The problem with big companies, such as Fray Bentos, is that they are getting away with reducing key ingredients and compensating them by adding more gravy. The unsuspecting customer only discovers that they have been duped when they cut in to the product. It's no wonder that Fray Bentos is now so cheap and a long way from the product that I enjoyed when growing up.
Shrinkflation is the term - reduce or replace ingredients with cheaper variants. Govts want companies to do this, as it reduces monetary cost to consumers, masking true inflation. People know that govt published figures are fudged.
When I moved into my house, way back at Christmastime in 1979, I used to eat one of these pies, with a small tin of broad beans, every Sunday. They were packed with meat and kidney. They're rubbish now. Little wonder you can find them on offer, most of the time. I walk past them at Farm Foods with utter contempt, and so should we all, or we'll be being offered free air in a tin forever. Also, the 'gravy' now is more like a glutinous mass that resembles The Blob from Planet X.
I remember when a 10p mix was a full bag of sweets and chocolate mice were 2 inch long. Times change get over it instead of looking at tinned goods with contempt. 🤦🏼😂😂
Modern Fray Bentos are nothing like they use to be. They became famous because their pies were great, filling, and easy to cook but now it's about cost cutting and maximising shareholder value. And you are right, the best thing about them today is the pastry.
I totally agree with you about the soggy bottom. However, these pies used to be quite good and value for money, but now they are just terrible. We haven't bought one for years and looks like they have just got worse. People need to stop buying them, then maybe fray bentos will get the message. 👍
Unfortunately it not always the manufacturers fault. The share holders and CEO have the first and last say, more pastry it's cheap, less meat more profit. Meanwhile the employees suffer with job losses and pitiful wages.
Not even a pie these pastry and gravy/other concoctions they put in them. A pie is a pastry case (top and bottom) with a filling inside. These don't even have a bottom to them, plus the fact the fillings have gone down to almost nothing (apart from gravy or a sauce) is useless. They are also way too dear for what you actually get in them, stick to Pukka Pies or some other brand that is actually a pie and gives you an actual filling.
We used to love these! My partner calls them surprise pies because he's surprised when he actually finds a bit of meat😂 during lockdown I bought a load of them for my parents store cupboard and I complained about the lack of meat. They sent me £20 in baxters vouchers. Baxters bought the company and its definitely gone downhill.
Same here and they sent me £18 in one pound vouchers , but in 3 lots of £6 three days running !!!!!! Strange way of doing it . So I bought lots of there pickles instead because it was just before Christmas. ( I don't know why I am telling you this lol 😂)
Fray Bentos went under the name Tyne Brand in the 70s and both the pies and puds were delicious. They had decent filling back then. But as is the case with so many things these days we're being ripped off because they cost a lot more and for less. Chocolate bars are another example of this.
If memory serves me well, I commented on here when B F G did a review on tinned steak. Back in the early 70s, on opening a tin of it put me right off them when one tin I opened contained a piece of meat with what seemed like a bicycle inner tube sized vein attached to it🤑. I haven't touched tinned steak ever since! I couldn't remember the name of the brand, seeing your comment reminded me it was Tyne Brand.
I mean, Yeah the filling was more generous back then but they were still cheap tinned pies and taste wasn't all that... The pastry was the winner though! But they are definitely awful now! The pastry is still ok but even that has degraded imo.
Fray bentos and Tyne brand where completely different companies. You need to remember that these brands date back to a time when people didn't have refrigeration in the home so it was a way of preserving. that's why a lot of us old sods remember them with fondness, It's all we bloody had.
Yes son brought me a bar of Fruit and Nut few days ago. It was like they had flattened it. Had to look twice to realise it was Cadburys. My phone was as thick as the bar.
I think most of us who are of a certain age... Remember Fray Bentos as a brand name we all loved and trusted... But sadly over the years... Their overall quality took a dramatic nose dive... In 2017 they admitted to reducing their meat content... After a furious backlash from loyal customers... One disgusted pie-lover told them that the pies were 'terrible, with one containing just two lumps of meat... Fray Bentos (Baxters) tried increasing their meat content by flashing a new 33% extra meat sign across their tinned pies... But 33% extra meat in reality... Would only mean a single solitary piece of meat extra in the whole pie... It might seem like 33% extra meat content... Is a huge increase of meat in their pies... But in reality it was all smoke and mirrors Gaz... With just a single piece of meat extra... I'm sorry mate but that's simply not good enough... Their other products suffered from the same meat content reduction too... Just look at the meat content of their Fray Bentos Chicken Meatballs in Tomato Sauce 380g... They've reduced it down to just 17% Chicken content... With their Tomato Sauce having just 4.5% Tomato Purée content... Now just look at their direct competitor Princes... Their Princes Meatballs in Tomato Sauce 370g... Has a whopping 34% Chicken content... Along with 22% Tomato Purée content... So with double the amount of Chicken content in their Meatballs... And almost five times the amount of Tomato Purée content in their Tomato Sauce... And they're actually both the same price too... At a quid each... You get 10g more volume in the Fray Bentos Meatballs... But that'll almost certainly be extra water content... It's crystal clear that Fray Bentos has been covertly short changing their loyal customers for at least the last five years... The only good thing to come from that Fray Bentos Minced Beef & Onion Pie... Is actually the empty tin... Wash it out and use it for making Giant Homemade Yorkshire Puddings... They're perfect for making them in pal... And they can be washed out and reused time and time again... I don't bother with Fray Bentos products anymore Gaz... They're no longer a trusted brand name to me anymore mate... Which is such a shame really... As i used to love them... Thanks for the review Gaz... Sorry the reply is a long one my friend... All the best... Cheers mate. 🍺
Like so many have commented here, they’ve been very stingy with the fillings in recent years. They also used to do an awesome chicken and mushroom one, but sadly discontinued
You're right. I used to buy these years ago when they were really nice. Minced Beef & Onion was my favourite. Steak and Ale was good as well. Stopped getting them when I suspected they changed the recipe and cut back on meat content. They didn't taste the same anymore.
My advice, clean and keep the tin, buy a tin of minced beef and onion from Tesco, put half of that in the pie tin, plop some pastry on the top and shove it in the oven for however long the pastry needs (probably about 15 minutes). Cheaper and you get plenty of beef :) Even if you buy pre-rolled puff pastry you're still looking at about £1.40 per pie
I love the Tesco minced beef and onion but for some reason, and the supermarket checkout worker told me this, for some reason it's been discontinued in my local Tesco. What is all that about? It was the biggest selling tinned product in the store. Totally makes no sense whatsoever.
@@ianmillar1139 that is odd, they still sell it online so they haven't discontinued it, you can probably still get it in an online delivery order? ASDA also do one, bit more expensive but it's also a bit more beef by percentage. Princes as well, but that's significantly less beef.
How about cooking that pie and meanwhile heat up half of that tin in a microwave of ''minced beef and onion from Tesco'' ( or similar from another brand of tinned ready made mince and onion ) then once the pie is cooked, scoop out the rubbish gravy filling and pop in the good tinned mince and onion and away you go !
I seem to remember an 89p pricepoint as a lad. I was always very impressed when our Fray Bentos was cooked as part of our Christmas hamper. Unfortunately we had zero money, it was a 'treat'
Remember these from childhood , one pie 🥧 used to comfortably feed me and bro together with a few healthy vegetables 🥦 (Mothers insistence) Saw them in B&M for a sheet a pop so I bought every option , now admittedly my hopes weren’t high but the three I had were an absolute disgrace , the best one was the cheese 🧀 and onion 🧅. I gave the last 2 to the food bank. I consider myself to be a pie 🥧 connoisseur and £1 was around 97p more than they were worth.
As a child a Thursday night staple was a FB Steak and Kidney pie, with mashed spuds and peas. It was well-filled, tasty, gravy laden and a beautiful puff pastry. Sadly, the consumer is being fleeced severely when buying this product nowadays, and more to the point, the manufacturers don't give a single shit about customer reviews. Customers have been addressing the lack of filling for years, even decades in 2022
I didn’t think these were still in production. My mum always used to keep one in the cupboard for a quick meal for us three kids. We always used to say ‘where’s the meat’! Nothings changed much then, this was back in the 60’s 😂
Fray Bentos is one of those food items that if eaten sober, there will be leftovers. However, go down the pub on a Saturday afternoon to watch the football and six pints later you will be wiping out the tin with a slice of bread.
Growing up in the 1970s it was a dream to have a Fray Bentos Pudding. I was brought up on Goblin Puddings. Back in the day Fray Bentos was very expensive but they were quality. Now they are very affordable and are available in many of the cheaper range shops but now they are like dogmeat. Maybe they should have stuck to being a quality item rather than a non quality item. The best thing about them now is the Tin and the top of the pie. Unlike Skoda who have improved their brand sadly Fray Bentos have not. Skoda use to be affordable, now they are not. Fray Bentos use to be unaffordable, now they are. It's a funny old game 👍🏻👍🏻😁
I used to love the Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie but I agree with you about the fillings, they’re almost none existent, but my favourite bit is the mushy pastry underneath the crispy bit. They’re a bit like a pot noodle, crap food but I do like one now and again 😊
Yeh but even pot noodles don’t taste like they used too. Due too all the sugar and salt regulations they’ve had too reduce ingredients to make them less unhealthy so they taste crap now. Used too love chicken and mushroom, now they taste like card board😂
I think I wrote in a comment to you a while back about Australian pies here in China bought from the most expensive supermarket here, catering to ex-pats and wealthy Chinese. One of our neighbours sons was taking one of these to school every day so I decided to try one. Almost £7! Very attractive box showing steak and kidney filled to the brim. Opened the box, still looking very good. Heated it up and cut into it. Basically an empty shell with a smear of something meaty in the bottom. The top crust was flaky pastry but the casing was shortcrust. The pie was the correct weight as per the package but the meat content was 27 grams!!! I gave him one of mine with a filling content of 125g. I now sell a lot of these and my profit margin is still just shy of 350%. I think, even allowing for overheads, this shows just how greedy these companies like Frey Bentos are.😢
I completely agree, I used to love the steak pies but the last one had two very small pieces of meat in, the only good side is that you can keep them in the cupboard for months, 👍👍🌞
I used to love these a long time ago, but sadly like a lot of products, the quality is not the same nowadays. Stagg chilli is another that used to be banging
Please do a Fray Bentos special where you lift the lid and add fillings/seasonings (before cooking) to make it palatable. Would be great if they were edible beyond the pastry
I'm impressed you got the lid off !!! When I was young and not so young I didn't mind these pies as they were cheap and tasty but not a lot of filling. I gave up a while ago when it become impossible to remove the lid without having a load of tin filings in it... It's a no from me.
Never understood all the people saying they have problems with the lid. I’ve had a few of these and never had an issue. Just get a solid/robust opener and it comes off in one go and easily.
I haven't had one of these for years ... but I used to take off the first layer of pastry when it had risen...then wack the oven up to full blast and then the next layer would rise aswell... no soggy pastry...
Dreadful... I was brought up on these pies in the 60's when there was enough (chunky) beef filling for 4. Now its just a brown slop (probably one or two tiny chunks of meat and a brown thickener). When my mum bought mince beef she would buy 500gm (1lb) at the butchers and make her own pies too. I doubt whether there is even 75 grams of actual meat (3 ozs) in the Fray Bentos Pie. Why don't they just call it "Pastry Pie" flavoured with beef.
Fully agree with the others. A once superb pie back in the 1970's is now a fiddle. They've kept the lovely gravy flavour but reduced the meat content to miniscule. Guys get yerselves 'Hollands' steak pies and puddings from Lydl etc. Made up North.. they still put lovely meat in theirs ☺ if yer well off, go to the butchers and buy some kate n Sydney and then shove some ready made pastry over the top with an egg glaze. It'll cost you 5 times more but THAT IS A PIE!
So it’s Holland pies and Lidl sell them? If so I’ll definitely try one. I usually find personal recommendations on RU-vid are the best, especially amongst us subscribers to Gareth’s channel🙂👍🏻
Gareth, glad you said it cause I thought the same thing...The Fray Bentos pies have been downsized like everything else from Marathon bars (Snickers) Bounty bars and all the rest. They are at ASDA for £1.50 at the mo...I bought a couple, mainly for the lovely pastry...yum! Ta very much for all your great videos mate, they do bring happiness to all your viewers/friends!
We get lots of these donated at food bank. They are not popular as they take ages in the oven. Lots of our clients struggle with fuel costs and quite a few do not have a working oven anyway. There are tins of chicken in white sauce or steak in gravy and these can be heated in a microwave with some tinned potatoes and tinned veg (sweetcorn is most appreciated veg).
Fray Bentos is a UNESCO listed town in Uruguay. You got to have one of these pies every now and then.. even if they are crappy … it’s nostalgia and addictive.
As youngsters, my brother and I would get one every few weeks or so for tea. I loved the pastry and used to eat it layer by layer from the crunchy top to the "soggy bottom" Out shopping a couple of years ago, I thought "why not?". They were flashed as new improved recipe. I've never bought another since. The filling was jelly - like and not much meat or flavour. I'll stick to my childhood memories of them. Sorry Fray Bentos, you've lost my custom.
Have you noticed that none of those companies who claim new improved recipes ever say what has been improved? I think what's always improved is a better profit for the company [by using cheaper or less ingredients] and never anything that improves the product for customers.
I have watched most of your Frey Bentos reviews and totally agreed with the fact that they had no content, though the pastry is still wonderful imo. I would never have bought another after trying a steak and kidney with no meat in a few months ago. However, my husband, in an effort to be helpful, bought a minced beef and onion one for us to share. We had it just now for dinner and I think I must've got everyone else's meat because it had what constitutes a lot in this day and age but, best of all, it was very tasty. What a surprise!
I got one of these some months ago. I took the top off before I cooked it to see what the meat was like. There wasn't much so i added half a tin of minced beef and some mixed veg, put the top back on and cooked it. It was lovely. Like you I love the soggy bit of the pastry. I dont generally buy these but thought I would give it a try. Might get them again but not in a hurry to. Xx
Just to let you know that I was in Asda this morning and bought my 1st ever Pucca Pie. The steak one and I've just eaten it. For £1.25 it is an absolute bargain and very tasty too. Thank you young Gazz :-)
@@BaldFoodieGuy@Kevin Brookes Pukka Pies not ''Pucca'' I had my first one back in around 1986 on holiday in the Isle of White, it was Steak and Kidney, brought hot from a takeaway along with some chips and was brilliant, full of meat, lovely gravy and wonderful puff pastry, best pie ever, homemade or brought . Not available then in many places but now can get them anywhere in the UK. Still nice now but back in the day, they were even better !
I remember back in the 1970s here in Saskatchewan, Canada having Smedleys Beefsteak and Kidney pie imported from England and having the same puff pastry crust. It was fantastic.
Pastry looked good , as for filling that reminds me I need some dog food . Up it is very thoughtful of them to give you an indication of what faces you tomorrow morning .
All puff and soggy bottom .... Used to be meaty back in the day , then Baxter's in Scotland took over and started putting a tin of beef soup inside each pie and selling the on Amazon .... Great interesting channel 👍
Never mind "Where's the meat?" The question should be "What's that meat?" Goblin meat pies can include up to 5 European countries' meats. Tip: use the cans as Yorkshire pudding tins.
I always mop off the grease from the top of the pies first, and I've found with the steak and kidney, that if you leave the pie in the oven when it's done, with the oven turned off, for about 4-5mins that the pastry doesn't collapse back in the pie, plus it's layered pastry, and it's supposed to be soggy underneath, that's the best part about it, but I do agree with you, there just isn't enough filling in these pies. Years ago they used to be called family pies, there is only enough in them these days to feed one person, I would rather pay more for twice as much filling, I feel we are being robbed!
Hi Gareth, great review, i absolutely love the soggy pastry and yeah there is an extreme case of lack of meat but its only a couple of pounds, I always have one in the cupboard but it's only the minced beef and onion i buy as the rest our even worse for the lack of meat 🍻🙏
That's a gravy pie with mince beef garnish. Which, I'll be honest, kinda sounds nice? But if I've bought a minced beef and onion pie, I do expect a decent amount of beef!
That soggy pastry is one of my guilty pleasures - I always nick a bit if I'm preparing only for my son! But generally the filling is a bit on the poor side for all the pies - but it is what it is and relatively unchanged from when it started.
Unchanged???? They deleted all but a tiny bit of the meat, they used to feed 4 of us (with other stuff) and had enough meat for everyone. Total rip off.
@@ernsailor9041 Family treat of the 70s with chips and marrowfat peas lol...No chance of that now. I only ever bought them recently when on offer in the likes of B&M. The soggy pastry has always been exceptional though.
Ate these as a kid all the time and was wondering around sainsburys and saw the minced beef and onion total nostalgia buy but figured how wrong can you go with something so simple. When cooked looked like I remembered that tower of crisp pastry with the gooey underside I was looking forward to it then as I removed the pastry and saw the filling not so much not only was there very little beef but what there was it was just gristle and fatty chunks I didn't see any onion or taste is and the gravy that used to be somewhat rich was a tasteless sludge. I ate the pastry and binned the rest I won't be buying another anytime soon so disappointing how bad they have become this corner cutting and cheaping out on ingredients and portion size is the real pandemic and we as consumer's need to stop buying it and send the only message they understand falling revenue.
I had one last week and it was chicken, but it was just a sloppy mess of gloopy gravy..I picked the crispy bits off the top and shoved the rest in the recycling bag. I do remember having one of these in my early 20's and it seemed to be more substantial...did I imagine it was better filled?
I haven't had one of these for about 20 years , but I always remember (contrary to most of the comments) wishing they did an all pastry pie , i.e : puff pastry outside and a filling consisting of the slimy pastry ,and that's it ! The pies fillings were the worst part for me and I'd eat that part first (made more palatable with Worcester sauce) leaving me with a delicious pastry pie - awesome !
Used to be a favourite when I was a kid. Have lived in France for 30+ years and in the next door village there was a shop that sold FB steak and kidney pie, cheddar, good bacon and sausages. Sadly they closed. One trick for this pie is to cook a bit of beef mince and add it to the gravy😉
@@STEVIEBHOY lol I've been curious by the all day breakfast one , for me it's like the gross food eating challenges, not to sit down and have a yummy filling meal lol x
Hi ,It's great to see a Brit' Reviewing these,Good on you, I wrote to Frey Bentos to complain as I remembered these from my childhood ,they were Yummy,and would feed my mum,and my brother,and me. After getting the Classic Steak and Kidney pie,I was so very disappointed to find ,no kidney and 2 small pieces of Fat But loads of tasty gravy??.I was so annoyed I told them that I had bought one of their No meat no Kidney pies,and was not Happy ,Needless to say ,I got no reply. I would rather pay for meat than go without,these pies are a total rip off ,and the poor are the ones that have to put up with it.B Southern UK
I agree bought 1 beef and 1 chicken last week. Haven't bought them in 25 years and it will be another 25 before I do. They are an absolute disgrace. Fray Bentos you should be ashamed.
Well I think we need urgent action as regards all these rubbish pies that we get time and time again so I'm proposing new legislation as a matter of urgency when Parliament returns after the summer recess. I think a pie should contain at least 40% meat not including gravy and any pie company that ignores the legislation should be served with unlimited fines and up to 5 years imprisonment.
A tin of chunky chicken, some corn and frozen peas, and make a pie with shop bought flaky pastry.... That was my fave tea my mum made, around the first time I failed my driving test, and that's what she made me. My dad made good food, when I was a kid.... Singapore noodles being my favourite, as his Barbeque Pork was out of this world. Kx
I used to have these I have literally cut myself badly just trying to open them to the point I have had them covered in blood they have had to go straight in the bin when I had been successful there has been literally no filling 👀 the pastry is nice but wouldn’t dare try one in future! Fantastic review all the best for you as always 😊
This has been a MAJOR problem with this brand.............WHERE IS THE MEAT ? Its still in the canning works in Argentina.... Its a very expensive bit of pastry with runny gravy.....NO MEAT..
I love Frey bentos pies, I get the steak & kidney ones although not a lot of meat inside but I just love the pastry and the soggy bit. I have mine with bread and butter.
I used to love these when I was growing up.Mum used to make it serve 3 with spuds and peas!They used to have far more filling in them.I had one awhile ago and only about 2 bits of meat in it!Theyre a rip off nowadays which is a shame.x
Why so many complaints for something that is and always has been a mediocre, cut-price, salt and preservative-filled tin of slop? How difficult is it to buy a pound of decent mince, a bit of chopped onion, seasoning and pre-made filo pastry, whack it in a piedish then chuck it in the oven for half an hour, ergo making ur own pie?? Doesn’t take much effort and immeasurably more satisfying knowing that it’s homemade. Or am I missing something?
We too recently bought one having spotted it on the shelf and feeling nostalgic duly followed the instructions and waited in anticipation. A let down isn't a strong enough description. It was rubbish, doughy pastry, some runny gravy with a tiny couple of piece's of something that came from an animal. Eyelid, lips maby. How they get away with calling it a pie is beyond me, it's nothing like a pie. We British know what makes a pie and it's certainly not Fray Bentos.
Used to love these, the minced beef and onion ones were the nicest, not keen on their other pies. As you’re into pies I highly recommend the mini pie maker from Aldi, we bought one a couple of weeks ago and they’re great, handy for taking on picnics or in lunch boxes. We just use tinned stuff for the fillings and so far they’ve turned out great, they look so cute…lol. I think they do one for bigger pies as well but we don’t have that one. Great honest review - thanks.
They’ve took a nose dive of a cliff with there fillings. You’ve right, Baxters add soup gravy to there tinned pies. Not what they used to be by a long way.
I dont like the soggy bottom and yeah the filling is all gravy these days. What i do these days is buy a tin of meat ( Chicken, steak etc) and a croisant. Before you buy the tin have a look at the meat content to make sure you have a good un! Heat the meat, cut the croisant in half horzonally and toast. It serves 2 so but half the meat on a plate and top with 1/2 the croisant.
More filling in that pie than I have ever seen - mind you I wouldn't mind betting the filling is just the scraps that fell off the conveyor belt that would normally b used for other pies
They are only about 2 quid! They did contain more meat in the past. The pastry is still great. They probably cost more to cook than to buy. When you think that they cost about half as much as a Big Mac, they are good value for money.
You need to buy a separate tin of minced beef in gravy. About £2. Heat it up and add it under the pastry. You then end up with a half decent pie for under 4 quid.
You forgot the baked beans and tomato sauce! Total comfort food, not great if your health concious but thanks for highlighting food that was available during the war and is really tasty 😋😋😋
