Stargazy pie through the pastry top, appearing to gaze at the stars. The position of the fish allows the oil that is released during cooking to drain into the pie, adding a fuller flavour and ensuring the pie is moist. The celebrity chef Rick Stein suggested also poking the pilchards' tails through the pie crust to give the effect of leaping through water. In spite of the fact that the British Food Trust describes the dish as being fun as well as amusing to children, it has been listed in "Yuck! Disgusting things people eat", a lifestyle feature by the "New York
Stargazy pie British Menu" was won by Mark Hix, head chef at The Ivy in London, with a variation on stargazy pie, which combined rabbit and crayfish for the filling, poking some crayfish through the pie crust. Hix had previously created a mutton and crayfish for a festival aimed at increasing the use of the meat, and it was served at his London restaurants for a time. American rock band The Silver Seas (under their previous name The Bees U.S.) released an album called "Starry Gazey Pie" in 2004; the album and title track referred to a recipe in a cookbook which