Top 8: Dig into these eight winter-warmer supermarket pies

Pies and pastries: check our columnist's selection of winter warmers

Winter’s here and we may as well give in to colder houses, and cosy up with warming food. We want plenty of meaty bite in a rich sauce, topped with a salty, flavoursome pastry. A pie is just the ticket.

This week, we focused on red meat pies with or without vegetables – we can survey chicken, fish and vegetarian another time.

Pies can be fiddly to make for just one or two, but can be frozen if you fancy batch cooking on a rainy day. Brown and simmer the meat (beef shin, round, mince) with a few fried rashers, onions, celery and carrots, garlic and vegetable stock, wine or vermouth slowly for an hour before enclosing in the pastry. Shortcrust pastry is easy to make in a blender. That way you won’t be consuming unsustainable palm oil which most pastry made from margarine uses.

Line a tin or deep muffin tins with the pastry and allow it to settle in the fridge for 30 minutes. Put the cooled, shredded filling into the tin and roll out more pastry to cover. There are many recipes for pastry online. But for days when all of that is too much faff, check out what is available in supermarkets. The pies we selected, especially single portions, cook well in an air fryer (which should be more accurately named a small oven).

Simply Better Irish Angus Beef Pie. Food Pictures: Dan Linehan

Dunnes Simply Better Irish Angus Beef & Wexford Ale Pie 280g €4.50

Clever Man ale is cooked with onion, carrot, mushrooms, celery, and quite a lot of garlic for a rich sauce, deepened by Worcestershire sauce and an interesting hint of tamarind extract. Chunky vegetables and, at 25%, a good amount of plump meat. This single-serving pie was tops for tasters.

Score: 9.5

M&S Steak Shortcrust Pastry Pie

M&S Steak Shortcrust Pastry Pie 550g €7.50

A decent amount of gravy, made with flavoursome beef bones, onions, carrots, tomato purée, swede and leeks, coats a generous 24% British beef. Plenty of flavour in the filling and the firm shortcrust pastry. A satisfying pie for two. Though a little low on gravy, the steak and kidney pie was also a satisfying meal for one (€3.70).

Score: 9

James Whelan Peppered Steak Rolls

James Whelan Peppered Steak Rolls weight 690g €8.99

Puff pastry encloses a generous amount of shredded flank steak with fresh tomatoes, peppers and courgettes flavoured with celery and mustard with black pepper as the dominant spice. Tasters loved the juiciness of these rolls, which are not a regular pot pie shape. From selected Dunnes Stores, we bought in Bishopscourt, Cork.

Score: 9

Dunnes Baxter & Greene Beef & Onion

Dunnes Baxter & Greene Beef & Onion 280g €5.75

Plenty of tender meat and vegetables here. A sweetness from a little too much onion didn’t appeal to two tasters, but they enjoyed the overall meatiness and texture of the shortcrust pastry sprinkled with black sesame seeds.

Score: 8

SuperValu Signature Tastes Irish Beef in Red Wine Pie

SuperValu Signature Tastes Irish Beef in Red Wine Pie 275g €3.75

A base of good shortcrust pastry holds tender Irish beef, onions, mushrooms, bacon and garlic, delivering plenty of flavour, including red wine. The only criticism was the lack of meat which at 17% was lower than many samples. Puff pastry topping added an interesting texture.

Score: 7.75

Lidl Chef Select Steak & Vegetable Family Pie

Lidl Chef Select Steak & Vegetable Family Pie 500g €2.49

Tasters liked the 30% tender beef, paired with a decent 10% each of small chunks of potatoes, carrots, and onions. The kids liked the base of shortcrust and topping of puff pastry. Seasoning was low for adults, but not for the younger tasters.

Score: 7.5

McColgan’s Steak & Gravy Pie

McColgan’s Steak & Gravy Pie 500g €3.99

The flavour was quite rich due to the tomato and onion powders. But tasters said it needed more meat and seasoning. The shortcrust base and puff pastry toppings worked well and crisped up nicely. Widely available.

Score: 7

Mogerley Pies Steak & Kidney Pie

Mogerley Pies Steak & Kidney Pie 190g €1.65

Beef 10.5% and pork kidney 10.5% amounted to high enough meat, but it was chewy, and the kidney had bits of renal gristle. Otherwise good flavours in the sauce with black pepper on the finish.

Score: 6.5