This New Hampshire Woman Handcrafts Scrumptious Pies Straight from Her 200-Year-Old Home

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions or personal experiences.

This pandemic has brought out numerous self-discoveries in all of us.  But did any of them turn into an actual business?

Hey, no judgment, of course.  My self-discoveries include ordering foreign language apps I barely use and missing people I never liked anyway.

For Lauren Collins Cline in Bedford, New Hampshire, she told me her love of baking pies in the crooked kitchen of her 200-year-old home started out as simple fun for family and friends.

"My very first pie, Pumpkin, came out lopsided. I was like how can I make this work, and Slightly Crooked Pies was born. I figured I have to work with this, not against it, because clearly I don't plan to renovate my kitchen."

Then, just mere months before the pandemic closed the world, Slightly Crooked Pies morphed into a tiny, online business on Facebook, and eventually, its own website.

Now, two years later, you and I can find Lauren's Slightly Crooked Pies in Angela's Pasta and Cheese Shop, a specialty grocer in Manchester, New Hampshire, where she personally delivers this homemade deliciousness.

Don't worry, they're still online, too.  After all, these handcrafted pies have become an unexpected hit.

"I handcraft every pie with as little added sweetener as possible and make sure when I can, I'm using. fresh, locally sourced ingredients.  This makes them taste pure and lively."

Are you drooling yet?  And of course, Lauren says everyone has favorites among her 11 pies and numerous seasonal concoctions.  She even has pie bites.

"My best-selling pies are maple blueberry and chocolate bourbon pecan. Christmas pie is incredibly popular in season, but it’s only available for a tiny window of time because fresh cranberries are only around for a few weeks.  I do custom orders, too."

I must be honest, they don't look crooked to me.  They look mouthwatering addictive, so of course I asked Lauren if some still come out ever so slightly lopsided.

“Ha!  Oh no, they’re still crooked, but you can make up for a lot with a well-woven crust.  Just this Thanksgiving I had to scrap a pecan pie because the filling slid off one side and got all over the oven!”

Okay are you ready for the menu?  Click here to begin your crookedly scrumptious culinary journey.

What's your favorite kind of pie?  What pie would you love to see Lauren add to her Slightly Crooked Pies menu?