Steak and Ale Pie and my search for culinary Heaven. . .

Since our trip back to England in 2010, I have been searching for a perfect recipe for Steak and Ale pie.
If you know me, you know that if you put it in a pie crust or surround it in a good bread, I am probably going to love it. 'Meat and Potato Pie', my favorite. Think savory bread and a cup of tea, YUM!

So, when we were in England and we would visit a pub I would gauge the quality, in my mind, of the establishment by the quality of their Steak and Ale pie.
Hardly seems like the ideal way to gauge a pub. Where I could have been using pints or ambiance as the meter I chose Steak and Ale. (This is not to say that choosing the right beer or beers while making this survey was not important.)
And although I did not have Steak and Ale pie for every meal or in every pub, at least in the pub category, it came close.
What we found in the pubs we stopped in was that your pie was usually going to come with 'mushy peas' and chips. So the quality of these two sides added or detracted from any judgement.

To me, something like Steak and Ale pie is the ultimate comfort food and when I die I hope my heaven includes a good pub, with a nice corner table where I can sit and read while waiting for my loved ones (that's hoping my loved ones image of heaven includes me being in it) and on the menu will be Fish and Chips and Steak and Ale pie. (The search for the best Fish and Chips will have to wait for the next trip.)

So, once we got home my search began for the perfect, in my eyes, recipe.

And I think we came close this weekend.

Below is a picture from the blog where I got the recipe.

And I am thinking about sending  her a dozen roses every year for including this culinary delight on her blog.

The ingredients were perfect and the portions superb and I was very jealous of having to share with the guest we had over for the unveiling.
(My wife put me in line for that one.)

We served it with a nice ale, mushy peas and oven roasted potatoes, then settled down to enjoy it.
And, darn it, if I didn't make so much that I had to have it again the next day.

The trials I put myself through.

Here is a link to the blog. . .