Marston's has all the pies

Marston's Pub Company (MPC) is launching a new pie menu for pubs following a successful trial at Stafford pub Joxer Brady's.

The made-to-order pies, puddings and tarts menu was developed by catering development Manager Ben Bartlett, the current HQ Food Champion of the Pub Food Awards.

Ben's back-to-basics approach fills a gap in the market for quality home-cooked food which can be quickly and easily cooked and served,

The menu reflects the best of the region's seasonal ingredients and caters for all tastes - from traditional shepherd's pie, beef, stilton & onion, and gammon and pork, apple and cider pie, through to favourites such as bread & butter pudding, spiced pear crumble and rice pudding with home-made plum jam.

Ben said: "The Joxer Brady's has historically been more of a drinking pub but with the impending smoking ban we wanted to look at developing their food offering.

"Through the pies, puddings and tarts concept we have established links with local businesses to source the ingredients and have developed bespoke dishes linking to the heritage of the area."

MPC, the leased and tenanted arm of Marston's, has also provided the pub with training on preparation and service, signage, a menu design facility and regional marketing support.

Licensee Sam Swift said: "This has already had a huge impact on out trade and we have received some great feedback from customers. There are quite a few places to grab some lunch in Stafford, however the big difference here is the quality of the produce we use and the focus on preparing every dish from scratch."

Ben is now developing a comprehensive pie package which will be available to licensees across MPC.