Pie & Priestley

Pie & Priestley

13 September, Napoleons Casino, Bradford

Summertime in Bradford is marked by a variety of festivals and events, many many of which include sightings of a foot wide pie, made and carried by local poet and showman Glyn Watkins.

Glyn calls the pie his iPie, on account of him baking his web address in the crust, and he brings it out to advertise his annual Pie, Priestley & Proud of Bradford Show, which he’s been doing on 13 September every year for decades. The show celebrates J.B.Priestley’s birthday and a meat and potato pie that defied Hitler.

The inspiration for the event came from a wartime broadcast by Priestley about a Bradford meat and potato pie shop that had a massive, steaming pie in the window. Bradford was bombed in September 1940. Nobody was hurt, but Priestley was told the pie shop had been destroyed.

Priestley came back to his home town in order to view the damage, and to stand in the ruins of the shop and compose a lament or elegy to the pie, ‘…catching perhaps a last faint lingering whiff of that steam’.

To his joy though the shop was still there with the pie steaming away like mad. ‘Every puff and jet of that steam defied Hitler, Goering, and the whole gang of them. It was glorious.’

The fact that Glyn discovered that he shared Priestley’s birthdate helped ensure that Glyn did his Priestley show every year. As he says, “I reckon if people don’t come to my birthday show it’s because they don’t like J.B.Priestley, and not because they can’t stand me!”

The show will be at Napoleons Casino, Bolton Road, for the second year running. It features readings and anecdotes by Glyn, with illustrations, a brass band, a two course pie supper, a drink on arrival and a free £5 bet. All for just £12.50. Call Napoleons on 01274 39182.