There is nothing more comforting than a plate of pie, puree and gravy.
But like every guilty pleasure in life, that satisfaction comes with a price on your waistline.
A MailOnline audit for British Pie Week found that some of the UK’s most popular varieties contain more than a third of your daily calorie intake.
The worst offender at a whopping 775 calories is sold by Marks and Spencer’s.
Read our chart below to discover the most offensive pies on the market
Some of the UK’s most popular single-serve cakes contain more than a third of your daily calorie intake
The chain’s gastropub chain’s chicken and leek pie has more than twice the calories of a Greggs sausage roll (329).
It also contains 30g of saturated fat – almost three times as much as a McDonald’s Big Mac.
Vegetarian and vegan cakes accounted for four of the ten cakes with the highest calorie content.
MailOnline conducted an audit of pies bought by Brits in supermarkets across the country, including Tesco, Asda and M&S.
Some of the unhealthiest pies contain more than a woman’s recommended daily intake of saturated fat.
NHS guidelines state that women should consume no more than 20g of saturated fat per day and men no more than 30g.
And a woman’s recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories, while a man’s is 2,500.
After M&S cake, Charlie Bigham’s chicken, ham and leeks (733 calories) is the second highest calorie quantity sold in shops in the UK.
And Pieminister’s Tikka to Ride chicken tikka pie, which has a whopping 725 calories in a single 270g serving, comes in third.
And the worst pies in terms of saturated fat content are M&S chicken and leeks (30g), Higgidy’s free-range chicken and ham shank (23.5g) and Higgidy’s spinach, feta and pine nuts (23.4g).
This compares to just 3.8g of saturated fat in a Krispy Kreme donut, 11g in a Big Mac and 12g in a Greggs sausage roll.
Sarah Almond Bushell, a Registered Dietitian and Nutritional Therapist with Child Nutrition, said: “Saturated fats increase the body’s levels of LDL cholesterol, which is often referred to as ‘bad cholesterol’ and is linked to heart disease and stroke. “
Dr. Bushell added, “Fat has more calories than any other nutrient. So when we eat too much of it, we take in more calories. And too many calories leads to weight gain.”
Melissa Snover, a registered nutritionist and founder of 3D-printed personal vitamin brand Nourished, said a person’s weight determines whether a high-calorie diet is good or bad for them.
But she said: “In general, a high-calorie diet is one of the fundamental risks for the development of obesity.”
Ms Snover added: “Women are advised to consume no more than 20 grams of saturated fat a day.
“If you want to lower your cholesterol and risk of heart disease, the NHS recommends reducing fat levels in general and swapping saturated fats for unsaturated fats.”
Examples of unsaturated fats are oils found in plants or fish, including mackerel, olive oil, nut, avocado and canola oil.
| brand | Product Name | Calories (per cake) | Fat | Saturated fatty acids | Sugar | Salt | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WOMAN | Gastropub Steak & Ale (250g) | 610 calories | 33g | 21.5g | 6.5 g | 1.7 g | ||
| Gastropub Chicken and Leek (250g) | 775 calories | 51.3g | 30g | 6 g | 2.1 g | |||
| Pies Minister | Tikka To Ride Chicken Tikka (270g) | 725 calories | 42.2g | 18.1g | 5.6g | 1.8 g | ||
| Moo & Blue Steak & Stilton (270g) | 643 calories | 33.7g | 16.2g | 3g | 2g | |||
| Gluten Free Moo Steak & Craft Ale (270 g) | 616 calories | 31.4g | 17.3g | 5.5 g | 2.2g | |||
| Free Ranger Chicken, Ham and Leek (270g) | 613 calories | 30.5 g | 15.9g | 1.6 g | 1.6 g | |||
| Heidi goat cheese, sweet potato and spinach (270g) | 605 calories | 31.6g | 14.8g | 7g | 1.9 g | |||
| tesco | Best Chicken Ham Hock & Leek (250g) | 645 calories | 35.5g | 19g | 4.6g | 1.2g | ||
| Charlie Bigham | Chicken, ham and leek (270 g) | 733 kcal | 45.7g | 22.4g | 5.1 g | 2.1 g | ||
| Steak & Ale Whole Grain (270g) | 646 calories | 34.5g | 16.1g | 7.1 g | 2g | |||
| Fried Chicken and Mushrooms (270g) | 680 calories | 40.3g | 19.2g | 4.7g | 2g | |||
| steep | Free Range Chicken and Ham (250g) | 655 calories | 39.6g | 23.5g | 3.3 g | 1.7 g | ||
| Spinach, Feta and pine nuts (270g) | 684 calories | 47.2g | 23.4g | 3.1 g | 2.6g | |||
| Cauliflower cheese and broccoli (250 g) | 682 calories | 46.8g | 22.3g | 3.9g | 1.7 g | |||
| Roasted Potatoes and Feta (270g) | 697 calories | 43.9g | 19.9g | 10.1 g | 1.7 g | |||
| Porcini and chestnut mushrooms (250g) | 674 calories | 46.7g | 20.5 g | 6.2g | 2g | |||
| Roasted Chickpea Masala (250g) | 646 calories | 38.7g | 14.5 g | 7.7g | 1.2g | |||
| Asda | Extra Special British Steak & Red Wine (250g) | 684 calories | 36g | 17g | 4.6g | 1.3 g | ||
| Morrisons | Shortcrust pastry & onion (200g) | 629 calories | 42.2g | 17.2g | 4g | 0.9 g | ||
| Clive’s pure plants | Creamy Whole Wheat Mushroom Cake (235g) | 637 calories | 41.5g | 19.7g | 3.1 g | 1.8 g | ||
| Kroning Chickpea Puff Pastry Cake (235g) | 647 calories | 39.4g | 20.2g | 8.7g | 2.6g |
READ MORE EXCLUSIVE Revealed: How just a tablespoon of Britain’s favorite pancake filling has as much sugar as a donut
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
