Long before nose to tail eating became fashionable, my granddad, a pork butcher in Burnley, proudly boasted he used every part of the pig. You can see this from the home movie he shot in his factory in the 1950s and my grandma making the hand raised pork pies they supplied at Christmas.
Now, you will find excellent pies at Anthony Sterne’s new shop, Appleton’s on Lendal in York. You might remember Anthony as the chap who made I’s Pies. Keen meat shoppers will already know about the branches of Appleton’s in Wetherby and Ripon. Now Anthony is bringing pork pies, pork products and fresh pork to York city centre, something not seen since the lovely Scott of York sadly closed in 2008.
On the opening night where we sampled pies and pints, I talked to farmer David Fieldhouse who until recently was breeding and rearing his rare breed Berkshires and Large Whites at the family farm at Stutton near Tadcaster. Now he has transferred all his pigs to Anthony Sterne’s land near Ripon so that they can be fully outdoor reared.
We liked Appleton’s pies, especially the ones still warm from the oven and as Appleton’s is virtually on our doorstep, we will be back for sausages, dry cured bacon, ham shanks, gammon and pork joints.
Good to see Appleton’s joining Burr and the newly opened Spring Espresso on Lendal, bringing more good food and drink to this corner of York.