00:00 This is a pie barn, or well known to the North West as the Wigan Kebab.
00:04 Wigan is famous for its love of pies and is the home of the World Pie Eating Championship,
00:09 where competitors and spectators from across the globe gather to witness who can scoff down a pie
00:15 the quickest. The annual tradition has been ongoing since 1992, and it's no surprise the
00:20 reigning champion is from the very town the competition originated from.
00:25 The Greater Manchester Borough's enthusiasm for pie eating has inspired the Wigan Kebab,
00:30 a meat pie sandwiched between two buttered halves of a bread roll.
00:33 This means the meat-filled pastry can be eaten on the go,
00:36 as the bread soaks up any sauce and protects hands from getting burnt.
00:41 This local delicacy can be found around Wigan in chain and independent bakeries,
00:46 and we decided to grab a couple to try for ourselves. We ordered from Wigan chain
00:51 Galloways, an independent local site, the Rolling Pin Bakery in Newtown.
00:56 So we're here today to try the famous Wigan Kebab, also known as the pie barn.
01:01 I went to two places today. I went to Galloways, which is a chain bakery in Wigan,
01:07 and I also went to the Rolling Pin Bakery, which was an independent bakery.
01:12 So I thought I'd pick up two to try. I've never tried them before,
01:15 so this is going to be a very unique experience. And then, yeah, let's dig in.
01:19 So we're just going to cut them in half. Now, both of these, I believe,
01:23 are meat and potato pies, which is the traditional way of making a Wigan Kebab.
01:30 So if we just cut this one up and look inside. Oh, there you go.
01:36 So that's what we're seeing inside of the Galloways Wigan Kebab.
01:41 It smells amazing, actually. Okay, so this is the taste test.
01:44 I'm going to try the Galloways one first.
01:48 You know what? I was unsure what to think of this because I was thinking it was a lot of
01:52 just bread and pastry. I thought it's really quite dry,
01:57 but actually it's not that dry at all. I'm really quite shocked with this.
02:00 Let's move on to the Rolling Pin Bakery Wigan Kebab.
02:04 So like I said, this one looks like it's got a lot more potato in it.
02:11 I was expecting them to taste more similar, but they actually do taste
02:15 completely different. This one's really tasty.
02:18 The pie crust is really, really crunchy, whereas this one's a little bit softer
02:22 from Galloways.
02:24 Well, that was the first ever time that I tried the Wigan Kebab,
02:28 and I can say it's completely exceeded my expectations. I definitely thought it
02:31 was going to be really dry, and then not. Obviously, they're a hugely iconic food
02:36 item in the Northwest, and yeah, it was really cool to try them all.
02:40 After sampling the two Wigan Kebabs,
02:43 I think it's fair to say I'm pleasantly surprised by how easy they are to eat.
02:48 I'm not sure I'll get used to the idea of pastry sandwiched between two halves
02:52 of bread, but both pie barms were full of flavour.
02:55 The Wigan Kebab certainly is a Northwest delicacy, and if it's piqued your
03:00 interest, there are plenty available to pick up from bakeries all around the borough.
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