My Story

The Humble Pie Cookery Kitchen is run by me, Elizabeth Fawcett, unashamedly inspired by the beauty of the Farmhouse kitchen table.  Traditionally the kitchen is the heart of the home, usually with an open fired range and the job of the farmer's wife was to fill the table with hearty, tasty food for the family and farm workers.  By nature there was an abundance of home produced meats and dairy which was reflected in the food. Beautiful pies, casseroles, roasts, terrines were followed by bountiful puddings, glorious cakes, scones & tray bakes.  

As a farmer's wife myself, I can assure you there aren't many farmer's wives who aren't out at work these days, bringing revenue into the house. The farms are more mechanised and, if there are any workers, they fend for themselves!  

But, appreciation for a beautiful cake, pillowy scone, delicious quiche or perfect pie, is as strong today as it was in days gone by.  

Hence, the cookery school was born....

The history of our Humble Pie

Humble Pie was started as a delicatessen & fresh food takeaway in 1999 in the village of Askrigg, in Upper Wensleydale. Before it was fashionable, I championed our quality local meats and dairy and used local ingredients wherever possible. It was a successful and busy shop and I thoroughly enjoyed the 5 years that we were there.

In 2006, I took part in the BBC Countryfile – the Summer Diaries when they came to Wensleydale and I did 10 cookery slots at the end of each programme. These were well received and resulted in me writing “Rambler’s Rewards – Cooking from Coast to Coast” with my friend Pat Kirkbride.

In 2017, the opportunity arose to lease the original Humble Pie premises and on 1st April of that year, my youngest daughter Betty and I reopened as Humble Pie Fawcett & Guy and enjoyed over 2 years of mayhem as the shop went from strength to strength! Times have changed and people are more inclined to go out for coffee and lunch so the shop was much more of a bakery and café than the original deli.