By Rory Reynolds
SCOTS football fans are facing the biggest change to the national game in decades – low fat half time pies.
The pies have been specially baked by Quality Meat Scotland who claim they contain 40 per cent less fat than the tradition creations munched down by thousands of fans every weekend.
On Sunday the low fat food was unveiled at the Hearts v Hamilton match at Tynecastle Stadium in Edinburgh – where it was the only pie on the menu for hungry supporters.
Most fans embraced the new light pie – which the club says has 40 per cent less fat – but some full-fat puritans were a bit suspect at the new addition to the menu.
Malcolm Gray, 20 a student from Dalry in Edinburgh, was somewhat suspect about the light alternative, saying: “It’s not for me. I like my pies to be pies.
“What’s going to be next, vegetarian Bovril?”
Double up
But others thought viewed it as only an excuse to double up on their portions.
Aimee Howland, 18, a business student at Edinburgh Napier, said: “I love having a pie at the game, it’s a tradition.
“I like them anyway, but today they are tasting pretty good as well.
“It means I could have two of them without feeling guilty.”
Craig Collins, 36, a builder from Longstone, Edinburgh, said: “I didn’t actually know this was reduced fat until you told me.
“If I knew beforehand I probably would have bought something else.
“I’m a bit suspicious of things like this, but now I’ve tasted it and never noticed, it has proved me wrong.
Artery-clogging
“I supposed a pie is a pie at the end of the day, and it’s no bad thing if it’s plying you with a few less calories.”
The Edinburgh side are the second Scots club to embrace the healthy option after Patrick Thistle ditched the old artery-clogging pies for their recent clash with Dundee United.
Most fans failed to notice that they were helping their waistlines when they tucked into the healthy treats – which look exactly the same as the old ones – on Sunday.
The side sells 140,000 pies each season, and says it plans to stick with the healthy option, which contains just 4.6 grams of fat per 100g of pie.
Alastair Inglis, a 48-year-old landscaper from Corstorphine, shunned the club’s new bag of fruit offer, launched earlier this season, in favour of four pies at half time.
Four pies a game
He said: “I think the catering here is really good and I usually have about three or four pies every game.
“I actually thought they tasted better today. Usually you get a mouthful of grease with a full-fat pie, but there was none of that today – I’m really impressed.”
Ross Hamilton, sales manager of pie supplier McGhee’s, said: “We asked our customers for their opinion, we had a lot of blind tasting and a lot of positive feedback.
“The new pies are proving very popular and we are delighted that a club of Hearts stature has been so supportive of the project.”
The move is just the latest in a series of initiatves from some clubs keen to help promote healthy living across Scotland.
