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Oldbury gooseberry pies

Two gooseberry pies on napkin, one split to show inside and one tied up in napkin with elder flowers arranged around pies. For Oldbury gooseberry pies recipe.

These pies are associated with summer fairs in Oldbury in Gloucestershire and were traditionally sold by hawkers at Whitsuntide. Unlike most fruit pies they are made with a hot water crust pastry which, as it is less likely to crumble, meant the pies could be carried around easily. Fresh gooseberries are aren't available commercially at the end of May, but tinned gooseberries do just as well if you want to make them specifically for Whitsuntide. However, in the last few years even tinned gooseberries seem to have disappeared from supermarket shelves and are very expensive if bought online.

Equipment

  • 2 baking sheets
  • Weighing scales
  • Measuring jug
  • Saucepan
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Cling film
  • Rolling pin
  • 10cm non fluted pastry cutter
  • 13cm diameter saucer or plate
  • Palette knife

Preparation method

  • Grease the baking sheets with lard.
  • Melt the lard in the saucepan with the water.
  • Sift the flour, salt and icing sugar into the large mixing bowl.
  • Make a well in the centre and pour in the hot lard mixture. 
  • Use a wooden spoon to mix in and then use your hands to bring to a dough. 
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes until the dough is very smooth.
  • Form the dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from the fridge and place on a lightly floured work surface.
  • Roll the dough out to 2mm thick.
  • Use the saucer or plate as a guide and cut 6 x 13cm rounds and then 6 x 10cm rounds using the pastry cutter. You will need to use up all the scraps of dough, re-kneaded and re-rolled in order to make 6 pies. These make the bases and the lids of the pies.
  • Place the two sugars in the medium mixing bowl, stir together and set aside.
  • Place the bases on the prepared baking sheets and make 1cm 'walls' using as many pleats as necessary to keep the walls upright.
  • Place as many gooseberries as will fit into the pie base and scatter 2 tbsp of the sugar mixture on top.
  • Dampen the rims of the pastry bases with a little water and place the lids on top.
  • Crimp to ensure the edges are completely sealed. You may need to trim the edges - I find kitchen scissors the best to use for this.
  • Make a hole in the middle of each pie lid.
  • Place the pies in the fridge for at least 2 hours to toughen the pastry.
  • Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Brush the chilled pies with the beaten egg, place them in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 180C/350F/gas 4 and bake for a further 25 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven and place a palette knife between the pie and the baking sheet to ensure they won't stick when cooling. Leave to cool to room temperature on the baking sheets before transferring to a serving plate.

Pastry making: For tips and step-by-step instructions, see my guide on making hot water crust pastry.
More gooseberry recipes
Gooseberry fool
Gooseberry pudding
Wiltshire Whitsuntide cake
 

Georgian

Serves:
6
Prep Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Resting time 1 hour
Total Time 4 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

For the hot water pastry

  • 255 g lard or vegetable shortening
  • 165 ml water
  • 675 g plain flour
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 medium egg, beaten for glazing

For the filling

  • 600 g gooseberries, washed, topped and tailed or tinned gooseberries, strained
  • 40 g light muscovado sugar
  • 30 g granulated sugar

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Oldbury gooseberry pies
Serving Size
 
338 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
1022
Percent of Daily Value*
Fat
 
30
g
46
%
Saturated Fat
 
11
g
69
%
Cholesterol
 
54
mg
18
%
Sodium
 
422
mg
18
%
Potassium
 
415
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
 
181
g
60
%
Fiber
 
6.9
g
29
%
Sugar
 
111
g
123
%
Protein
 
9.8
g
20
%
Calcium
 
107
mg
11
%
Iron
 
1.9
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Keywords

Gooseberries

Whitsuntide

© Dr Caroline Gordon 
2026
Illustrations by Chichi Parish
Site by Anselm Eustace