2022: A Round-up and a Thank You

As we come to the end of 2022, it’s time for us to reflect on what has been another fantastic year, our wonderful pie makers, loyal customers and looking ahead to 2023 and beyond. 

With 2021 being our most successful year ever, how did 2022 fare? 

2022 was another brilliant year, for both our customers, staff and business planning. It was our first full trading year without covid, which was such a relief! The year didn’t come without its challenges, with dealing with our wonderful highland weather being one of the main difficulties. But we overcame it with our dedicated pie makers, who made a whopping 105,507 pies this year! We thank our team for their dedication and heart work. 

We’ve also seen a huge increase in new customers as well as returning, which is testament to the quality of pie we make here at the larder. We can’t thank our supporters enough! 

Best-selling pies

It may come as no surprise that once again, our best-selling pie was our infamous Steak and Ale! Delicately wrapped in our shortcrust pastry, these pies are filled with diced shoulder of beef and soaked in delicious Guinness. You can see why it’s so popular!

For the veggies, our most-popular pie was the hearty Chestnut, Mushroom and Red Wine pie. It’s one of our favourites too, and you can be sure it’s here to stay!  

Pie specials: the big hits

It wouldn’t be us without a few limited-edition pies thrown in the mix, would it?! 

Trialling and tasting new pie ideas (a mix of ours and suggestions from you) is always a highlight, and you can rest assured that a lot of tasting goes on behind closed doors – all in readiness for our hungry customers. So, without further ado, here’s a round-up of 2022’s limited pies:

• Veggie Haggis Pie
  • Packed full of healthy fresh vegetables, pulses, oatmeal, seeds, spices, and of course, neeps and tatties, this was the perfect pie to reset for the new year
• Cherry and Almond
  • Ready for Valentine’s Day, our heart-warming Cherry and Almond pie oozed romance and was a welcome return to our menu
• Smoked Haddock Pie
  • Packed with fresh Scottish smoked haddock in a smooth cheese roux, this was an absolutely delicious pie and a total treat!
• Lamb Keema Pie
  • We always like to keep our food as seasonal as possible, and so we introduced our lamb pie in time for spring. Cooked full of lamb, peas and aromatic spices and wrapped in our signature pastry
• Spinach, Ricotta and Tomato
  • Packed full of fresh spinach, creamy ricotta and tender tomato, this was a treat for the senses and delicately balanced
• Toffee Apple Pie
  • A firm favourite with our customers and one of our most-requested pies, this came back on the menu for Halloween – filled with fresh apples and oozing a rich toffee sauce
• Christmas Pie
  • We couldn’t do December without our Christmas pie! Packed full of roasted turkey, smoked pancetta and roasted parsnips in a rich sage gravy, topped with our bread sauce and cranberry, it’s the ideal Christmas meal.
• Veggie Christmas Pie
  • And finally, we couldn’t forget our veggies! The perfect pie to surprise at Christmas, full of roasted seasonal vegetables in a rich sage gravy topped with bread sauce and cranberry.

British Pie Awards

We can't write a round-up blog and not mention us being award winners, can we?! Lochinver Larder’s pies are officially the 'Best Scottish Meat Pies’ - awarded by the British Pie Awards in March! 

Our Highland Venison and Cranberry was a Gold winner, while the judges found particular delight in our Chicken, Leek and Mushroom pie. 

This was such a special moment for us, and one we won't forget! 

Lochinver Pie-maker team winning ‘Best Scottish Meat Pie’

Who’s eating our pies?

We thought we’d take a quick look to see where our most popular UK regions are for Pies by Post – is it Scotland? Wales? Well, it looks as though London is the winner, with Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen not far behind! We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for being such loyal customers.

Whether we’ve met you in the larder as a local or while you’re enjoying your NC500 holiday, or you’re a customer based further afield who orders your pies, we’re truly so grateful to each and every one of you. We couldn’t do this without you. Thank you!

And while many of you have ordered enough pies to last almost half the year, one customer in particular ordered 144 pies in 2022 – what a star!

We also finally opened inside again! 

Early November saw us opening our doors to visitors to have a sit down meal with us inside, which was very timely after the freezing weather we’ve been having recently. With daily specials, a warm welcome and an excuse for a natter, we’re pleased to say our local customers have been making the most – it’s been so wonderful to see you all enjoying your food! 

2023: what's new? 

You can expect the same quality and service from us here at the larder, together with new pies, limited edition pies and other exciting offers. We’ll also be moving closer with our plans for Lochinver Larder and building a new, exciting food and beverage destination at the Caberfeidh.

Thank you again for making this year another one to remember and for being such loyal customers. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!