The great pie debate - Quick and Easy Recipes From Stylist Magazine - Stylist Magazine

The great pie debate

Nom, nom, nom...

When is a pie not a pie?

When it doesn't have a pastry lid.

Well, that's the official line anyway. Pies with a mash topping, instead of the traditional pastry don't technically have the right to be called 'pie'.

This leaves Shepherd's and Fish pies as pretenders to the title - a fact that's aggrieved one pub chain so much it's gone so far as to launch a 'pie-tition' in a bid to alter the official definition.

Puff pastry lid versus a sturdy butter pie crust - which is your favourite?

While Shepherd's and Fish pies may not officially deserve their names, some foodies feel that pies with a puff pastry top, rather than the full butter pastry encasing, are actually pies unworthy of the title.

Got beef with mash top pies? Despise floating puff pastry tops? Prefer it in a pot or on a plate?