Zero overnight pies, and why consistency matters

What is the zero overnight pies policy?

Our zero overnight pies policy means we sell our pies on the day they are baked. A pie that comes out of our deck ovens at 39 Tyrwhitt Road is sold that day at our flagship or kiosks, or sent out to a customer who ordered it. We do not carry pies over to sell the next morning. The policy is written into our own pie-making notes as a strict rule, and it covers every outlet.

Why not sell yesterday’s pies?

We do not sell yesterday’s pies because a chicken pie changes overnight, and not for the better. A pie can be perfectly safe the next day if it has been chilled properly. But safe is not the same as right.

Here is what happens to a filled pie as it sits:

1. Moisture moves. Water from the gravy and vegetables migrates into the crust, especially the base and the inner layer of the lid.
2. The crust softens. The crisp, flaky layers that took all that care to build lose their snap.
3. The filling firms. Gravy thickens as it cools and the flavours flatten.
4. Reheating cannot fully undo it. An oven or air fryer brings back some crispness, but a day-old pie never quite matches a pie from the same day.

That is why our ordering guidance says to enjoy a pie within about four hours of buying it for the best results, and to refrigerate it and eat it within three days if you keep it. Freezing is a separate question with its own rules; the test of freezing chicken pie, thawed first or reheated from frozen is a good place to start.

Does the policy make the business harder to run?

The policy makes the business harder to run, yes. Baking to sell on the same day means baking in small batches, judging how many pies each outlet will need, and accepting that some days the kiosks sell out early. Our kiosks list their hours with the words “or earlier if sold out” for a reason. If you need pies for a set time, ordering ahead is the answer, and there is a simple planner that works back from your event date to tell you how far ahead to book.

We think that is the right trade. A customer who misses out one evening will come back. A customer who gets a tired pie may not.

What does consistency mean for a heritage recipe?

Consistency means that the pie you buy this week tastes like the pie you bought last year, and like the one people remember from years before. For a recipe with a long history, that is the real inheritance. Age alone is just a number on a menu. A recipe is only worth calling original if it is made the same way, to the same standard, every day.

Consistency comes from habits, not slogans:

• The same recipe, with one author, Chef Don Lim.
• The same kitchen, so the same hands and the same equipment do the work.
• Pastry made in-house and rolled on a dough sheeter, so the crust is even from the first pie to the last.
• Small batches in deck ovens, so each tray is baked properly.
• Same-day selling, so the pie reaches you close to its best.

Take away any one of these and the pie drifts. Keep all five and it stays itself.

Why consistency matters more than novelty

A kitchen that changes its signature dish every season can be exciting. We are not that kitchen, and we do not want to be. People come to us for a pie they already know. A food writer who visited in 2022 said one bite took them straight back to childhood. Customers have told us the pie tastes as it did twenty years ago. Those reactions only happen if we resist the urge to tinker with what works.

We do try new things. Our menu has seasonal pies, and a Golden Cheese Pie once started as an April Fool’s joke. But the Original Chicken Pie is not where we experiment.

How can I tell if a pie was baked today?

You can tell a same-day pie by its crust. The lid should be crisp and flaky, not leathery. The base should be firm, not damp. The edge should be crisp at the crimp. If you buy from one of our outlets, the policy means it was baked that day; if something is not right, tell us within two hours with a photo, and we will look into it under our refund and exchange policy. More signs are in how to recognise the original, and the oven side of the rule is in baking and resting a chicken pie. The other essays are collected in our craft notes.