Meet our newest partner in pie…Stroud Brewery
It’s Organic September and we’re celebrating by introducing you to one of our newest suppliers, the brilliant Stroud Brewery.
Stroud’s characterful pale ale, Budding, is one of the delicious ingredients that goes into our brand-new Beefy Ale Puff Pie. (The first ever puff pastry pie to come out of the Clive’s bakery!)
Like all the people we choose to work with, Stroud is certified organic and operates in a way that uses the world’s resources with care. From recapturing heat in the brewing process to keep their building nice and toasty, to collecting rainwater off their roof to flush their loos – these guys don’t compromise when it comes to looking after the planet. All their keg and canned beers are also 100% vegan.
Just like us, Stroud’s vision, to do business in a way that impacts people and planet positively, stems from their founder (but he’s called Greg, not Clive!) Greg’s first-hand experience studying how indigenous peoples throughout the world co-exist in harmony with nature, inspires the way Stroud does business today. Built on the belief of ‘BUEN VIVIR’ or as Stroud puts it, ‘HAPPINESS FOR ALL’ they work in a way that values regenerative practices, that work with nature to benefit the entire community.
Which brings us nicely back to Organic September. Clive’s and Stroud are certified organic, which means we both uphold high organic standards all the way through our supply chain, from field to fork (or from pasture to pint in Stroud’s case!) And don’t just take our word for it – we’re verified by the Soil Association, so you know we’re not telling (or selling) porky pies! It means the farms where our ingredients are grown don’t use any artificial chemical fertilisers or pesticides. This creates the highest level of biodiversity and supports healthy soil that removes more CO2 from the atmosphere.
Choosing to be organic is not a business decision to take lightly. It means our costs are higher, sourcing ingredients isn’t always as easy, and there’s lots of paperwork to fill out to prove we’re doing everything by the book. But, the organic standards we both work to represent our joint ambition to produce top-quality food and drink in a way that cares for people and the planet.
Esther Pearson, Managing Director of Clive’s says, “For us, organic is a way of life. For farmers, for producers and for consumers. We’ve always been organic and it’s something that is really important to us. There’s so much that goes into earning and keeping organic status and we’ve faced challenges along the way. But despite these challenges, organic is a cornerstone of our business – and in our opinion, is well worth the extra effort.”
Now, we can guess what you want to know more about… our scrumptious new organic Beefy Ale Puff Pie! Made with a shortcrust base and a rough puff pastry top, we’ve teamed delicious seitan with sweet potato, parsnips, swede, carrots and of course a dash of Stroud’s Budding fantastic pale ale! Budding has aromatic citrus notes with a sweet malty backbone and balanced grassy bitterness, which partners perfectly with our earthy root vegetable flavours. This is comfort food at its finest!
Our Beefy Ale Puff Pie has just hit the shelves of Waitrose stores nationwide. It can also be found online in the plant-based supermarket Mighty Plants and at a number of independent health food shops up and down the country. To find your nearest Clive’s stockist, use our Pie Finder, and if they’re not already stocking our Puff pies, why not ask them to order them in for you!