‘It’s fop. Finest in the shop. And we have some shepherd’s pie peppered with actual shepherd on top! And I’ve just begun. Here’s the politician, so oily it’s served on a doily, have one!’
The lyrics of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘A Little Priest’ from the musical thriller Sweeney Todd don’t exactly conjure up the thought of gastronomic delights in the pie department, however we were intrigued by The Lakeside Pavilion Cafes special Pie Themed Menu held to coincide with the run of the musical at the Djanogly Theatre.
The story goes that Mrs Lovett, Sweeney Todd’s partner in crime (in some later versions, his friend and/or lover), assists him in disposing of the bodies of those he kills by baking their flesh into meat pies and selling them to the unsuspecting customers of her pie shop. Todd’s barber shop on Fleet Street, London is connected to Mrs. Lovett’s pie shop nearby by means of an underground passage and in most versions of the story, he and Mrs. Lovett hire an unwitting orphan boy, to serve the pies to customers so it was with some trepidation that we entered the Cafe on Friday night.
Slice of pie
Thankfully the Pavilion Cafe at Lakeside is a stark contrast to Mrs Lovett’s dark and dated pie shop. Our table, next to a full length window fitted with trendy blinds rather than Mrs Lovett’s dingy net curtains, had a beautiful view over the boating lake beyond rather than the hustle and grime of Fleet Street. The Cafe also has a terrace with seating to enjoy a cold drink or two on a summers evening. Fortunately the chef had steered away from Mrs Lovett’s ideas and recipes and gone for a more palatable offer.
From the Pie Themed menu we tried:
‘Slice of Pie, Bread & Cheese’ A generous slice of pork pie with a boiled egg centre all encased within rich thick golden pastry, served with a hunk of sour dough bread, mature chedder cheese and real ale chutney (£4.50) a cold dish, a liitle like a posh ploughmans. Perfect for the warm summer day.
Feta & Butternut Squash pie
‘Caramelised Onion & Feta Pie’ Chunky butternut squash in a creamy feta and caramelised onion sauce with a puff pastry lattice top served with sun blushed tomato and chive mash with green beans (£5.95) A sweetly spiced marriage of feta and butternut squash with a nicely crafted pastry lattice overseeing proceedings.
We also couldnt resit trying the customers choice #piepicks twitter vote winner – ‘The Steak & Ale Pie’ – Slow braised shin of beef in a rich mushroom, rosemary and ale gravy served with a warm mustard mash and green beans. (£7.50)
Also on the menu is ‘Drunken Pork & Leek Pie’ – pulled pork in a cider sauce with leeks, onion and herbs, crusty pastry and paprika spiced new potatoes and green beans (£6.50) as well as ‘Old-Fashioned Fish Pie‘ – A traditional fish pie made with flakes of salmon, Pollock and fresh prawns with a cheesy mash top served with baby leeks and chantery carrots (£7.50)
The pie menu is on offer for the duration of the run of Sweeney Todd which is on until 27th July. The show starts at 7.30pm so last orders for food are 6.45pm to allow time for the food to be cooked and served in time for the start of the show.
Steak & Ale PIe
Lakeside isn’t necessarily the first place you think of to go to find great cuisine. My foremost thought of it is as an arts centre, however, they also offer daily a selection of classic hot dishes, deli sandwiches on speciality breads and bagels along with delicious pastries and freshly baked muffins and cakes, all passionately prepared by the chefs on site.
Thankfully the Pies we tried weren’t at all gruesome like Mrs Lovett’s. They were delicious. The hot offerings were probably more suited to cold winter months but as Todd’s victims can’t have predicted their untimely death, neither can you predict the British Weather.
Overall verdict? Pie-Fection
For more details contact: lakeside@caterlinkmail.co.uk, visit www.lakesidearts.org.uk or call 0115 8467179
Tanya Raybould
