A pie fit for a king!
- Debs Harrison
- Sep 24, 2025
- 3 min read
by stone sculptor Debs Harrison
On 13th May this year a stone-carved Lamprey Pie was presented to Highgrove Gardens as a gift for King Charles III to celebrate his coronation. It was a wonderful day for team Gloucester with Councillor Lorraine Campbell (Mayor of Gloucester), Councillor Pam Tracey (Deputy Mayor and Sheriff), Adam Myatt (Gloucester Town crier), Paul James (the former Leader of the City Council) and four of the donors. With our wonderfully eccentric Gloucester flair the announcements were made traditionally with the ringing of a bell and the town crier’s booming voice. It was a very joyful day with high tea in the restaurant but no sign of the King only his representatives.
I was asked to carve the pie way-back in March 2023. I must admit I suspected it wouldn’t come to anything, so sent a rough sketch to ex-councillor Paul James not expecting that he would send my draft off to Buckingham Palace! This probably explains why it took a year to get confirmation for the project to go ahead. The idea was originally raised by the Gloucester Town Crier, Alan Myatt which was taken up by Paul James and funded by over 17 donors. The honour of carving the pie made up for any shortcomings.
The stone for the carving came from the ruins of Gloucester LLanthony Secunda Priory as the King likes things which are upcycled. Paul James, being a trustee of Llanthony, loved the idea especially because in 1530 the Priory gave a Lamprey Pie to King Henry VIII! Little did I know that this tradition goes back to before 1200 and it was quite a thing in Gloucester.
Lampreys were a luxury going back to Roman times. Once some lampreys were exchanged for a horse with King John, such was their value. Apparently, part of the attraction is (after they are slow cooked) their rich texture tastes like beef! The Lampreys were used to gain favour with royalty, and it became a tradition for Gloucester to give a pie annually. Once Gloucester omitted its gifting responsibility and was fined the equivalent of £49,000 by King John.
Lampreys, look like eels but they are actually flesh eating parasitic jawless fish who bore into the stomachs of other fish and drain their prey. Today the lampreys no longer habituate the River Severn, so Pork Pie is sent to the king Instead.
It took me 64 hours to carve the pie. Unfortunately, I came across a hole right in the front of the Gloucester Crest which was pouring sand; to be expected with a rock that has been through so many reincarnations and left to the elements. I used the traditional lime repair method to fill it but couldn’t get a colour match or get it completely smooth. So, I called on Ben Broadbent, one of our GCA members who did wonders with car body filler and paint! He saved me many sleepless nights of worry.
See a daily summary of the step-by-step stages on my Tiktok (@deborah.harrison21) but unless you are a dedicated carver it might be a little slow to watch. Also see the links to these short reels:
