It's been a long time coming, but an old favourite from my high school years is finally here. Officially, I hadn't eaten any of these delicious pies since 1996, the year Georgie Pie was purchased by McDonald's. The reason, of course, was their decision to not continue making money from them by keeping them open. Bit of a dick move, if you ask me.
In the late 2000's, a big nostalgia movement was on the rise. Griffin's eventually brought back the old favourite, Choco-ade biscuits in 2012 (see our Season 2 episode of "Trying Stuff" called "Choc-Star" for our opinion on this), and many of us felt that if Griffin's could do this, why not bring back the George? The cry for its return had already been under way. In fact, there was a documentary on YouTube about it. A part of which shows a one-time event where a local bakery in the suburb of Papanui brought back the beloved pie for a single day (I have a couple cameos in this video, but they're so short you'd probably miss both of them by blinking...once). Obviously, the stock ran out in a very short time, proving how much we missed it.
So now in 2014, it has finally arrived. Already being available at McDonald's stores in the North Island since the end of last year (they always get things first, greedy sods), it seems that the return was welcomed by many. However, I started out a bit skeptical. For starters, these pies were no longer ranging from $1 to $4 like they used to. I know it's the 21st century, but still. Be reasonable! Secondly, they were only bringing back one flavour. Rude! They did eventually bring out a second one, but I haven't had that one (I don't like corn).
Anyway, this review is about my opinion on the taste. Is it different? Well, just a tad.
First of all, the flavour is still great. Takes me back to those days my family and I would go there on a semi-regular basis. We only had it in Christchurch for a short time before its demise (refer to previous North Island comment), so I was feeling happy to have the pie return and basically taste the same as it did back then. However, there is one thing that disappointed me. Back in the 90's, I remember it being more meaty. I'm pretty sure they used to be more chunky than the pies I used to have. I ended up buying a second one the next day just to be sure I didn't just get a poorly-made batch. Nope, same thing. Bit of a let down in that department. Either way though, the pie is still great except for the meat content being lower than expected and, obviously, the price change.
As a final thought, I would like to add that since buying the second pie (which was sometime in January, if I'm not mistaken), I didn't purchase a combo or any other product. The reason for this is because of what happened to GP in the early days, I refuse to eat any McDonald's product with the pie. Those two, despite the location they're made in, will never go together in my books. In closing, that second pie was the last time I actually bought anything from a McDonald's restaurant. As a protest? Maybe. Whatever the reason is, I guess you could say I'm not lovin' it.
Flavour: 10/10
Presentation: 9/10
Price: 2/10
Overall Rating: 9/10
In the late 2000's, a big nostalgia movement was on the rise. Griffin's eventually brought back the old favourite, Choco-ade biscuits in 2012 (see our Season 2 episode of "Trying Stuff" called "Choc-Star" for our opinion on this), and many of us felt that if Griffin's could do this, why not bring back the George? The cry for its return had already been under way. In fact, there was a documentary on YouTube about it. A part of which shows a one-time event where a local bakery in the suburb of Papanui brought back the beloved pie for a single day (I have a couple cameos in this video, but they're so short you'd probably miss both of them by blinking...once). Obviously, the stock ran out in a very short time, proving how much we missed it.
So now in 2014, it has finally arrived. Already being available at McDonald's stores in the North Island since the end of last year (they always get things first, greedy sods), it seems that the return was welcomed by many. However, I started out a bit skeptical. For starters, these pies were no longer ranging from $1 to $4 like they used to. I know it's the 21st century, but still. Be reasonable! Secondly, they were only bringing back one flavour. Rude! They did eventually bring out a second one, but I haven't had that one (I don't like corn).
Anyway, this review is about my opinion on the taste. Is it different? Well, just a tad.
First of all, the flavour is still great. Takes me back to those days my family and I would go there on a semi-regular basis. We only had it in Christchurch for a short time before its demise (refer to previous North Island comment), so I was feeling happy to have the pie return and basically taste the same as it did back then. However, there is one thing that disappointed me. Back in the 90's, I remember it being more meaty. I'm pretty sure they used to be more chunky than the pies I used to have. I ended up buying a second one the next day just to be sure I didn't just get a poorly-made batch. Nope, same thing. Bit of a let down in that department. Either way though, the pie is still great except for the meat content being lower than expected and, obviously, the price change.
As a final thought, I would like to add that since buying the second pie (which was sometime in January, if I'm not mistaken), I didn't purchase a combo or any other product. The reason for this is because of what happened to GP in the early days, I refuse to eat any McDonald's product with the pie. Those two, despite the location they're made in, will never go together in my books. In closing, that second pie was the last time I actually bought anything from a McDonald's restaurant. As a protest? Maybe. Whatever the reason is, I guess you could say I'm not lovin' it.
Flavour: 10/10
Presentation: 9/10
Price: 2/10
Overall Rating: 9/10