Farmison & Co, the online sustainable meat retailer, has launched an exclusive collaboration with the iconic London based Willy’s Pies to create a special one off pie for Great British Beef Week (23rd -30th April).
Willy’s Pies was founded in the lockdown when Will Lewis, a London based chef who has worked at well-known establishments such as St. John Bread and Wine and Rochelle Canteen, decided to bring to life an idea he had been sitting on for a while; to revive a British favourite, the humble pie.
The collaborative limited-edition exclusive pie is a grass-fed Dexter, Oxtail & Bone Marrow pie, celebrating the work of not one but four producers; Farmison & Co, Willy’s Pies, farmer Stuart Raw and Wildfarmed.
Stuart is a farmer based in Castle Bolton, North Yorkshire whose Wensleydale farming family history goes back many generations. Like Farmison & Co, Stuart is passionate about rearing native heritage breeds. His dedication to preserve and nurture the grass-reared Dexter breed has helped to increase consumer demand for this top-quality beef that is packed full of flavour.
Wildfarmed is a flour company who produce flour made from a diverse variety of wheat grown alongside a variety of plants, grasses, and legumes. It is a community of farmers, growers, bakers and cooks who are working together to enhance soil biodiversity, draw carbon from the atmosphere and produce nutrient dense food
Handcrafted using grass-fed Dexter beef from Yorkshire farmers, oxtail, ale, and bone marrow, this is the ultimate pie for celebrating Great British Beef Week. Seasoned with cracked black pepper and Henderson’s relish, for a true Yorkshire finish, all enclosed in a crisp shortcrust pastry using Wildfarmed regeneratively farmed flour.
This unique collaboration brings a British classic pie back to the collective consciousness, whilst also highlighting how such a dish can be elevated by using British sustainably sourced ingredients.
Founder of Willy’s Pies, Will Lewis, said: “Pies are an old British tradition that are dying out in the south of England and I want to help keep them alive. I’m very excited to be working with Farmison & Co to bring to the nation a truly special pie.”
In celebration of Great British Beef Week 2022 (23rd-30th April), this ground-breaking collaboration champions British beef farmers and the work that they do to support regenerative and sustainable agriculture.
Founder of Farmison & Co, John Pallagi, said: “I really love a good pie. Who doesn’t? And these are good pies in every sense of the word.
“It’s great to be partnering with a young entrepreneur who is passionate about the values we also share; quality ingredients and cooking with the seasons.
“This grass-fed Dexter, Oxtail & Bone Marrow pie is indefinitely not one to miss. The smallest breed of cattle in Europe, the Dexter cattle, were endangered in the 1930s, but now thanks to their ability to mature early feeding on grass and the impeccable eating quality of its neat, small cuts, the breed is bouncing back and it’s for good reason.”
Willy’s Pies X Farmison & Co will be launching on Tuesday 26th April 2022. Usually only available to Londoners, Willy’s Pies will now be available nationwide, for a limited time only.
Lewis continued: “A banging pie for me, runs deep. Throughout my childhood, pies were a weekly staple in my family. Whether straight from the freezer aisle or a Christmas leftover pie; it was, and always will be, a winner.”
Pies are an important part of British food and although simple looking, pie making is a delicate and crafty business; from the farmer to the butcher, to the chef, this is a British favourite at its very best.
