The Romans used them as a food delivery mechanism, Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus baked two characters into one, and a single slice once sold for £1,000. The humble pie has quite a history, and now BP New Zealand is inventing the future with its new satay vegan version. In a country where pies aren’t just a snack, they are an institution, BP’s veggie option has generated a social media storm.
The vegan pie, available from BP’s Wild Bean Cafes nationwide, has prompted more than 1,000 users to comment on the new product on Facebook.
The only complaints came from people unable to get their hands on the pies packed with coconut, vegan chicken, cauliflower, potato, capsicum and broccoli, all encased in pastry made with margarine.
Following a rush of friends tagging other advocates of a plant-based diet overseas, BP’s social media teams in Australia, the UK and several other countries have been fielding enquiries asking when the pie will be available in their region.
BP NZ retail general manager Adrian McClellan says: "Wild Bean is known as having the best pies and we expect our vegan pie to be in hot demand. We think it's so good that many of our regular meat pie lovers will enjoy trying the satay vegan pie instead of their usual meat favourite."
With more than 5,000 sales of the pie throughout New Zealand in its launch week, the vegan pie is clearly here to stay.