We went down to Watson’s Bakers to try the best Scotch pie in Glasgow

We are all in need of some comfort food whenever the cold weather hits Glasgow and that’s exactly why I decided to take a trip over the new Govan-Partick Bridge in search of one specific thing.

Govan is an area I know fairly well having previously worked in the area whilst I was still at university. I’ve had pints in Brechin’s Bar and visited the Pearce Institute but there are still bits of Govan I am yet to discover.

Watson’s Bakery on Shaw Street was not a place I was too aware of, but after finding out that former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson still heads to the bakers whenever he is in Glasgow, I simply had to try it out.

The bakery has been owned and managed by the McBean family for over 50 years with the business being started by William and Rebecca McBean. Their tradition of baking is continued on by their family, Billy, Rhona and Graeme who still work in the shop.

I popped into the bakery just after 11am and was instantly impressed with the selection of baked goods on offer which included cream cakes, rolls and scones. At first I was disappointed not to see any Scotch pies out, but that quickly changed after a whole new batch of pies appeared out the back of the shop. I was then asked whether I would prefer my pie hot or cold, so asked for it to be heated up as I planned to eat it straight away.

The Scotch pie set me back £1.05 and was nice and toasty when it was handed over unlike the pastries from a well-known British bakery chain. I swiftly headed outside back on to Shaw Street to head back on to Govan Road. The first bite of my pie was absolutely tremendous. The crust was nice and crispy and there was also plenty of meat inside it. There isn’t enough old school pie shops in Glasgow, so this was a pleasant surprise.

I’d be tempted to try a ‘Glasgow Oyster’ the next time that I visit Watson’s which is a Scotch pie on a roll or even get a couple of pies to take up the road with me to have with beans for my dinner.