[jagfox]

Had steak pie at shs stadium. Very nice. Went in home end. Got a pint then watched u19s get pumped. Cracking location for a ground. Possible shock result imo.

[Fifespud]

Ha ha - Freudian slip. More Barry's style.

[Enigma]

The Arbroath steak pie is one of my favourites. I'm a man of taste, I always go for the steak pie.

[dundeebarry]

Great stuff, Gus, I'm pleased to see the pie thread back for another season.

jagfox, on 24 July 2011 - 16:23, said:

Nice pick of dundeebarry. That could explain matters.

Ha! I can only dream of rocking a quiff of that magnitude.

[Monkey Tennis]

More good work Gus.

When you return to league business and the same old grounds, what's the plan?

I know that there are various catering options to explore, but I still like the pub idea. You could go for more of a travel writing thing, where you affectionately mock the towns we all live in.

The question is where do you go from here? Is it down to the lake I fear?

[cappiecat]

Monkey Tennis, on 25 July 2011 - 09:56, said:

More good work Gus.

When you return to league business and the same old grounds, what's the plan?

I know that there are various catering options to explore, but I still like the pub idea. You could go for more of a travel writing thing, where you affectionately mock the towns we all live in.

The question is where do you go from here? Is it down to the lake I fear?

Do not buy a pie at Cappielow or your 'fantastic day' will come to a premature end.

[jagfox]

dundeebarry, on 25 July 2011 - 08:05, said:

Great stuff, Gus, I'm pleased to see the pie thread back for another season.



Ha! I can only dream of rocking a quiff of that magnitude.

I bet you can get more dafodils doon yer breeks.

[mccuejonathan]

cappiecat, on 25 July 2011 - 10:50, said:

Do not buy a pie at Cappielow or your 'fantastic day' will come to a premature end.

I think he will be safe at cappielow since you cant get a pie in the away end, however you get a burger van with filled rolls that are not to shabby if i do say so myself.

[dundeebarry]

jagfox, on 25 July 2011 - 11:24, said:

I bet you can get more dafodils doon yer breeks.

[jagfox]

Got a decent steak pie at start of Celtic xi friendly. My mate got a chicken curry one which seemed ok. Looking forward to Dees game already. Diddy cups and friendlies only whet the appetite. I hope Gus gets a better pie this season.

This post has been edited by jagfox: 25 July 2011 - 11:42

[dan_frank]

Welcome back Big Gus

How my mondays have missed you.

x

[dan_frank]

mccuejonathan, on 25 July 2011 - 11:30, said:

I think he will be safe at cappielow since you cant get a pie in the away end, however you get a burger van with filled rolls that are not to shabby if i do say so myself.

One of the nicest rolls and sausage ive ever had no less.

[Big Gus]

I'm going to get a pie at Cappielow this time around, by hook or by crook. It was a bit dissapointing not to get the full compliment in at every league ground last time around. You can walk through that fire exit in the main stand into the home end and get one. I thought it may be foolhardy the last time after we'd done well in the first half and I'd spent some time on my feet giving the Morton support some friendly abuse.

Monkey Tennis, on 25 July 2011 - 09:56, said:

When you return to league business and the same old grounds, what's the plan?

I know that there are various catering options to explore, but I still like the pub idea. You could go for more of a travel writing thing, where you affectionately mock the towns we all live in.

The grounds already visited is a tricky one. I'll just wing it to be honest but I'll try and get some more variety in those reports. Part of the problem is the bus I go on has it's regular stops, sometimes outwith the town the game is being held in and we just head in for the game itself.

This post has been edited by Big Gus: 25 July 2011 - 16:31

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

I fear if Gus started reviewing the towns he visits, then County would plummet down the league after last seasons glorious title win.

[Big Gus]

Dingwall is a case in point, we stop off at a place in Aviemore or Inveness for the matches up there before heading straight to the ground for the game then stop off again at Kingussie on the way home. I only ever see Victoria Park!

On the Ross County front I'd appreciate it if someone could get a snap of the Champion Pie t-shirts at some point.

This post has been edited by Big Gus: 25 July 2011 - 17:01

[Monkey Tennis]

Big Gus, on 25 July 2011 - 17:00, said:

Dingwall is a case in point, we stop off at a place in Aviemore or Inveness for the matches up there before heading straight to the ground for the game then stop off again at Kingussie on the way home. I only ever see Victoria Park!

On the Ross County front I'd appreciate it if someone could get a snap of the Champion Pie t-shirts at some point.

I see your point, but write ups on pubs in Inverness and Kingussie would also be worth reading.

O/T, but was there not a character in some DC Thomson publication - the Topper or Beezer or something, pretty sure it wasn't The Beano - with a character called King Gussie? I always thought it must be a Kingussie reference.

This post has been edited by Monkey Tennis: 25 July 2011 - 21:19

[Livi Willie]

Livingston "enjoy" the fare served by Lindley's.
Overpriced shite.
£2.30 for a steaker and £2.10 for a Scotch peh.
Eye-watering prices for burgers, hot dogs, drinks and sweets.
That really is the full-on wallet rape.
Still, forewarned is forearmed.

This post has been edited by Livi Willie: 25 July 2011 - 19:45

[Big Gus]

Monkey Tennis, on 25 July 2011 - 18:11, said:

O/T, but was there not a character in some DC Thomson publication - the Topper or Beezer or something, pretty sure it wasn't The Beano - with a character called King Gussie? I always though it must be a Kingussie reference.

You are spot on, he was one of the characters in the Topper in the 80's when my Old Man worked on the DC Thomson comics.

Livi Willie, on 25 July 2011 - 19:42, said:

Livingston "enjoy" the fare served by Lindley's.
Overpriced shite.
£2.30 for a steaker and £2.10 for a Scotch peh.
Eye-watering prices for burgers, hot dogs, drinks and sweets.
That really is the full-on wallet rape.
Still, forewarned is forearmed.

Dundee have Lindleys as the caterers too, prices are the same and the pies are rank rotten. We're stuck with them 'till 2015 seemingly. Grim stuff.

[Monkey Tennis]

Big Gus, on 25 July 2011 - 20:17, said:

You are spot on, he was one of the characters in the Topper in the 80's when my Old Man worked on the DC Thomson comics.

I find that oddly pleasing.

[Big Gus]

Another cup game brings a further chance to veunture into unknown territory in search of a tasty pie.

Pie 2. Steak and Gravy Pie (£2.20) served at The Strathclyde Homes Stadium, Dumbarton. Dumbarton FC 0 - 4 Dundee FC. Scottish League Cup 1st Round. 30/07/2011

It's quite a long haul to Dumbarton and I think a good 12-15 years have passed since I last visted the town to see Dundee play. Back then they played at a ground attractively named Boghead but for the last 10 years or so they've had a new ground I've never been to before, you have to tick them off the list so it was an essential trip for me to make. The ground is known as "The Rock" by the locals as it sits in the shadow of Dumbarton Castle which does indeed reside imposingly on a huge chunk of boulder close by. It would probably be a different story in driving rain or on a cold winters night but in yesterdays glorious weather the setting was very picturesque indeed. One of the bonniest grounds I've travelled to in some time. You'd never have said that about the old Boghead.

Lets check out the facilities then.



I've been to grounds with 2 stands, 3 stands and 4 stands but this is the first with just one large one. There was a fence around the rest of the park so no terracing. The stand was modern and a fair old size though, must seat 2,000 odd which is ample for a club of Dumbartons size. Defintely unusual though. There were 2 hot food serverys. Not much to be said but the classic hatch setup. Youngsters, an older woman on each one keeping charge. They looked fairly busy and the queue moved fast enough. My eyes were drawn to the sauce servery. Put your sauce on a wooden table in an organised fashion? You got yourself a Sauce Station!



Pricing:



A comprehensive list and no mistake. Nothing too shocking here though the variance in cost of a standard mince pie and a steak and gravy pie was much larger than usual. Normally it's about a 10-20p difference. The steak option here was a full 60p more. I'm not sure what you'd discover in a £2.10 Kids Box. I'm not that way inclined.

To pie business:

Presentation: Initially all looked sweet as a nut. The triple-header of a tin tray with a serviette and a good heat coming through both into my palm certainly had my mouth watering. It had been a long time since breakfast and I was hungrier for hot meat than a wannabe WAG in a nightclub commonly frequented by professional footballers. The top was golden brown and appeared cooked to perfection. I applied the optimum amount of brown sauce and found myself a seat to tuck in. 8/10.

Crust: Things quickly started to go wrong as soon as I attempted my initial basic lift and munch. The lid of the pie had an attractive and tasty puff pastry effect however just underneath lurked pastry related peril. An abject disaster of undercooked pastry attempted to encase the arse end of the pie. With a mince pie this can often be a deal breaker in the whole thing of holding everything together with the contents inside while you try to eat it. With a steak and gravy pie this becomes an impossible task. My jeans and trainers cowered in terror as the first bite caused a large, soggy chunk of pastry to flop off and only my finely honed tin tray skills stopped it making contact with my clothing. 2/10

Filling: Ah, a steak and gravy pie. After last seasons trials and tribulations eating mainly mincers I was looking forward to setting my choppers in about the more luxury end of the football pie market. With the pastry walls heamoraging at every bite it didn't take long for the filling to be fully revealed as very meagre and almost completely lacking in gravy of any sorts. A small handful of barely discernable chunks of meat sat in a stodgy off-colour sauce. Fearing scalds as the hot pastry collapsed further I resorted to picking a couple of chunks out of the bottom of the tin tray, dabbing them in sauce and devouring them like some sort of primitive beast. This was not steak. It had the look and consistency of the Kit-e-Kat pouches I slop out to the cat every evening. 2/10

Consistency: Complete and utter failure. The pie had half fallen to bits just with me carefully balancing on it's end in the tin tray and taking a couple of bites. A lift test? It had to be attempted. I never used my usual devil-may-care approach is I tentetively lifted it a few centimetres out of the tin tray as I knew i had a collapser on my hands. Sure enough the soggy rear wall pastry tore, the slides flopped in and it went down like a middle aged man with an unfortunate erectile disfunction problem. Despite being starving I considered the embarrassment of the 3 hour coach journey home with some of what was very vague gravy encrusted to my person so I cold floored it less than half way through munching. 1/10









Overall: 3/10 A couple of points for managing what is becoming mythical decent heating of the food at football and the pie looked nice from the top. Sadly, poor pastry and a horror film of a filling means I can't recommend the pie at "The Rock". Still, it's a lovely wee ground and well worth a visit to see a match.



Next week, Partick for the first league game of the season. Bring on the sauce wall!

This post has been edited by Big Gus: 05 August 2011 - 20:54

[jagfox]

I've ordered the moss and wasps nest be removed Gus. I'm fearing your review more than the Dees.
Cracking ground the rock right enough.

[cheesy]

From what I have heard of them, I doubt anything will be able to go on and beat a Killie pie if you play them.

[Hawk89]

cheesy, on 31 July 2011 - 16:24, said:

From what I have heard of them, I doubt anything will be able to go on and beat a Killie pie if you play them.

Brechin's soup and Dunfermline's Bridies are worthy equals for them imo.

I fear for the slaughtering the Catering will get at Somerset. Its normally hot pie roulette in the home end so dread to think how bad the away end is.

[CALDERON]

I had an excellent Scotcher from the baker just down from the Market Arms in Montrose yesterday.

2 roasting hot Scotch Pies (fucking delicious as well, just the right amount of pepper and a moist yet chunky consistency of meat - WINNER ) for £1.80. 90p a pie!

[WILLIEA]

Big Gus, on 31 July 2011 - 15:41, said:

Another cup game brings a further chance to veunture into unknown territory in search of a tasty pie.

Pie 2. Steak and Gravy Pie (£2.20) served at The Strathclyde Homes Stadium, Dumbarton. Dumbarton FC 0 - 4 Dundee FC. Scottish League Cup 1st Round. 30/07/2011

It's quite a long haul to Dumbarton and I think a good 12-15 years have passed since I last visted the town to see Dundee play. Back then they played a ground attractively named Boghead but for the last 10 years or so they've had a new ground I've never been to before, you have to tick them off the list so it was an essential trip for me to make. The ground is known as "The Rock" by the locals as it sits in the shadow of Dumbarton Castle which does indeed reside imposingly on a huge chunk of boulder close by. It would probably be a different story in driving rain or on a cold winters night but in yesterdays glorious weather the setting was very picturesque indeed. One of the bonniest grounds I've travelled to in some time. You'd never have said that about the old Boghead.

Lets check out the facilities then.



I've been to grounds with 2 stands, 3 stands and 4 stands but this is the first with just one large one. There was a fence around the rest of the park so no terracing. The stand was modern and a fair old size though, must seat 2,000 odd which is ample for a club of Dumbartons size. Defintely unusual though. There were 2 hot food serverys. Not much to be said but the classic hatch setup. Youngsters, an older woman on each one keeping charge. They looked fairly busy and the queue moved fast enough. My eyes were drawn to the sauce servery. Put your sauce on a wooden table in an organised fashion? You got yourself a Sauce Station!



Pricing:



A comprehensive list and no mistake. Nothing too shocking here though the variance in cost of a standard mince pie and a steak and gravy pie was much larger than usual. Normally it's about a 10-20p difference. The steak option here was a full 60p more. I'm not sure what you'd discover in a £2.10 Kids Box. I'm not that way inclined.

To pie business:

Presentation: Initially all looked sweet as a nut. The triple-header of a tin tray with a serviette and a good heat coming through both into my palm certainly had my mouth watering. It had been a long time since breakfast and I was hungrier for hot meat than a wannabe WAG in a nightclub commonly frequented by professional footballers. The top was golden brown and appeared cooked to perfection. I applied the optimum amount of brown sauce and found myself a seat to tuck in. 8/10.

Crust: Things quickly started to go wrong as soon as I attempted my initial basic lift and munch. The lid of the pie had an attractive and tasty puff pastry effect however just underneath lurked pastry related peril. An abject disaster of undercooked pastry attempted to encase the arse end of the pie. With a mince pie this can often be a deal breaker in the whole thing of holding everything together with the contents inside while you try to eat it. With a steak and gravy pie this becomes an impossible task. My jeans and trainers cowered in terror as the first bite caused a large, soggy chunk of pastry to flop off and only my finely honed tin tray skills stopped it making contact with my clothing. 2/10

Filling: Ah, a steak and gravy pie. After last seasons trials and tribulations eating mainly mincers I was looking forward to setting my choppers in about the more luxury end of the football pie market. With the pastry walls heamoraging at every bite it didn't take long for the filling to be fully revealed as very meagre and almost completely lacking in gravy of any sorts. A small handful of barely discernable chunks of meat sat in a stodgy off-colour sauce. Fearing scalds as the hot pastry collapsed further I resorted to picking a couple of chunks out of the bottom of the tin tray, dabbing them in sauce and devouring them like some sort of primitive beast. This was not steak. It had the look and consistency of the Kit-e-Kat pouches I slop out to the cat every evening. 2/10

Consistency: Complete and utter failure. The pie had half fallen to bits just with me carefully balancing on it's end in the tin tray and taking a couple of bites. A lift test? It had to be attempted. I never used my usual devil-may-care approach is I tentetively lifted it a few centimetres out of the tin tray as I knew i had a collapser on my hands. Sure enough the soggy rear wall pastry tore, the slides flopped in and it went down like a middle aged man with an unfortunate erectile disfunction problem. Despite being starving I considered the embarrassment of the 3 hour coach journey home with some of what was very vague gravy encrusted to my person so I cold floored it less than half way through munching. 1/10









Overall: 3/10 A couple of points for managing what is becoming mythical decent heating of the food at football and the pie looked nice from the top. Sadly, poor pastry and a horror film of a filling means I can't recommend the pie a "The Rock". Still, it's a lovely wee ground and well worth a visit to see a match.



Next week, Partick for the first league game of the season. Bring on the sauce wall!

Just as well you didn't drop the pie. Those shoes look aufy clean and white. Good work.