Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney Pie (Fray Bentos Steak and Kidney Pie)

Name: GentleGenius

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Product:	Fray Bentos Steak and Kidney Pie
Date:	16/06/08 (79 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, tasty, appetising, generously filled

Disadvantages: A serves-2 sized pie really isn't adequate for 2 people; The tin can be hard to open

I have been eating and enjoying Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney Pies for as long as I can remember, and for me they have become a British food table institution.

The pies contain large pieces of very tender stewed steak, which are completely free of fat and gristle, together with a very generous serving of kidney. There is a rich and delicious-tasting gravy inside the pie, and a flaky pastry top crust which rises far up above the tin edge during cooking.

I'm sorry that I've been unable to locate any information regarding nutritional values of Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney Pies, as despite thorough searching, I've not managed to come across these details on the internet - and I don't have one of these pies in my kitchen cupboard right now, so can't check the information on the tin.

Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney Pies make an excellent and very good value for money meal served with carrots, green vegetables and mashed potato. If you want to be a true and utter Philistine, chips and baked beans go down a treat with them (I have also been known to eat them with no accompaniment, as they are delicious on their own).

You can expect to pay between £1.50 and £2.00 for a large-sized Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney Pie, depending on where you buy it, and they are available in most, if not all supermarkets and well-stocked corner shops.

The tin states that the large pie serves 2, but either I am very greedy or have an appetite larger than life, because I find one large-sized pie is only enough for myself. If I were feeding two people, then I would buy two large-sized pies. There is a smaller, single-serving size pie available, but not all shops stock this smaller size and I'm sure it would barely be enough to satisfy even the smallest of appetites.

The biggest disadvantage I personally find with Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney Pie, is that the tin is rather difficult to open with a conventional tin opener, as the metal is very thick. I find I have to run the tin opener several times around the edge, and even then sometimes that isn't enough. On particularly tough to open tins, I have been known to risk life and limb by attacking the jagged metal edges with a sharp knife, as it is essential that the top of the tin is removed before cooking.

The baking time for the pie on the tin states 30 minutes, but I find in a pre-heated (400 electric) oven, it comes out better if I cook it for an additional 5 minutes to crisp the pastry up properly.

The pastry is a little on the hard side, and very flaky on top, but just underneath the surface where it rests against the meat, it goes very soft and a little pappy. I don't mind this and find it very nice, but it may not appeal to everybody's taste.

I do find the amount of kidney in the pie rather overwhelming and would prefer to have more steak, but that is a personal preference as I am not a great lover of offal.

If you haven't tried Fray Bentos Steak & Kidney Pies, I do recommend you give them a go, as they are a very tasty and economical treat. I'd even go as far as to say they are not really like proper steak & kidney pies and certainly nothing like home-made, but delicious all the same. I have always tended to view them as a thing in themselves - unique, and in a separate food class of their own.

The cost of the larger sized pie works out far less than it would to make your own, and the superior quality and generous quantity of meat inside, outstrips most, if not all other ready-made meat pies.

Happy eating!!!

Summary: A hearty treat that goes well with most vegetables and potato recipes