Pie shop serves complete full English breakfast inside a pastry case

Part of the joy of pastry is in its unparalleled abilities as a transport for other tasty things. Steak, kidney and ale in a stew are fine. Stuff them inside a buttery shell of flakey, satisfyingly stodgy puff, however, and you can create something more magical than the whole Harry Potter saga. Even the most muggle-averse wizard wouldn’t turn their nose up.

This ability to hold delicious things has made pies the perfect canvass for creative cooks. Everything from pizza to mashed potato has at some point ended up sandwiched between layers of sturdy dough, with some experiments proving less successful than others. But, in exciting news for entre-pie-neurs everywhere, there are signs that someone has stumbled across the perfect formula for combining pie and breakfast. It’s about time. 

At the aptly-named Epic Pies bakery in St Pauls, London, mum and son duo Daniel and Roshnara Jobz are doing their level best to put pastry front and centre of the breakfast table. Alongside staples like Eggs Benedict and Tomato and Avocado Smash, the “very British patisserie” also offers an epic “Full English Tart” – featuring all your familiar fry-up favourites encased in pastry. 

Check out our recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu Cheese Stuffed Mash Pie:

Included as part of the £7.95 option are two sausages, two slices of bacon, sauteed mushrooms, beans, cherry tomatoes and a fried egg. If for any reason that doesn’t feel substantial enough, customers can upgrade with added hash browns and black pudding for just £1. Consider every breakfast box officially ticked.

Understandably, the prospect of a huge open-topped fry-up tart has got hundreds of Britons hot under the collar. In response to the dish’s appearance on Instagram, several would-be diners began virtually drooling, with one writing “That full English tart is something else,” and another adding, “Can you move to South Wales please…saw your breakfast pie in my newsfeed”.

Although the enormous breakfast pie has stolen the spotlight, it isn’t the only outrageous pastry dish on the Epic Pie menu. Other highlights include mini slider pies and “East Ender” pie and mash. With such a selection to choose from, it’s no wonder that pies are proving just as popular as ever in St Pauls.