Two local York food heroes have collaborated to bring a premium Yorkshire pie pop-up to York city centre.

Yorkshire Handmade Pies, which crafts proper pies using the best Yorkshire ingredients, has joined forces with York chef, Jack Richardson who previously ran vegan cantina El Rayo, to bring its range of local pies to the city at SPARK.

SPARK is a community street food and event space on Piccadilly, York which gives a platform for up-and-coming food brands in upcycled shipping containers. It is on a mission to create positive social change and transform Piccadilly, a rundown street in the centre of York into a vibrant destination.

This is the first pop-up for the Ripon-based online pie brand which launched in 2020. It has quickly established itself as the home of delicious locally-produced premium pies winning a stack of taste awards and a raft of loyal pie fans.

Pie aficionados will be spoilt for choice with a menu featuring four pies all served with Jack’s smoky garlic mash, Yorkshire peas and umami gravy.

The pies come with mash, peas and gravy and cost £9.95. You can choose from

  • Yorkshire Steak & Hambleton Ale
  • Herb-fed Chicken, Smoked Bacon, Leek and Tarragon
  • Mature Cheddar, Smoked Applewood and White Onion
  • Daily special pie.

Jack Richardson chef and pop-up owner said of the pie partnership; “‘James and I first met when he came down to try one of my vegan burgers at El Rayo in Spark York and we have been working together ever since.

“Our views on food production, sustainability and innovation are similar however both of us offer different skill sets which is what makes this new project so exciting. James’s pies are fantastic and I am delighted to bring them into a new environment and give them a fresh twist. This is the start of a new line of new projects we will be working on and I can’t wait for it to get started.”

Yorkshire Handmade Pies has a strong ethos on sustainability and provenance. It supports local farmers and producers in its range of pies including using British native high-welfare grass-fed beef, free-range herb-fed chicken from Easingwold and local beer from Hambleton Brewery.

It’s Yorkshire Steak and Kidney pie won a coveted 3 stars at the Great Taste Awards 2022 making it the top awarded pie in the UK.

James Sturdy, founder and MD of Yorkshire Handmade Pies said: “It’s exciting to bring our local handmade pies to the people of York. Jack is a brilliant chef who has added his own twist to our range with his delicious smoky garlic mash and umami gravy which takes the pies to another level.

“We have lots of plans for even more pie takeovers, so watch this space!”

The Yorkshire Handmade Pie Pop-Up will run at SPARK until the end of March 2023.