A homesick Lincolnshire woman has sparked a lively online debate after asking a deceptively simple question: what actually makes a Lincolnshire pork pie different from the rest?
Posting on Reddit, the self-described “displaced Lincolnshire lass” said she wants to make her own pork pie in the style she remembers from childhood — the kind she reckons you just don’t find elsewhere.
“I have a general taste memory from my childhood that I’ve never quite found other pork pies match up to,” she wrote, recalling a particularly good example bought by her grandparents from a proper butcher in Lincoln — possibly on Bailgate.
But with years of vegetarianism in her teens and only a “general cookery book” recipe from her mum to go on, she turned to fellow locals for clues about the county’s trademark taste.
Her hunch? Lincolnshire pies may lean harder on sage than many rivals — a flavour closely associated with Lincolnshire sausages and local pork.
That theory got backing from commenters, with one suggesting she borrow the seasoning ratios used in Lincolnshire sausages.
“You might run the risk of ending up with a Lincolnshire sausage pie,” they joked — before adding: “I don’t see how that would be a bad outcome!”
Another Lincolnshire resident went further, sharing a full pork pie method they say they tweak each time — but with a clear flavour profile: sage, thyme, black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
Their version uses a traditional hot water crust pastry made with lard and strong white flour, formed around jam jars as moulds, before being filled with a mix of pork shoulder and pork belly (or bacon/sausages), plus breadcrumbs and herbs.
The pies are baked low and slow, glazed with egg, then chilled — before being finished with a classic jelly made from chicken stock and gelatine, piped in through a steam hole once the pies have cooled.
Not everyone was focused purely on the seasoning. One commenter offered a straight-up verdict on the best local buy, naming Lancasters in Market Rasen as their favourite — with “honourable mentions” for craft butchers in Louth.
While there may not be one official definition of a “Lincolnshire pork pie” in the way Melton Mowbray has its protected status and traditional insistence on uncured meat, the local consensus was clear: if it tastes properly of sage, is well-seasoned, and comes in a solid hot water crust with a good jelly set — you’re well on your way to something that feels like home.
And for one Lincolnshire lass missing the flavours of the county, that might be exactly the point.
This article was written by The Lincoln Post using information from online sources. View source.
