LUSN working for its members - improving the matchday experience

Walsall may seem an unlikely place for the creation of a football legend, but it was there, in 1997, that the first Chicken Balti Pie was sold. Made with chicken breast and orange balti it is now served at the majority of football grounds in England. There are 225 million pies bought a season and in some grounds 1 in 4 fans buy a pie. There are regional differences, in the North of England, the meat and potato is favoured, whereas in the south, it is steak and kidney, but the Chicken Balti crosses all geographical divides. 

Indeed the Guardian calls it a cult, and a YouTube video on the pie has had over 100,000 views. When Tesco's stocked their first Chicken Balti Pie in February of this year their strap line was 'a football favourite'

It is sad to report that a recent Elland Road Chicken Balti Pie did not live up to this legendary status and rather than the much anticipated epicurean delight our member found he had bought this monstrosity - dry and inedible.

So disappointed was he in his half time pie he photographed it.

It is fairly obvious there could have been casualties. It was no more than culinary terrorism, only partly redeemed by the heat generated by nuclear fusion on a cold afternoon. 

In the LUSN quarterly meeting with Senior Management, we raised the issue of the quality of the catering. The Pie became Exhibit One. Angus had a quizzical look on his face when confronted with the image and we had to explain that this was, in fact, the inside of the famous Chicken and Balti Pie.

Although there was no doubt a temptation for Senior Management to send the picture to the Head of Safety, it was rightly given to the Head of Catering who in turn vigorously challenged his suppliers.

Success, at the Huddersfield game, a moist, tender, and fresh Chicken Balti was served. Management had seen, listened, and acted.

Food is an integral part of our match day experience and we will continue to hold the club to account if the catering standards fall below that of minor food poisoning ! We are entitled to a wide variety of good quality food at reasonable prices, and in our continuing dialogue with the club's senior management we will persist in our quest to improve the quality, flavours, and diversity of the food offered as the Chicken Balti Pie debacle has proven. For a county that gave the world such delicacies as Wensleydale cheese, Rhubarb, and of course Yorkshire Pudding, we should be Premier League in our food offerings.

If you have any photographic examples of where standards have fallen, we can make your pie famous too.