Achi news desk-
With online orders through the roof since their third consecutive win at the British Pie Awards last month and a feature on Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4 to follow on Tuesday night, there’s plenty of reason for the fun vibe here.
“The support we’ve had from our regulars, and people across the UK who have heard about the pies recently has been amazing,” said Wilkes.
“Between online orders, customers coming in to eat and the phone ringing, it’s been non-stop.
“We’re holding a Pie Panel tonight where we invite people in to taste the different varieties and do a bit of quality control which is something we’ve been doing for a long time.
“It’s great for us because it means we get to meet customers face to face, and they become part of the story.”
While all of WeeCook’s creations, from the vegan-friendly cauliflower bhuna to MacChook with chicken and haggis have been tried and tested with glowing results, it’s the Fishwife Pie that has been making real waves.
Scoring an impressive 97% with the judges at this year’s British Pie Awards in Melton Mowbray, and narrowly missing out on claiming the coveted Supreme Pie of Pie Titles, it’s a bestseller set to become a national foodie phenomenon.
With a passion for using food stories to connect with others, this pie in particular has deep meaning for Wilkes.
“We had avoided making fish pie before because it can be a bit of a problem, as seafood is an allergen and doesn’t have the same shelf life as other fillings.
“I used to send Arbroath Smokies down to my dad in Wales because he loved them, and in the end I decided I wanted to make him a pie.
“He was never tasted, unfortunately, as he died about two weeks before I was due to visit him for Christmas.
“But the pie was ready to go and the test runs had gone really well, so we took it to the winter farmers’ markets and then won by entering it in the pie awards for the first time.
“It’s all gone from there.”
A black and white photo of Wilkes’ father overlooks part of the dining area in the WeeCook restaurant, which the team has affectionately dubbed ‘Les’ Corner’ in his honour.
When asked what he would make of the success of the fish pie, Wilkes joked: “I think he would laugh watching us running around busy, with a small can of Cider and a roll in his hand , but also delighted.”
“It’s nice because customers will come in and ask us who the man in the picture is, and we get to share that story with them,” added Pratt.
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While devoted to an important male figure in her life, when it came time to name her Fish Pie Fish, Wilkes looked elsewhere for inspiration.
“We didn’t want to call it Fisherman’s Pie, which is quite common.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, but I grew up in the 90s when it was all about Girlpower.
“We wanted to embrace the kind of toughness that Fishwives had in Arbroath.
“It’s a sassy, sexy sister to Fisherman’s Pie.”
The golden, crispy crust of this sassy sister is generously filled with a mix of locally sourced salmon and haddock lovingly tossed through a ‘secret family sauce’.
Perhaps the most important of all ingredients is the Arbroath Smokie that started it all, and later earned them their first spot on TV.
Wilkes said: “A few years ago, we got a call from someone from the Alan Titchmarsh show saying that Andy Clarke wanted to pair our Fish Pie with a pint for a feature.
“He chose a Welsh Cider to commemorate my father and in fact Alfie Boe and Michael Ball were on the show.
“They had Alfie Boe, who obviously has a massive following, asking: ‘What is Smokie Arbroath?’.
“It meant there was a huge surge of interest from other people who hadn’t heard of them before and didn’t know what they were missing.
“Smugs are weird little things that we pick by hand and use as a key ingredient in our pies as well as keeping the bones and skins to make our stock.
“It’s great to be able to showcase Scottish produce, although you can never get the smell of them out of your hands, no matter how hard you scrub.”
READ MORE: Determined dad works his way up from kitchen porter to head baker
As they prepare for another turn on the small screen this week, where they will introduce their Fish Lady Pie to one of Britain’s biggest supermarkets on Channel 4, there is another cause for celebration as up-and-coming chef Ethan O’Hare continues series of awards. that has included Champion Young Pie Maker of the Year at the British Pie Awards.
Wilkes said: “We are so proud of Ethan and the way he has developed and matured over the years.
“Having a team of young staff, which includes Tessa, feels like looking towards the future of hospitality.
“It’s been a tough time for the industry and little things like winning awards and TV features help give us a little boost.
“We’ll have to wait and see if there’s any longevity in it, but ultimately it’s great to be able to fly the flag for Angus and Scottish food.
“We’ll enjoy the ride while she’s here.”
For more information about WeeCook, visit their website here.
