Mr Pye's Steak and Kidney Pie

British Pie Week

Mar 6

Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day

Mr Pye's Steak and Kidney Pie

Today's Musings, History & Folklore

"🎶 Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye,
Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened the birds began to sing,
Oh wasn't that a dainty dish to set before the king?"

~ Mother Goose rhyme

The rich tradition of Scottish Country Dance includes a remarkable number of dances inspired by food, including this lively jig named after a classic British pie. In medieval times, a type of pie known as a "coffyn" featured a sturdy, enclosed crust that could be removed, allowing it to serve as both a simple meal for commoners and an extravagant spectacle for the nobility. Historical accounts tell of pies that, when opened, released live birds, rabbits, frogs, or even dogs. Some tales go further, describing dwarves emerging to recite poetry or hidden musicians striking up a tune from within!

This playful tradition of unexpected surprises carried over into rhyming slang, where Steak and Kidney Pie became affectionately known as "Kate and Sidney Pie." The dance itself was named for a Mr. Pye, who delighted his dinner guests with his own homemade steak and kidney pie—though his original recipe has been lost to time. This dance features well-loved figures, culminating in aHello Goodbye setting and petronella clap back into place—a fitting tribute to both the cook and the pie that inspired its name. Classic recipe fit for queens and kings (and even knaves) included! 😀 🥧 👑

Pie is a favorite dish with a long history of both sweet and savoury versions.

The earliest pies in ancient times were in the form of flat, round crusty cakes made of ground oats, wheat, rye, or barley and containing honey as a treat inside. Evidence of galettes of this type are found as drawings on the tomb walls of the Pharaoh Rameses II, who ruled from 1304 to 1237 BC in the Valley of the Kings.

By medieval times, cooks with restricted access to ovens often cooked pies over an open fire. Pie recipes from this era refer to the "coffyns" - pies with straight sealed sides and tops and open-top pies called "traps." The crust was thick, and could be baked first, and would rise forming a pot, hence the term "pot pie."

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For a more classic recipe for this most British of savoury pies, the Steak and Kidney Pie, click the four and twenty blackbirds below!

Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!