The Old Butter Market (Canterbury)

Over the past few months I have developed a bit of a obsession with the good old fashioned British pie (as my waistline will probably attest). It may be something to do with the fine array of pies which I often enjoy at the Raven here in Bath (I mean, who can argue with a Mr Porky or Matador?!) and so, armed with this high water mark of pie-dom, I couldn't help but begin to compare any future pies with those fine offerings from the Raven and decided to keep a little record of my findings. For many weeks, even months, I have been found wanting in this department (and many others, but that is a whole other blog post), that was until I visited my old university stomping ground of the Canterbury and visited the Old Butter Market with Carter and Neil for a quick bite to eat on a Sunday afternoon.

Now, when I was a student back in the late 90s (which makes me sound very old, but not nearly as old as Neil!), the Old Butter Market was a grotty little Fleece and Firkin pub which was only of any worth knwoing about if you were a tourist whoe wanted to get ratted on Dogbolter on a weekday afternoon after visiting the scary Jesus at the cathedral gate (Or, if like me, were going out with someone who lived in the vicinity). So it was, that we found ourselves in the cathedral square on our return to Canterbury and decided to check out just what had happened to the former Firkin. Finding the need to fight off a free-champagne induced hangover caused by the wedding of our good friend Katie Price (no, not that one!) I chose to forego the toad in a hole option that tempted Neil and Cart's instead opted for the beef and ale pie. After all, we are in the county of Shepherd Neame, so surely it should at least have a good ale in it?!

And what a great choice it was though! So good, I felt the need to photograph it and place it here as the first entry on Al's World of Pies! For starters, it had a wonderful square design that made it look like a little castle as it towered over my chips and seasonal veg, guarding them from a marauding army or gravy, like a benevolent pastry duchy. Then, lurking inside the pastry ramparts of my meat castle, was a warm rich gravy with good solid chunks of meat and plenty of them. Some mediocre chips and some passable seasonable vegetables lurked on the boundaries of the plate, like peasants on market day, but overall this was a very fine pie and a worthy debut entry to this new food-based blog of mine.

Pros: Castle design, good contents, nice location.
Cons: Too much pastry, poor chips, strange veg

OVERALL VERDICT: 7/10