The puns about love are strong in this new advertising campaign.

When you think of a McDonald’s Pie, what usually comes to mind is a sweet one with fillings like apples, but this winter, McDonald’s is surprising us with a new, hearty, savoury pie filled with beef stew.

According to the chain, the stew filling has been made by slow-cooking beef with vegetables like carrots and potatoes for flavour, and using Fond de Veau, a French veal stock, to add richness and depth. The crispy pie casing adds a satisfying textural accent, creating a snack that’ll fill that gap in your stomach, while also “warming your cold body with a hot and melty stew”.

▼ It’s as warming as a good dose of love, apparently, because the ads for this pie come with the tagline, “Pie wa Ai da“, or in English: “Pie is Love“.

That’s a sentiment a lot of pie lovers can relate to, and the young woman who stars in the new commercial for the product is also overcome with love, or “ai“, for her “pie” — so much so that she breaks into an epic love song about it.

The rhythmically lyrical “I”, “ai” and “pie” come together for a humorous commercial that certainly takes the viewer by surprise. This play on words and the tongue-in-cheek connection between passionate real-world love and a passionate love for food continues on the product packaging, which comes with five different phrases.

▼ “That is not just sweetness. Pie is Love.”

▼ “Cooling off is scary. Pie is Love.”

▼ ”Love is overflowing. Pie is love.”

▼ “Enveloped tenderly. Pie is Love.”

▼ “Careful not to burn yourself. Pie is Love.”

According to McDonald’s, this new product is the first non-sweet pie to appear on the menu since the “Cream Stew Pie” was sold for a limited time roughly six years ago, back in January 2016. The Beef Stew Pie is also a limited-time menu item, available from 8 December until the beginning of January and priced at 180 yen (US$1.59).

It will be available all day long, though, on both the morning and regular menus, so you’ll have plenty of time to try it out. And if you’d like tips on how to make your own McDonald’s pie at home, this recipe might come in handy, although hopefully you’ll get better results than we did in the kitchen!

Source, images: McDonald’s Japan 
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