The gravy is so effective I would have expected

Two Nubian ibex males fight in the Ben Gurion national park in Sde Boker, Negev, Israel. Enjoy the loo with the headless Supergirl mannequin, the Batman-shaped mirror and the hand dryer hidden away inside Darth Vader’s head. It’s less been designed than assembled. 

Instead, all the engineering has gone into the pies. Over the years I have received menaces from what felt like the paramilitary wing of the Pie Liberation Front for daring to refer to a casserole dish with a pastry lid as a pie. 

Heresy! Obviously, a pie must be fully enclosed in pastry. These are. They are wonders of golden shortcrust, cooked through from side to bottom. At £5.50 ordered at the bar and delivered to your table, they are also a fair bargain. The menu is lengthy and gathered from various suppliers. 

The gravy is so effective I would have expected it to be used in a game pie of Hampshire partridge, pheasant and venison. Instead it utilises something altogether lighter and funkier, sweetened with redcurrant jelly and with the airy waft of bay. Another classic, the Freeranger, a take on chicken and leek, is rich in cheddar and grain mustard, as it should be.

From the extensive vegetarian and vegan list the wild mushroom, heavy on the white wine, needs the addition of a little salt to make it sing. No such issues with the chilli con carne-based Piecaramba! with a gluten-free crust. The latter is of no interest to me. Fortunately for me, 

Photograph: Abir Sultan/EPA.