Butter: A Celebration

Olivia Potts · Butter: A Celebration

You have to hand it to us Northerners, we know how to make the most of a potato. Lancashire’s butter pie has been a staple of the Preston area for centuries. Preston has always had a large Catholic community, and Catholics don’t eat meat on Fridays — so in Preston, they eat butter pie. Or, as it is also sometimes known, Catholic pie or Friday pie. Now it is sold throughout pubs and shops, but is most frequently enjoyed as a match day half-time favourite at Preston North End football club. It is, quite simply, a pie filled with potatoes, onion and butter; it has flaky pastry on the base, sides and top, and given the simplicity of its contents, a generous amount of salt and pepper. It is traditionally eaten with braised red cabbage.