Forget quinoa salads and artisan sushi – on a chilly Saturday the only thing that warms a supporter quicker than three points is a piping‑hot pie. Long before VAR and fancy LED light shows, fans were chanting “Who ate all the pies?” and genuinely worrying the keeper would swipe theirs. These days club menus read like a hipster food truck festival, yet a handful of grounds still serve pastry with pride. Grab a fork (or just use your hands like everyone else) and join us on a tour of the pies that still make away days worth the trip.
From terrace staple to endangered species
For more than a century, pies and football have been tighter than a defender’s shorts. The pie‑review wizards at Pierate admit no one knows which ground sold the very first match‑day pie, but the pairing has been entrenched in terrace culture for over 100 years. Back then, pies were local, lovingly made and as essential to the match as a cup of Bovril. Then the big boys arrived. Catering contracts became centralised, brands like Pukka and Shire muscled in, and suddenly your pre‑match treat tasted like everyone else’s. The humble pie went from starring role to squad player.
The good news? Clubs have finally realised you can’t serve cardboard and call it cuisine. Levy’s Jon Davies told the Guardian that dozens of chefs now cook fresh meals instead of reheating dry pastry. Yet even with bao buns and burritos on offer, Davies admits there’s still a special place for a pie and a pint. As long as fans stand on terraces, there will be pie crumbs on the floor.
Pies still topping the league table
Here are the clubs keeping the crusty tradition alive. Prices are for the 2024‑25 season unless we were too busy scoffing to notice.
Morecambe – pies so good you’d swap your striker for one
Tiny League Two outfit Morecambe FC is the Pep Guardiola of pie‑making. In Pierate’s Football Pie League, their steak & ale pie sits proudly at the top. The Good Pie Guide drools over their chicken, ham and leek version, saying it’s stuffed with huge chunks of meat and may well be the best pie ever eaten at a match. Morecambe bake everything in‑house using family recipes and even let you ladle on mash, peas and gravy for £1.50. Planet Sport says they won “Best Pie in Football” in 2014 and that one in four fans buy a pie on match day. When the away‑day guide lists the pies alongside directions and parking, you know pastry is part of the experience.
West Bromwich Albion – the balti that became a chant
You can travel the country and eat dozens of curries, but only one chicken balti pie inspires its own adoration. In the late 1990s, Midlands baker Shire Foods mixed curry sauce with chicken, wrapped it in pastry and inadvertently invented a legend. What started at Walsall and Villa is now sold at more than seventy grounds. Local paper Express & Star calls the crust crumbly and the filling a rich, saucy curry. A TripAdvisor review keeps it simple: “the chicken balti pie is my favourite”. Even as menus evolve, West Brom still serves this icon for roughly the price of a pint. Other clubs have tried to copy it, but like the original balti, it’s never quite the same.
MK Dons, Spurs & Brighton – the Piglet’s Pantry revolution
Enter Piglet’s Pantry, a Sussex bakery that has done for pies what tiki‑taka did for football. They bake around 50,000 goodies a week for stadiums. When they first supplied Brighton & Hove Albion, 2,500 pies sold out in ten minutes; by 2019 they were making 8,500 per match. The Amex crowd loved the steak & Harvey’s ale pie so much that more than 7,500 fans tucked into one on the opening day of 2021. Piglet’s donates ten per cent of its pie‑box sales to the club’s charity – because nothing says community spirit like sharing pie proceeds.
The bakery’s success spread to MK Dons and Tottenham Hotspur. Pierate raved about MK’s chicken, gammon & leek pie, praising the tender meat and perfect balance. The Dons also offer wild flavours like spinach‑mushroom‑ricotta and “concrete cow” ale. Down the road, Spurs fans sip craft beer in their shiny new ground while munching pies that cost about four quid – an absolute bargain when you consider you’re also paying for London rent.
Bristol Rovers – the blue‑cheese boss
If stinky cheese is your jam, head to the Memorial Stadium. Bristol Rovers sling out steak & blue cheese pies made by Piglet’s Pantry. Their head of catering revealed that about 4,250 of these indulgent pastries are devoured each season and that he personally loves a monthly special filled with minced beef, bacon and cheese. It’s a pie with the swagger of a striker who just nutmegged the keeper.
Exeter City – spicy pies from the South West
Partnering with Devon’s Chunk of Devon turned Exeter City from pie also‑ran to title contender. The “Kickin’ Chicken Curry Pie” won a Highly Commended award and now sells about 1,900 units a season. Supporters director Clive Harrison says locally sourced ingredients deliver a premium pie at a fair price and that switching suppliers has improved the match‑day mood. Chunk rotates fillings too, so long‑term season‑ticket holders won’t get bored – at least not with the food.
Arsenal & Watford – when posh pies go mainstream
Football and fine dining rarely mix, but Arsenal proved it can be done. In 2023 they teamed up with Willy’s Pies, a trendy London outfit, to sell a beef mince and Westcombe cheddar pie at the Emirates. The Guardian reviewer swooned over the flaky crust and tender meat, calling it an undeniable upgrade. Across the capital, Watford joined forces with Willy’s Pies and Tring Brewery. The resulting beef brisket and ale pie uses premium brisket, proper flaky pastry and a splash of local barley‑wine. It nods to Watford’s old nickname “The Brewers,” since their ground was built by Benskins Brewery. At roughly £4.95 a pop and with a pint of cask ale on the side, it’s the closest you’ll get to gastro‑pub dining on a terrace.
Cambridge United – adding mash, peas and gravy like a true northern chip shop
Even clubs outside the top flight have caught on. In 2022 Cambridge United ditched their tired pastry and brought in Piglet’s Pantry. They also took the radical step (for Cambridge) of offering curry and the option to drown your pie in mash, peas and gravy. It shows that fans at smaller grounds care about their crust just as much as those in the Premier League. There are plant‑based burgers and rotating street‑food stalls, but the pie remains the undisputed star.
Forest Green Rovers – saving the planet one vegan pie at a time
Forest Green Rovers are famous for being the world’s first vegan club – yet they still know their way around a pastry case. Their Quorn‑packed “Q Pie” comes with mashed potato, deep‑fried leeks, peas or beans and onion gravy. The club prides itself on serving fresh, vegan versions of burgers, pasties and pies, proving that you can ditch meat without ditching flavour. Going green has earned them a Menu of the Year award from Sport & Leisure Catering Magazine and kudos at the British Pie Awards. It’s the only place where you can leave the ground bragging about both the pressing game and the sustainable pastry.
Harrogate Town – Sunday roast disguised as a pie
The “Footy Scran” social feeds have a field day with overpriced hot dogs, but they also celebrate genuinely great stadium grub. Harrogate Town’s steak pie arrives not just as a hand‑held snack but as a full meal: creamy mash, peas, gravy and a dash of mint sauce. At £11 it’s no bargain, but you’re basically getting a Sunday roast on a plastic tray. For once the chant might be “Who ate all the trimmings?”
How much will it set you back?
Football pies aren’t as cheap as they used to be. A 2025 Football Ground Guide survey shows that Premier League prices range from £3.30 at Nottingham Forest to £5 at West Ham’s London Stadium. London clubs dominate the top of the price table. Spurs and Brighton keep theirs around £4 while still delivering gourmet quality. Down the leagues, you can still bag a pie for under a fiver at community‑minded clubs like Morecambe and Exeter.
Why bother?
Pies aren’t just food; they’re part of the ritual. They connect fans to local bakers, regional flavours and the shared experience of freezing your fingers off while watching your team battle for three points. From Morecambe’s home‑cooked ham and leek to West Brom’s balti, MK Dons’ gammon and leek, and Forest Green’s vegan Q Pie, clubs that respect the craft get it right. The art of the pre‑match pie is alive and well – you just need to know where to look. So next time you’re planning an away day, check the pastry situation. It might be the highlight of your afternoon, especially if the football isn’t.