The phone rings a few times before a friendly-looking duo pops up on the screen, video calling straight from a kitchen in Carnoustie that has become renowned for producing the Best Fish Pies in Britain.
One in chef whites, one in front-of-house attire, WeeCook chef-owner Hayley Wilkes and team leader Tessa Pratt are mid-shift, and bubbling over with a positive energy so infectious it can almost be felt in Glasgow.
With online orders through the roof since their third consecutive win at the British Pie Awards last month and a feature on Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4 to follow on Tuesday night, there’s plenty of reason for this jovial mood.
“The support we’ve had from our regulars, and people all over the UK who have recently heard about the pies has been amazing,” Wilkes said.
“Between online orders, customers coming in to eat and the phone going it's just been nonstop.
“We’re hosting a Pie Panel tonight where we invite people in to taste the different types and do a bit of quality control which is something we’ve been doing for a long time.
“It’s great for us because it means that we get to meet customers face-to-face, and they become a part of the story."
While all of WeeCook’s creations, from the vegan-friendly cauliflower bhuna to a MacChook with chicken and haggis have been tried and tested with glowing results, it’s the Fishwife Pie that has truly been making waves.
Scoring an impressive 97% with the judges at this year’s British Pie Awards in Melton Mowbray, and narrowly missing out on claiming the coveted Supreme champion Pie of Pie Titles, it’s a best seller that’s on the brink of becoming a national foodie phenomenon.
With a passion for using food stories to connect with others, this pie in particular holds a deep meaning for Wilkes.
“We had avoided making a fish pie before because it can be quite problematic, since seafood is an allergen and doesn’t have the same shelf life as other fillings.
“I used to send Arbroath Smokies down to my dad in Wales because he loved them, and I eventually decided that I wanted to make a pie for him.
“He never got to sample it, sadly, as he passed away around two weeks before I was supposed to go and visit him for Christmas.
“But the pie was ready to go and trial runs had gone really well, so we went with it in the winter’s farmers markets and then won after entering it into the pie awards for the first time.
“It’s all kind of gone from there.”
A black and white photograph of Wilkes’ father overlooks a section of dining space at the WeeCook restaurant, which the team have affectionately dubbed 'Les' Corner' in his honour.
Asked what he would make of the success of the fish pie’s success, Wilkes joked: “I think he would be laughing watching us running around busy, with a little can of Cider and a rollie in hand, but also chuffed to bits.”
“It’s nice because customers will come in and ask us who the man in the photo is, and we’ll get to share that story with them,” Pratt added.
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While dedicated to an important male figure in her life, when it came to naming her Fishwife Pie, Wilkes looked elsewhere for inspiration.
“We didn’t want to call it a Fisherman’s Pie, which is quite common.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, but I grew up in the 90s when it was all about Girlpower.
“We wanted to embrace the sort of toughness that Fishwives had up in Arbroath.
“It’s the sassy, sexy sister of a Fisherman’s Pie.”
This sassy sister’s crisp, golden pastry is generously filled with a mixture of locally sourced salmon and haddock stirred lovingly through a ‘secret family sauce’.
Perhaps the most important of all ingredients is the Arbroath Smokie which started it all, and later earned them their first spot on TV.
Wilkes said: “A few years ago, we got a call from someone from the Alan Titchmarsh show saying that Andy Clarke wanted to pair our Fishwife Pie with a pint for a feature.
“He chose a Welsh Cider to commemorate my dad and actually had Alfie Boe and Michael Ball on the show.
“They had Alfie Boe, who obviously has a massive following, asking: ‘What’s an Arbroath Smokie?’.
“It meant there was a huge surge of interest from other people who hadn’t heard of them before and didn’t know what they were missing out on.
“Smokies are fiddly little things that we pick by hand and use as a key ingredient in our pies as well as keeping the bones and skins to make our stock.
“It’s great to be able to showcase Scottish produce, although you can never quite get the smell of them out of your hands, no matter how hard you scrub.”
READ MORE: Determined dad works his way up from kitchen porter to head baker
As they prepare for another turn on the small screen this week, where they will pitch their Fishwife Pie to one of Britain’s largest supermarkets on Channel 4, there’s further cause for celebration still as promising sous chef Ethan O’Hare continues a series of award wins that has included Champion Young Pie Maker of the Year at the British Pie Awards.
Wilkes said: “We’re so proud of Ethan and the way he’s developed and matured over the years.
“Having a team of young staff, which includes Tessa, feels like looking towards the future of hospitality.
“It’s been a difficult time for the industry and little things like award wins and TV features help to give us a little boost.
“We’ll have to wait and see if there’s any longevity in it, but ultimately, it’s just great to be able to fly the flag for Angus and Scottish food.
“We’ll enjoy the ride while it’s here.”
For more information on WeeCook, visit their website here.
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