Scotland’s favourite pie has been revealed this week – and it’s the Scotch pie that’s come out on top!
The team at Eat Great Meat have analysed a year of UK searches for different pies in Google Keywords and Trends, determining that Scotch pies are not just Scotland but the UK’s favourite, followed by vegan pie and vegetarian cottage pie.
For the UK’s 2021 National Pie Week (March 1-7), the team at Eat Great Meat delved into the pies that the UK is most interested in online. They compiled data on people searching for pie types, takeaways and recipes to reveal the most popular pies across the UK over the past year.
The Scotch pie is the UK’s favourite, receiving 385,497 searches or 16.9% of total searches for pie across the UK over the past 12 months. Originating in Scotland, this pie traditionally contains mutton but commonly contains beef, particularly when sold across England. Typically, the Scotch pie is sold at football games with a cup of Bovril – and is a firm fan favourite.
With the launch of the first vegan scotch pie last year and the annual World Championship Scotch Pie Awards set to continue in 2021, this classic pie should continue to rise in popularity.
Vegan pie, a relative newcomer to pie fillings, has ranked second, with 196,521 searches or 8.6% of total searches for pie. This is followed by vegetarian cottage pie, which ranks third with 194,502 searches or 8.5% of the total.
The most popular pies in the UK are:
Scotch Pie – 385,497 yearly searches
Vegan Pie – 196,521 yearly searches
Vegetarian Cottage Pie – 194,502 yearly searches
Cornish Pasty – 192,240 yearly searches
Banoffee Pie – 140,818 yearly searches
Mince Pie – 137,771 yearly searches
Apple Pie – 137,248 yearly searches
Vegan Cottage Pie – 99,362 yearly searches
Game Pie – 97,765 yearly searches
Steak Pie – 96,498 yearly searches
Noel Bramall, spokesperson for Eat Great Meat, said: ‘These results are really interesting. The Scotch pie has seen a massive increase in demand since last year, when the cottage pie was named the UK’s favourite. I believe this is down to lockdown takeaway trends – this year’s favourite travels very well.
‘The Scotch pie is a small pie encased in a hard double crust. This pastry ensures the filling is contained and doesn’t spill, which lends itself to take-out popularity – much like a Cornish pasty. Scotch pies can be eaten out and about by hand, or easily delivered and knocked about a bit, unlike a cottage pie or softer pastry variety that might not arrive in one piece. It’s the original fast food – a perfect lockdown pie.
‘It’s also great to see vegetarian and vegan pie popularity increasing. Pies are an adaptable food – if you can think of a filling, it will probably taste great in a pie. So, interesting vegetarian and vegan varieties are very welcomed, and I’m glad to see that a larger portion of the UK can access and try a classic national dish.’
The research found people in England favour Scotch pie, with it taking up 14.3% of total pie searches. It was also favoured in Wales, with 12.1% of searches, and in Scotland, with 49.1%. Northern Ireland has a sweeter tooth, with a majority of 14.9% preferring banoffee pie, while the Isle of Man’s favourite is vegetarian cottage pie (24%).
To see if there were any particular meats or fillings that the UK population preferred, the team behind the study grouped the pie types by main ingredients. For this comparison, they focused on savoury pies.
The most popular pie fillings in the UK are:
Beef – 827,428 yearly searches
Lamb – 441,901 yearly searches
Vegan – 295,883 yearly searches
Vegetarian – 294,852 yearly searches
Game – 97,765 yearly searches
Pork – 97,195 yearly searches
Potato – 93,572 yearly searches
Steak – 83,920 yearly searches
Onion – 74,188 yearly searches
Leek – 70,639 yearly searches
When grouping these pie varieties by filling, the results are interesting. The majority of searches contained beef, with 827,428 searches and 49% of all savoury pie searches involving this filling.
The town/city breakdown of favourite pie choices is more varied. Vegan pie takes the top spot in London (14.9% of searches), Birmingham (13.2%) and Sheffield (10.5%).
Scotch pie dominates the north, as the majority’s choice in Glasgow (41.2%), Liverpool (16.2%), Edinburgh (44.7%), Manchester (21.1%) and Aberdeen (42%).
Previous winners of Yorkshire’s Finest Taste 2014, and shortlisted for Delicious Yorkshire 2014 and Farm Shop and Deli awards 2018, Eat Great Meat are highly acclaimed butchers based in South Yorkshire.
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