.

Saying that, I ate it all.
Lee

There used to be a terrific pie sold at The Royal Oak on Goodramgate, and apparently their previous chef was now working at the Golden Fleece.

My expectations were high.

Unfortunately, they were later crushed by the meal not being as good as the one I remembered. Sure, the pie tasted great, but it wasn't the same - the chips were bought in (as oppose to home made) and the gravy overly thick.

On a possitive note, there was the option of chips, roast potatoes or new potatoes.

Overall - I know this chef can do better. Perhaps it's budget contraints?
Camilo

Great expectations were carried into the Golden Fleece due in most part to the author's previous experience with this most excellent pie maker (Royal Oak). Whilst the pie appeared the same, plenty meat, proper crumbly pastry, sadly any pie taste was almost entirely subdued by overly thick and extremely salty Bisto-esque gravy. The stock chips and dull veg did nothing but invigorate my disappointment.

Gotta give this one a reasonable score on pure pie terms, but the overall experience was sorely lacking.




Steve

Score: 5.5 ⁄ 10

My memory is a little hazy of this one, due in part to the large quantities of ale consumed (mostly) after eating, but unfortunately also partly due to a fairly uninspiring pie.

The meat was both tender and tasty (minus a strong ale kick), and the shortcrust a decent, if brittle effort. However both chips and peas were a touch cold for my liking, and the portioning of my plate into pointless containers (peas in a dish?) didn't float my boat.

All in all; not bad, but nothing like Pistol's Mam makes!



Steve

The pie was quite good, tender meat and tasty gravy, even found a mushroom. Didn't really have much of an ale taste though. But, no matter how good this pie might have been it was completely let down by cold chips, an odd petri dish of peas and a jug of gravy which I suspect was nothing more than Bisto gravy granules. My idea to heat the cold chips up using the gravy was thwarted as I discovered a paper napkin under the food - Really who thought that was a good idea?
Lee

A disappointing pie, considering it was consumed on my birthday.

Tasty filling with a shortcrust top, but let down by cold cheap chips, and the fact I had to construct half the meal myself: remove napkin from plate, empty small portion of peas next to chips and pour gravy over it all - I can understand gravy in a jug, but peas in a separate dish too!??!

On a plus side, the staff were friendly, and the little room we had in the corner of the garden was nice.
Camilo

Nearly passed entirely on this one, but given that I missed the Black Swan's pie I thought I'd step up and put my lack of hunger aside for the love of pie.

The dish's presentation was as subtle as it was popular, with the peas in a separate dish on the plate, and the gravy its own jug... on the plate. Quite why such a complicated mechanism was in place will remain a mystery to us. That coupled with cold chips (and nothing like the home-made kind) all added up to a bit of a shock, like tapping someone on the shoulder to ask the time, only to discover when they turn around that their face is just a continuation of their neck.

The pie suffered from the same issues we've seen before - tough but admittedly tasty pastry, and the meat itself delivered in a ceramic dish. Never a fan of that. Sad face.

As far as the pie tasted, the stew was delicious - with strong flavors running throughout, although I feel that to provide the last four pies of the night they may have in fact stretched three, given that the dish was only half full. I prefer my pie with filling up to the top, thanks..

Not overly impressed, but it tasted fine and filled a hole. The presentation was a nice touch, if completely unnecessary but the meal did its job. Can't see myself rushing back, mind..
Pistol

Score: 8.1 ⁄ 10

We hit lucky with our first pub this time round, which was brilliant - because I was very hungry.

First - a non-pie related note; the Black Swan is looking much better since I last visited. A new longer bar and a great selection of real ales.

Another "proper pie". Home cooked with chunks of tasty meat and excellent pastry. Since they'd run out of chips we were offered mash or roast spuds, and they happily gave us a combination after our request (with some added friendly banter!).

My only criticism would be that no ale flavours showed through.

They also do a pigeon pie - and apparently a squirrel one!
Camilo

Well... A pie review without Pistol present. He won't be pleased as he's missed a right good 'un. Here we have a terrible picture of an excellent pie. The pie is cooked in a large tray and cut up into portions for serving. The short crust pastry wrapped the pie both a-top and a-bottom, creating two delicious textures. To be amongst the greatest it needed more real-ale punch, but flippin' good none the less.
Flava Dave

Hats off to the chef!.. It was clear the moment it was delivered to the table that this was going to be good.. and it was. Home made pastry - what a difference it makes! Great filling; plenty and meat and gravy and accompanied by roast AND mash potatoes as a substitute for chips... Would strongly recommend this pie.

Pistol, you missed a good'en.
Lee

As this was the first steak and ale pie i had ever had i wasnt quite sure what to expect, and i have to say that it was extremely good the steak was perfect and so was the mash, and roasties were nice and crispy. The only thing i had a slight problem with was the paistry i couldn't say what but it wasnt right.

Overall: A very nice pie.
Lewis

An obviously handmade, proper shortcrust, extremely tasty pie. Lack of chips was more than made up for by the roastie/mash combo and friendly banter. A stronger ale taste would be my preference, but still a serious contender.
Steve

Score: 5.4 ⁄ 10

I enjoyed this pie, the filling was good - loads of meat, mushrooms and a strong ale flavour to the gravy. But, the floating pastry lid did let it down - to be honest it was tasteless and over done. Can't help but feel that if the filling was surrounded by (good) pastry - ie, like a pie, we might have a strong contender here, but it didn't, so we don't...

Nontheless, was still tasty and I was very happy with the option of chips, mash or new potatoes. There was even a choice of two pastry hats.
Lee

If I were reviewing service, the Judges Lodgings would have scored highly. A knoweledgable, friendly landlord with the perfect amount of banter and pleasantness.

This is however a steak and ale pie website....

There were a multitude of options; chips, mash or new potatoes & short crust or puff pastry.

The filling was very nice - the beer flavour showed through and there were chucks of decent beef. The accompanying chips were good too. This meal was quite obviosuly home made.

What let the whole thing down (once again) was a lack of effort on the pastry front - the filling was topped with a pastry lid. As a group we had some fun deciding on the best words to describe said lid, which included: biscuit, pop tart, pitta bread, etc.

Improvements - with a decent pastry surrounding the filling, this could be a terrific pie.
Camilo

Good points up top... good tasty ale stew and decent chips, but that's unfortunately it. The lasting memory of this “pie” (yep, those quotes are double) is the brittlest pastry I've ever eaten, which not even the cute π symbol a top, or the very tasty half price beer could salvage.

Steve

Well now.. Tricky one this..After two failed attempts to procure pie at other, as yet unnamed establishments, we arrived at the Judges Lodgings slightly dejected and very hungry.. However, we were in luck, as the menu boasted a home-made pie and the service from the ever-knowledgable landlord was excellent.. Then came the pie.. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but once again I've been let down by the form factor; this pie was without sides.. Sad face.. Even worse was that the pastry topping was too brittle to be enjoyable — pressing down to cut through pressed the filling out of the sides..Other than that there was little to complain about, the filling itself was delicious, with a very distinctive ale flavor.. This pie was let down only by the pasty, it's lack thereof and the texture of what remained..Now if you'll excuse me, Pistol has ladies to impress with some powerful potato-based chat..
Pistol

Well, we got off to a good start. After spying that I only ordered a half of bitter, the pleasant bar man offered me a free coffee as he thought I was driving. I wasn't driving, however, and informed the amicable man. Coffee cancelled. But it was good of him to offer. Anyway, to the pie, which was more a plate of stew with a flip flop resting on top. And a dry, underwhelming flip flop at that. The meat mixture however was very tender, perfectly perfumed with ale and very tasty. Almost one of the best fillings yet - just a shame that it wasn't filling anything.
Flava Dave

Score: 8 ⁄ 10

Oh man.. Mad dinner fatigue kicking in over here.. From the second this pie was placed in front of me I started to feel full, such was my anticipation for digging in.. Thick, crispy chips at one end of the plate, and a damn fine chunk of pie at the other.. Packed with meat and cooked with obvious care, this pie was a feast from the first mouthful to the last, and it's not often Pistol clears his plate, yo.. There was some veg too, which wasn't unwelcome, but did nothing to improve the pie - it simply didn't need improving.. Great pie - a credit to ebay would eat again AA+++++
Pistol

Best one yet! Packed with meat, pastry all the way round, excellent chips and gravy. My only complaint, and it is minor, is that they could have put more ale in it. Oh, and lose the evil broccoli on the side! Other than that, mega.
Lee

Lovely country style pub, and a warm welcome (as the sign on the front stated).

The pie was impressive - chunks of steak (and a little carrot/spuds) wrapped in a delicious pastry and covered in gravy. Crispy chips and three veg added to the delight.

This pie is definitely a contender.

Why haven't I given it a higher mark? Because anything can be beaten, and I challenge anyone to do it.

I'll be visiting The Gillygate again.

Oh... and a very nice pint of Hobgoblin too!
Camilo

This pie impressed upon first sight. It looked delicious and tasted delicious. Packed full of meat and wrapped in a good short pastry, this pie had superb flavour and texture. Slightly lacking the punch of real ale, but very impressive overall. A lesson to all on how to serve a good pie.
Flava Dave

Score: 4.7 ⁄ 10

This pie pretty much pirouetted out of the kitchen wearing a ridiculous pastry hat at a rakish angle.. As thrilling headgear as it was, I was little disappointed to find the rest of the pie sitting in a dish, with no sign of pastry below the hat.. I'm of the school of thought that that doesn't constitute a pie, so we weren't off to the best start.. The meat was pretty tough, and the gravy was far too watery, but the stew itself was tasty enough.. Not sure about the inclusion of mushrooms though—Lee was stunned into silence for a full 45 minutes.. Controvesy!

I'll be honest; I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a pub named after a domestic terrorist.. Daft looking, but fairly tasty pie..

Bloody good chips, mind..
Pistol

I enjoyed this pie and walked away full. The filling was tasty and plentiful, albeit the gravy was a bit on the watery side. Accompanied by good home made chips and an unnecessary salad... Not sure this counts as a pie, more of a casserole with an oversized pastry topping floating on top. Overall, not bad.
Lee

Hmm, well. A stew with a roof, which instantly loses points. A hearty flaversome filling; real meat (slightly) chewy and slightly watery.

The roof/lid was ok, slightly flambuoyant.

As an inexperienced reviewer I give it...

More work required.
Jim

The meat and gravy were tasty, albeit a little underdone, and the chips excellent. That said, the pastry was a major disappointment, consisting of only an entirely detached puff hat. I'm not convinced this could even be called a pie (probably just), but for me the lack of stodgy pastry spoiled the experience.
Steve

This first thing that struck me with this average pie was: "That meat could do with more time and more ale." And it was crying out for a beurre manié to thicken the broth too. Now, I'm not too bothered about the jaunty pastry hat. I'll call it a pie. But the fluffy top was rather pointless, offering neither taste nor texture to the dish. Good chips lift the rating a touch, while the limp, drab lettuce leaves do nothing for its score.
Flava Dave

With the removal of the pasty hat and addition of some dumplings, this would make a lovely meal, but still not a pie.

The stew was tasty (but a little thin, like soup) and the beer flavour showed through. Served with very nice chips and some lettuce (eh?)

Overall, a nice filling lacking any thought with the pastry.

Camilo