Takeaway review: These magnificent pies are in a league of their own

What’s on offer?

Jamie Kelly, who worked as the baker in the much loved Diva Bakery in Ballinspittle, teamed up with Tim O’Kennedy last year to open The Pie Guys in Cork’s Black Market. In July, they added a second location in the English Market.

The pies are served as a full meal, accompanied by buttery mash, buttermilk slaw and a house pickle. The choice of pies includes beef and Beamish, which uses Dexter beef; creamy chicken tarragon, and butter chicken, which use free-range chicken; the cheesy Kiwi; and sweet potato and mushroom with smoked cheddar. Everything is made on site, so you will see a large food mixer and the pie tins on the work station. Get there early for lunch. They had sold out by 3pm after a busy lunchtime on Friday. The stall at the English market also sells breakfast “Corkish” pasties – the full Irish and the veggie.

What did we order?

Turning up too early (before they were open) on a Sunday morning meant that the pies were being prepped but not yet cooked. So we opted for frozen takeaway pies – the creamy chicken and the cheesy Kiwi.

How was the service?

Very friendly, especially as they were not officially open when we dropped by.

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Was the food nice?

These pies are off the charts. The buttery pastry is gloriously crisp and the fillings are delicious. The cheesy Kiwi (a New Zealand inspired pie) is a mix of beef mince with little gooey bits of Dubliner cheese running through. The flavour is so good and the lids of the pies are crusty, flecked with herbs, sesame seeds and sea salt. The creamy chicken tarragon pie is exactly as it is described, creamy and incredibly tasty. I have no doubt that the mash, which comes with the full meal, is of the same standard. With a ratio of 70 per cent potato to 30 per cent butter, it sounds heavenly.

What about the packaging?

The packaging is a brown cardboard box, so compostable, and there is wooden cutlery.

What did it cost?

It was €17 for the frozen two-pack. Had we ordered it as a meal, it would have been €13.50 for the cheesy Kiwi and €13 for the creamy chicken tarragon pie.

Where does it deliver?

Open in the Black Market, Wednesday-Sunday, 12-8pm; and in the English Market, Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-4pm.

Would I order it again?

Most definitely, the skill with which these pies are cooked and the quality of the produce puts them in a league of their own.