Two 'foreign' chefs have just beaten the English at their own dish by becoming the only pie and mash shop in London to scoop a prestigious British Pie Award.
Mēs Pies and Wine was opened in November 2022 by Brazilian-born Fernando Passos and Latvian Martin Sternbergs, who are knocking out hundreds of hand folded artisanal pies from their tiny kitchen in Kensal Green.
The East Londoners picked up the gong this week in - where else? Melton Mowbray - after winning best in the beef and veg category for their ox cheek beef shin, and root vegetable pie.
The crisp shortcrust pie, filled with beautifully cooked shredded meat, is served with smooth buttery mash and a choice of veal, chicken or mushroom gravy, and I can vouch that it's utterly delicious.
The duo, who met while working at The Cow in Notting Hill, also say their chicken mushroom and spinach pie, sausage rolls, and rabbit celeriac and red pepper pie are also customer favourites.
"It's the classics people keep coming back for," says Fernando.
"We thought the rabbit would just be seasonal, but a lot of people come back for that too.
"It's amazing to win the award, and such a surprise being a young business and us being two foreigners making British pies!"
Fernando, whose grandmother's chicken and green olive pie is his favourite, says it wasn't a long held dream to take over a former dark kitchen on Harrow Road and serve pies and natural wine.
"It wasn't necessarily a vision of having my own place, it was more that Martin invited me for a chat and said 'we need to do something together.' We decided it would be pies, saw this shop, and all of a sudden it's happening!
"People say it should be in East London but we have a lot of old customers from Notting Hill who have moved here, and it's good to be where there's not so much competition."
It's not uncommon for the pair to work from 5am until midnight making pies to sell in their shop as either frozen, take-away or dine in, plus orders for Selfridges, Panzers deli in St John's Wood, and Victoria Park Farmers' Market in East London.
"It's just me and Martin making the pies with the rolling pin, serving tables, doing everything," says Fernando.
The name Mēs is derived from the Latvian for we/us, but as news of the award got out, other outlets got in touch wanting to sell their pies. And with a deal to sell in Hampstead grocer Melrose and Morgan in the offing, Fernando says: "We will have to start hiring."
"We can't keep up!"
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