If there’s one person who knows their pies, it’s The Menu editor Brian Stormont.
Throughout the few years I’ve known him there’s not a week passes that this man hasn’t had, tried or talked about pies – or pehs as we all know them.
I remember clearly the first time Brian tried one of WeeCOOK Kitchen’s pies. “These are some of the best pies I’ve ever tasted,” he said.
Since then I’ve watched owner of the venue, Hayley Wilkes, and her team go from success to success over the years, winning multiple awards and being featured on a prime time Sunday morning TV show.
It was the pie that featured on said show, the Fishwife Pie made with haddock, natural smoked haddock, salmon and Arbroath smokies, held together with a secret family sauce and topped with puff pasty and poppy seeds, that finally pushed me to get myself to Barry, Carnoustie and try out WeeCOOK Kitchen.
And see Brian of course.
We’d arranged to meet up at his home in Carnoustie, where he gave me a tour of the town before driving us along to the eatery at Downs Holiday Park.
The food
Brian led the way, seeing as this wasn’t his first visit to WeeCOOK Kitchen, and had given me the low down on the menu in advance.
The first thing I spotted when walking through the entrance was the freestanding pie fridge. This is a thing of beauty if I do say so myself. Packed with towers of pies of all flavours, I already knew I’d be raiding it before leaving.
We were welcomed by the friendly staff and shown to our table. I’d reserved one as Brian had stressed it gets very busy at lunchtimes, especially on a Friday when we were visiting.
There’s a good handful of starters to choose from, daily specials and a whole host of mains on the all day menu. There’s also a brunch/lunch menu for those looking for something earlier in the day.
We ordered a soft drink each and discussed our proposed order.
Brian had eyed up the firecracker cauliflower starter (£7.25) and the baked haddock chorizo main (£16.95). Both options sounded phenomenal, but I was here to try the pies, so opted for the pick and mix pie supper for my main (£12.95) and the steak tagliata to begin (£9.75).
Before our starters arrived Hayley appeared from the kitchen and treated us to a sample of her raspberry mulled wine which was an absolute delight. Sweet, juicy and incredibly moreish, I’d have purchased multiple bottles if she’d had some to hand.
Our food didn’t take too long to appear, and when it did, we were both grinning like the Cheshire cat.
Served with an oriental spicy sauce, lime mayo, sesame and coriander, and garnished with some red chillies, the cauliflower was a delight.
The veg was perfectly cooked to the point that it retained bite and the glaze on it was to die for. The chillies added an attractive crunch to the cauliflower and Brian mentioned he could quite happily have munched his way through two or three plates.
We sampled one another’s and I couldn’t agree more.
My thinly sliced steak was bursting with flavour. Topped with shavings of a creamy parmesan, it sat on a bed of rocket and had been drizzled with a truffle oil. Thankfully there wasn’t too much oil, so it didn’t overpower the delicious meat. And black pepper was sprinkled on top to really make those flavours pop.
It was one of the more expensive starters at £9.75, but we both agreed it was worth every penny.
The pie was why I was here so I eagerly awaited our mains. You get to pick your desired flavour of pie plus three sides for £12.95. Having spied someone on the neighbouring table with a pie supper, I was gearing up for a big feed.
The sides I’d selected included onion rings, hand cut chips and homemade coleslaw – one I almost wish I’d swapped for peas or beans instead.
It was a very beige plate, but I had to get into that pie. I’d picked the chicken bhuna curry one and I loved it so much it was one of the three I purchased on our way out.
The soft and juicy chicken was incredible, but it was the sauce and the pastry that made this pie. The pasty was perfect, crisp on the outside, it was thick and a generous size. My favourite element had to be the sauce. Tomato, onion and a range of spices made up it up, and I savoured every morsel.
Chips aren’t anything to write home about usually, but these ones were well fried and an excellent addition to the plate. The onion rings were equally as good and three massive ones sat on top of my pie.
I wasn’t overly enamored by the coleslaw, but that is more on me than WeeCOOK. I don’t know why I picked it, as I’m no real fan of the stuff, and feel the beans or peas – which aren’t creamy – would have been a better option for me.
Brian’s choice was spot on and he lapped it all up. He described it as a “real showstopper”, complimenting the big meaty fillet of haddock which was nestled on top of spiced patatas bravas. It was accompanied by some tapenade, crispy rocket and a balsamic dressing and dotted around the plate were some delightful pieces of chorizo.
This marriage of ingredients concluded with a taste explosion in his mouth. The saltiness and light spice of the chorizo worked well with the fish which had a lovely flavour of its own.
We were too full to tackle pudding, as tempting as the brownie, apple fritters and affogato sounded.
I couldn’t leave WeeCOOK without bagging a few more pies, so after 10 minutes of deliberating, I committed to the fish one, a steak one and another chicken bhuna.
The next night, I heated them all up and I have to say that fish pie is one of the best, if not the best fish pie I’ve ever had. It really is no wonder they sold out when it was featured on TV because it really is that good.
The verdict
I would absolutely recommend everyone to pay a visit to WeeCOOK Kitchen in Barry. Not only is the menu varied with plenty of meat, seafood and veggie options, but there’s also a children’s menu with lots of choice.
The setting is very relaxed with a bit of tartan and some beach-inspired items adding to the interior, and although the inside is smaller with around 20 or so seats, there’s also an outdoor area to enjoy food and drinks, too.
If you do go, be sure to fill your boots with pies on the way out. When I visited there was easily 12 or more different ones available, with lots of people popping in to pick them up specifically.
Don’t leave without a pie.
Information
Address: Downs Holiday Park, The WeeCOOK kitchen Barry, Carnoustie DD7 7SA
T: 01382 533671
Price: £52.50 for two soft drinks, two starters and two main courses
Scores:
- Food: 4.5
- Service:4/5
- Surrounding: 3.5/5
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