ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Gift Ideas - Pie Dishes, Pie Birds and Bakeware

Updated on November 5, 2015
This blackbird pie dish is exactly like the ones my great aunt and grandmother used to have.
This blackbird pie dish is exactly like the ones my great aunt and grandmother used to have. | Source

Pie Birds and Pie Dishes Best Christmas Gift Guide!

When you look back to what made you really happy, do you ever think the pies your grandmother used to make? Those well-used pie dishes, those blackbird pie birds that peeked out from an old-fashioned apple pie. The best gift ideas are simple gifts that make us truly happy. Why not take up baking and share a little of that happiness?

Perhaps you have a pie maker in mind and the cook in your life already has a passion for pies and you're looking for gifts for cooks that can be used and treasured for many years to come?

Look no further. Pies and baking are enjoying a revival as home cooking and traditional recipes become popular again, so why not treat the cook in your life to a pie bird and pie dish and put a little real, simple pleasure back into your life?

Part of the charm and popularity of this bake ware, is that these items are so collectible. There's a style for everybody and every home. Choosing a gorgeous gift for Christmas or other special occasions is - 'as easy as pie'.

Are You Pie Bird Rich? - Or pie bird poor?

Do you have a pie bird?

See results

Christmas Pie Dishes

The perfect Christmas gifts for cooks

This Winterberry Pie Bird and Pie Place Look so Festive

Pfaltzgraff Winterberry Plate with Pie Bird Dinnerware Set, Assorted
Pfaltzgraff Winterberry Plate with Pie Bird Dinnerware Set, Assorted
Gorgeous pie plate that comes with its very own Cardinal pie bird. The brilliant red bird looks so festive but would look a treat on the table at any time of the year.
 

What are Pie Birds?

And why do you need them?

Now you might be asking yourself the question, "Who on earth needs a pie bird and what for?" Well, they're very decorative and very collectable so you might decide that you'd like to give them even if your loved-one has never baked a pie in their life. On the other hand, for cooks the pie bird, (or pie funnel, pie whistle, pie chimneys, pie ventilator, pie crust support, pie preserver), keeps the pie crust high and allows the steam from the pie to escape. You can also get funnels with wide mouths that allow gravy and jelly to be poured into the pie after baking. They also add a nice finishing touch to the pie.

(For every sale from Amazon on this page, Squidoo donates $1 to Room to Read)

Inspired by Recipes from my Grandmother's Kitchen - I set to work and made this pie complete with blackbird pie funnel

This is my pie showing how the pie bird holds up the crust and lets out steam. Four and twenty blackbirds - no just one but isn't ti sweet?
This is my pie showing how the pie bird holds up the crust and lets out steam. Four and twenty blackbirds - no just one but isn't ti sweet? | Source

I live in Limousin, S W France and run a guest house, Les Trois Chenes, and moving here from England was a great culinary adventure. I love to cook, I love to read and learn about food and cooking but I'm very far from being a great cook, which I think means that if I can do it, so can you!

Not very long ago, when I was sorting through boxes of stored family papers and paraphernalia, I found a stash of my Granny's recipes and thought how interesting they were, but also how much our diets and eating habits had changed since then - and not for the better. Full of enthusiasm, having done a bit of research (what is a pie bird and why would you want one?) I rushed away to hunt down pie making equipment in my Mother's house. After some crawling around cupboards, we found a Hornsey Pottery pie dish and my kind old Mum bought me this super pie bird which is exactly like the one my Gran used to have.

Together we made this pie. More pie birds and dishes are on my gift list now!

you can contact me about our B&B gite (holiday cottage) or painting holidays and courses on +33 (0)5 55 48 29 84, e-mail me at info@lestroischenes.com or take a peek at our website www.lestroischenes.com

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Pie Birds

.... but were afraid to ask

Pie birds and pie funnels help you bake the perfect pie

Did You Know That Pie Birds or Pie Funnels Date Back to Victorian Times?

So what did they use before then?

Before the invention of the pie bird, they would have used a piece of macaroni or an egg cup to vent or support the crust. The earliest pie funnels were made in 1880 by Dean and Morris. As pies are baked in dishes of differing depths these funnels were made in three sizes and can often be bought in sets today. Not only birds, though! They can be produced in any form as the functional aspects of the design are a hollow interior, a hole at the top and a 'shoulder' to support the pastry, however some of the earliest patents were in the form of blackbirds, registered by Grace Seccombe and Clarice Cliff. Learn more about pie birds: Pie birds and pie funnels help you bake the perfect pie

The blackbird pie bird below is the traditional sort that I was brought up with - exactly like the one my great aunt used to have - and they go for a song!

How to use a pie bird

Pie Plates

You'll need pie plates or pie dishes for your pie too.

Portmeirion is Pretty as a Picture

Portmeirion Pottery was founded by the pottery designer Susan Williams-Ellis and her husband, Euan Cooper-Willis in 1960. Susan Williams-Ellis had worked with A.E. Gray commissioning designs to sell at the gift shop in Portmeirion Village, "Gray's Pottery Portmeirionware".When a second pottery company, Kirkhams Ltd,was purchased, two businesses were combined and Portmeirion Potteries came into being.

Spode is a Stoke-on-Trent based pottery company, founded by Josiah Spode in 1770. Josiah Spode is famed for perfecting under-glaze blue transfer printing in 1783-1784, leading to the launch of Spode's Blue Italian range in 1816.

Spode also developed the production and marketing of fine bone china, Britain's attempt to mimic the fine, translucent porcelain from China.

On 23 April 2009 Portmeirion Potteries Ltd purchased the Royal Worcester and Spode brands, after their parent company had been placed into administration the previous November. Portmeirion Potteries has since changed its company name to Portmeirion Group to reflect this acquisition and the manufacture of much of Spode's ware was returned to the Portmeirion Group's factory in Stoke-on-Trent.

Portmeirion's most recognised design is the Botanic Garden range was launched in 1972. The pottery was decorated with a variety of floral motifs and patterns inspired by botanical illustrations. Always popular and still made today.

Portmeirion Pie Dishes - Say it with flowers

You can really tell that Portmeirion is one of my all-time favourites!

Knock the Spots off Shopping - Bunzlauer Polish Pie Dishes

Bunzlauer stoneware is made in Boleslawiec, Poland. It is fired at temperatures above 2,300 degrees F to produce a beautiful but tough product that's lead-free, safe oven, microwave, and dishwasher safe. The dishes all have the artisan's signature initials and unique Zaklady back stamp

EuroQuest Imports Bunzlauer Polish Pottery Traditional Pie Plate in Country Blue Pattern
EuroQuest Imports Bunzlauer Polish Pottery Traditional Pie Plate in Country Blue Pattern
Fun polish polka dot patterns never go out of fashion, and always make a splash. Brighten up any table with a traditional blue polkadot pie dish
 

Lenox Butterfly Pie Dishes - Flutter By These Pie Dishes

A Taste of Summer and with one click of the mouse and they could be winging their way to you!

Since 1889, Lenox has created gifts, tableware, and collectibles for U.S. presidents, dignitaries and had the honour of providing the first American china to be used in the White House. Over the years, our original focus on fine tableware has broadened to include casual collections in stoneware and earthenware, crystal stemware, and flatware. Butterfly Meadow china dinnerware, based on the artistry of Louise Le Luyer, features monarchs, tiger swallowtails, orange sulphurs, other winged species, and even dragonflies. Butterfly Meadow is the most popular casual dinnerware pattern in America.

Limousin porcelain pie dishes

I live in Limousin in S W France, only about 50 minutes from the ancient town of Limoges. The area is famous for two things, its Limousin cattle and its prized porcelain. The manufacturing methods of this fine, strong porcelain, was once a secret jealously guarded by the Chinese, but slowly the western world discovered how to make it themselves; they lacked but the essential raw ingredients.

The articles below trace this story and the history behind Limoges Porcelain, opening up a world of culture, commerce, collectable items and, of course, pleasure and beauty.

Bid for Limoges Porcelain on eBay

Limoges Porcelain Pie Dishes on eBay are quite rare so might not show up in this search. Instead I've chosen a vintage plate to serve your pie on.

Limoges is the capital of Limousin and is world famous for its beautiful, fine but strong porcelain. There are so many boutiques and factory outlets producing an amazing range of beautiful ceramics ranging from the modern to traditional styles.

Clafoutis Cherry Pie Shaped Limoges Porcelain Box! - Nice as pie ... but fewer calories

A 'slice of pie' Limoges Porcelain box

Limoges, in S W France, only about an hour from our guest house and gite, is famous for it's strong but fine, translucent porcelain. Perhaps most popular of all are the small and charming collectable boxes. Ranging from a few pounds to, well, quite a few, they come in an astonish range.Although the egg-shaped boxes are perhaps the most famous of the Limoges porcelain box range, you can find them in an amazing array of shapes and sizes - cute, funny, charming and elegant.

One of the best things about these boxes is that you can secrete something even more precious inside. Pretty, quirky, but always adorable, these little trinket boxes are small enough to carry or send by post but show a big amount of love!

Slice of Pie Limoges Box
Slice of Pie Limoges Box
Limoge porcelain boxes are world famous and I was so pleased to find this Slice of Pie porcelain box. Looks delicious!
 

I Bet Mae West Was a Great Fan of Pies

Screenshot of Mae West from the trailer for the film I'm No Angel
Screenshot of Mae West from the trailer for the film I'm No Angel | Source

Love Pie But Hate Cooking?

You can still indulge your pie-love in so many ways!

Mae West says "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful," so what are you waiting for? She's a gal after my own heart! Here are a few of her other food-orientated quotes:

*******

"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it." (Don't resist those gorgeous pies!)

"I'll try anything once, twice if I like it, three times to make sure." (Try these pies over and over again - just in case!)

"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before." (So go ahead, be a little devil and try something new)

"I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond." (Well, not sure diamonds are as nutritious - cook yourself a healthy vegetable pie)

" I like restraint, if it doesn't go too far"

Image: Screenshot of Mae West from the trailer for the film I'm No Angel, 1933

No Time to Bake Your Own Pies? - The way to a woman's heart is through her stomach ....

OK - Mom and apple pie and all that stuff is great but everyone is so busy these days so you might just need a pie shortcut. You can order all kinds of delicious pies on line and simply pop them on a beautiful dish. So if you're looking for a pie gift to quell that hunger but can't cook - cheat and buy on-line!

Classic Cherry Pie

Still Not Made Your Mind Up?

Mae West said: "He who hesitates is a damned fool!"

working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)