Here’s some suggestions from Tom over at B & J for foods from Turner’s up the road. WoBy has a strict flash format and edits heavily but it’d have been a shame to lose out these suggestions from our interview. You’re welcome!
(And n.b. this is not a commercial site – we’re not advertising here. We simply love all things local and good – and thought the Pie & Ale pairing challenge would be a fun thing to do).
Over to Tom:
“Steak & Ale – Keep it traditional and go for a Sussex style best such as Cellar Head Session Bitter or the classic Harvey’s Best. If you are after something non-alcoholic, the Big Drop Stout would go well.
Steak & Kidney or Minced Beef & Onions – I’d go with something darker and more bitter, such as the Boundary Export Porter or The Kernel Export India Porter. Big Drop stout would still be the best non-alcohol beer pairing.
Steak & Stilton – there are two schools of thought with this pairing. One would be to go sweet and a Barley wine is great with the blue cheese. We have Ridgeside Getting Figgy with it, which I would recommend at the moment. Others say the bitterness of an IPA is a great pairing. We’ve a fantastic hoppy Non-Alcoholic IPA from Infinite Session which would fill this.
Sage, Sausage & Onion – Go to go with cider with sage: the Ascension cider Pilot would be perfect with this pie. We also have a low alcohol Ginger beer from Arundel which would be a great low abv option.
Chicken & Ham or Mushroom & Asparagus – the white sauces in these pies are key, so you want something with freshness to cut through the cream. A Brut IPA such as Burning Sky Sauvin Brut would be a great choice – or you could go with lagers. We have an alcohol free lager from Big Drop that would be perfect.
Quiche – The creamy and eggy nature of a quiche calls for some wines with acidity. Champagne or English Sparkling wine is perfect: that acidity cuts right through, especially a Blanc de Blancs. Crisp dry whites such as an Alsace Riesling or fresh reds such as Beaujolais or Gamay would be ideal for red drinkers.
Fruit Pies – Get some sherry or a sweet wine to go with desserts. We have a Moscatel Dorado sherry from Chipiona producer Caesar Florido that would be delicious with a slice of fruit pie”.
If you’ve got a match challenge for Tom, mail it in – or pop in to see him. Christmas is over and he’ll not be wearing the scary cat jumpers now.
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