Ode to a pie

I don't know what it is about Melton Mowbray pork pies, but they just hit the right spot for me. If you asked me when I had one for the first time, I wouldn't even be able to tell you. Probably in the days that Marks & Spencer's still believed in having stores on the continent and I was a lot younger.

On the whole, you could say that they do not exactly look attractive. They weigh a tonne, are brown-crusted and are baked without a hoop. The meat inside is grey, rather than pink as it is uncured and only chopped pork is used. Did I forget to mention that they are coated with a lining of gelatin?

A classic case of deceptive appearances, because once you slice a sliver out of the pie, and taste it, you will be overcome by the seasoned taste of pork in its rich crust. In fact, I have to restrain myself from straying near the fridge once I have opened one, which is why I usually only buy one large one, and not the bitesize miniature ones.

Anyway, all of the above has just one aim: to remind me that you need to look beyond appearances to find the soulmate within. A very valuable lesson.