Greater Manchester is famous for its meat pies and the Great North Pie company can stake (or steak?) a claim to being one of the area's best pie makers. (I know that not because I've sampled all the pies of the world but because they have an impressive display of gold medals awarded by folk who have.)
They have a stall at Altrincham market to buy pies to take home. But they also have a separate space in the Market Hall where you can get your pie delivered to your table. You can add mash and gravy if you want to make a meal of it.
Pie choices include cheese and onion, chicken and mushroom, minced beef and onion, and steak and ale. It was hard to choose, but I went for the steak and ale, with mash and gravy.
I wasn't sure I made the right choice when it came out: the mashed potato looked a little watery and the pie crust a little too well done. But the mash was fine, the gravy delicious, and the pie was truly scrumptious. The crust was firm but not tough, containing a delicious stew of juicy steak chunks in a thick beer gravy. I washed it down with a fine ale from Jack in the Box, on the other side of the hall. Eating my pie in the beautiful and historic surroundings of the Market Hall only added to the Great North Experience. read more