I saw a top 10 list recently about food that should never be tinned. Stuff like hot dog sausages. And Fray Bentos pies, and how, apparently, the idea of a pie in a tin is just plain wrong.

Who cares what the food snobs say???? Anyone who has actually eaten a Fray Bentos pie will know that it is one of the most comforting, yummy savoury delicacies ever to grace the plate.

It is the kind of thing that is perfect for those days, when you can't agree what to have for dinner, or simply can't be bothered. Simply remove the tin lid, cook on gas 8/230c for 25-30 minutes, and there you have it. A delicacy.

A Fray Bentos pie is quite unlike a normal pie. The pastry on the top is wonderfully crumbly and flaky, the pastry beneath, rather soggy and slimy, but still, an absolute essential part of the whole experience. The meat is lovely and tender, and the gravy in the middle is wonderfully rich, but always leaves you wanting more.

One problem I always have with these pies is getting them out of the tin and on the plate. I invariably end up with loads of meat on one plate, and a virtually empty pastry shell, on the other plate. My husband always seems to get the best portion, and I spend the whole of dinner time moaning at him and getting him to scrape some of his pie filling onto my plate.

The nutritionalvalues per half a pie are:
Cal: 369
Fat:20.9g
Salt:1.55g

A guily pleasure to be sure, and I suppose, like marmite, you are either going to love it or hate it, but for me, there is nothing better to warm the soul on a cold winter evening than a Fray Bentos pie with chips and veg.