British Pie Week: The pieman cometh

Pubs and pies are a perfect match - a point proven by the Keystone in Guildford, Surrey. The pub is at the heart of British Pie Week 2009 after being named the Face of Pie Week in a hard-fought contest.

Licensees Mark and Kath Eleveld took over the pub on a lease with Punch Taverns in August 2003. Along with head chef Ashley Robins, Mark and Kath have built the Keystone's reputation for hearty, home-cooked food, selling more than 60 home-made pies a week.

Mark says: "We're not a gastropub and have never wanted to be, but food is incredibly important to our business. From the beginning our aim has always been to do traditional pub grub incredibly well.

"I think it's the simplicity of our menu, along with endeavouring to use local suppliers where we can, which has given us a real point of difference with customers. For instance we have started to use pigeon from a local shoot for our Legendary Game Pie."

It was that recipe which impressed the judging panel for the Face of Pie Week. British Pie Week 2009, in association with Jus-Rol and supported by The Publican, runs from March 2 to 8.

Game pie is a traditional British dish, and one strength of Ashley's recipe is that it can be adapted to use different game varieties depending on what's in season.

Ashley and Mark oversee the Keystone's hearty menu, which ranges from homemade beef burgers to home-roasted ham with egg and chips, as well as themed evenings - including Pie Night every Thursday.

"Putting homemade pies on the menu is relatively easy - it's all in the planning," says Ashley. "I tend to make large pies that will serve eight or more people, as they not only look more rustic, but are more profitable compared with individual pies.

"The fillings are prepared in advance and for the pastry Mark and I use Jus-Rol, which gives us the consistency we need when dealing with high-volume orders.

"From a chef's perspective pies are a really flexible dish, which can be altered to match the seasons, allowing us to use the best ingredients available."

With the Keystone selling around 45 pies every Thursday night, Pie Night is proving a popular event in Guildford. "No matter the time of year, it's consistently our busiest week-night," says Kath. "We have to tell customers to come early to avoid being turned away."

The offer is built around two home-made pies, accompanied by a selection of vegetables, for £10. "It's quite the social occasion, as customers seek 'pie buddies' in order to get the £10 deal, as usually our pie of the day sells for £9," adds Kath.

Mark and Ashley rotate their recipes to keep the menu fresh, and new pies are tried on the specials board to gauge customer feedback. "We always ensure there is a good selection of meat, fish and vegetarian pies to make sure there is something for everyone," says Ashley - although Legendary Game Pie accounts for a third of the pub's sales when in season.

British Pie Week - March 2 to 8

Visit British Pie Week​ for marketing and recipe ideas. For Ashley's winning recipe visit Legendary Game Pie​.