Scotch pies have been quaking in their pastry cases since ‘The Highlander’ hit the Co-op in Scotland last Wednesday, 20th June 2012. A collaboration between innovative piemakers, Pieminister, and award-winning Scottish beer company, Innis & Gunn, The Highlander is an altogether beefier steak pie, a ‘braw’ mouthful for a nation of pie lovers.
Priced at £3.35, The Highlander uses the finest chunks of British beef steak slow-cooked in Innis & Gunn Original and a rich, dark gravy. Encased in Pieminister’s famously perfect pastry, the taste is simply stunning: the juiciness of the steak working effortlessly with the delicious vanilla, toffee and oak flavour characteristics of the beer.
Dougal Sharp, CEO of Innis & Gunn, says:
“I love a good pie and this is pie perfection for me – nothing beats succulent beer-braised beef in a crumbly, buttery pastry case. It hits the spot. The guys at Pieminister are absolute geniuses; we’ve teamed up with them in the past and are big fans of their work.”
Pieminister Co-Founder and Managing Director, Tristan Hogg, comments:
“The feeling’s mutual…Partnering with Innis & Gunn for the Highlander Pie has been a straightforward choice. Both our companies are based on the same ethos, share the same business values and are both pioneering in our respective sectors.
“We are delighted that we have produced this recipe in a speedy two weeks and we hope it marks the beginning of a long term partnership between our companies.”
www.innisandgunn.com – Folllow @innisandgunnuk & Facebook: The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company
www.pieminister.com – Follow @pieminister & Facebook: Pieminister Pies
Editor’s notes:
- Innis & Gunn was first established in 2003 as a joint venture with a leading drinks firm, who had approached Dougal Sharp, then head brewer at Caledonian, to create a beer that would lend the perfect finish to a Cask Ale Reserve whisky. The beer was too good to throw away so Innis & Gunn (the middle names of Dougal Sharp and his brother Neil) was formed. Dougal led an MBO in January 2008 and the business is now privately owned.
- Since then Innis & Gunn has become Scotland’s leading independent beer company. Ranked number four in sales volume and value in the Specialty Beer category in the UK off-trade, Innis & Gunn has enjoyed average growth of 56% year on year since its formation. It is now the best-selling British bottled beer in Canada and the number two bottled import ale in Sweden.
- About Pieminister – Tristan started Pieminister back in 2003 with co-founder Jon Simon. They felt that the great British public deserved more from a pie than the usual fare on the market. Since opening their first pie and mash shop in Bristol, Jon and Tristan have built the company into an internationally recognised brand, with pies now being sold in major supermarket chains as well as restaurants, pubs, shops, delis, markets and at festivals across the land.
Emanuele Barrasso
R&R Teamwork
T: 0207 384 1333 | M: 07508 048401 | F: 0207 384 0335 | Twitter: Eman_Barrasso
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