Smart Pies is one of the newest additions to the town’s thriving market, selling homemade comfort food that’s perfect for the colder seasons.
'Tis the season for comfort food.
Sausages and mash. Steaming sponge pudding smothered in lashings of custard. A proper roast dinner.
And then there's the pie. Ooh, you can't beat a good pie can you? They're like a big fat wintery hug, and cutting through that pastry, the senses assaulted by the warmth and scent of the filling as it tumbles out onto the plate, is surely one of the most satisfying culinary pleasures of the cooler months.
Sadly, proper pies are few and far between. Less and less of us are making them at home. And most supermarket versions (although there are some great ones) are vastly inferior to anything we can create ourselves or eat down the local pub.
But did you know you can now get a cracking pie…from Ipswich market?
Business student Bethany Pughe and her chef mum Louise this year set up Smart Pies, selling homemade, proper pies on Fridays and Saturdays, and they've been going down a storm.
"My mum's always cooked with me and made homemade food," says Bethany. "In previous cafes we've owned she's made pies and sausage rolls and people have always commented on them as a lot of time went into getting them right."
The family had The Continental in Felixstowe for a spell, before running The Selkirk pub in Rushmere. "And we had Marty's Market on Castle Hill in Framlingham for a number of years," Bethany adds. "Lots of people would come in. It was a café and shop with a sweet counter. Also a lot of the elderly community will know my mum as she used to have a business selling hot plate meals, like Meals on Wheels. We were doing 500 covers a week!"
Every single pie sold on the stand at Ipswich Market is handmade, from the pastry to the filling, with 11 varieties available, including vegetarian options. "That's quite important to us," says Bethany, "because we want to cater for everyone. We have a three bean chilli and a mixed pepper quiche, and a vegetable curry pie with sweet potatoes. Then there's things like steak and ale pie, where the meat's slow-cooked for three hours, and corned beef hash pasties. Mum's from Manchester and I grew up on that food. People are loving those."
Everything from the Smart Pies stall is ready to eat cold, or whisk them back to the office where they can be heated in the microwave, or taken home to warm through in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
"It's going so well. We sell out of sausage rolls and pasties, and although we don't do Scotch eggs very often, when we do, they sell really well. It's such a nice atmosphere down here and the whole market is lovely, like a family."
Smart Pies is open on Ipswich market from 7.30am to 4.30pm this Friday.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here