​The Pieologist's Assault on London - Part II: The Red Lion, 48 Parliament Street, Westminster

The Red Lion is on the same side of the river as Westminster,
but the other side of the bridge (i.e. to the right of shot)

The Red Lion. Now this place has got some history. There's been a pub on this site since 1434, fercrissakes. Now that's some history! It's situated right between 10 Downing Street and Big Ben; across the road from the horse guards in Westminster, where bored horses bite Chinese tourists for fun and the guards try not to laugh. Don't know how - I nearly pissed myself.

Sheila on the left: not as stupid as she looks.
Sheila on the right (obscured by horse's head): about to be mistaken for horse-lunch.
Sheila on extreme right: about to learn first-hand to read warning signs.

The back of the Horse Guards...noting to do with pie; just a nice photo

They say that every British PM drank at The Red Lion until the 1970's, and it isn't difficult to imagine an underground tunnel running from Downing Street so Churchill could waddle in for a few jars after his evening wireless address to the nation during the blitz. Even Charles Dickens was a regular, although not at the same time as old Winston.

http://www.redlionwestminster.co.uk

Anyhoo, it had appeared on my radar as part of an intensive research process that took place prior to our trip. Sports was checking where every Jimmy Choo store was, while I planned 3 weeks' meals. It's an exceptionally pretty corner pub, with colourful hanging baskets of flowers, brass rails, and sepia-toned mirrors. 

When we arrived, lunch was in full swing and the pub is relatively small and inevitably packed full of tourists, but a small table beside the bar opened up as we entered and I settled in to check the menu with a pint of Fullers ESB (Extra Special Bitter - available at Dan Murphys if you're so inclined).

Apart from anything else (history, location etc), I'd selected The Red Lion because of its ale and pie tasting board - 3 ales matched to 3 mini pies - but one of the 3 pies was a chicken pie (not a massive fan), while another was a vegetable pie (it'll be a cold day in hell....if I was stuck on a desert island I'd chew my own arm off before I ate a veggie pie). 

Still, the remaining selection sounded very good, but once again I was hooked by the daily special: a beef and blue cheese pie. Fwaaaark me - how long has this been going on? Beef and goddamn blue cheese....and Australians think we own the meat pie? I hate to admit it, but we're (with a few notable exceptions) nowhere, folks.

Anyway, in due course, out she comes, presented beautifully on a big white plate with a side of excellent creamy mash, a small side salad (lettuce, red onion, raw courgette sliced with a potato peeler, vinaigrette), and a little jug of extra gravy, most of which I used, save for a few drops that I dabbed behind me Toby Jugs.

The pie had a lovely golden brown short crust pastry, was a good size, perfect temperature and full of great chunks of soft, slow-cooked moist beef. The gravy was your typical, home-made Sunday roast gravy like Nanna used to make. Luvverly. The blue cheese treatment was absolutely spot on too; there was enough to make its presence felt without being overpowering in any way. By Jove, I thought - they've cracked it.

The Red Lion prides itself on its pies, and I was very very impressed with mine. If the pie had had a flaky top, I don't know what I could have deducted points for (maybe for giving me a salad?). As it was, it was a very strong 9/10 with the lost point for the lack of a flaky lid.