Blogger Reviews

Terrence Manning, Barber to the Patriots, Loves Willow Tree

Date: July 24, 2012 | Author: Willow Tree Farm | Leave a Comment
Category: Blogger Reviews, Chicken Pie, Chicken Salad, Uncategorized, Willow Tree

Willow Tree: Terrence, the Willow Tree team thanks you for your mentions on Twitter! We’d like to know a little more about you, and where your appreciation for Willow Tree products comes from. Can you tell us a little bit about your background? 

Terrence Manning: We’ll it might surprise you to know that I am not a native New Englander. I’m actually from New Orleans and my family moved up to New England when I was a teenager. 

When I was in college on a basketball scholarship I started working at a barber shop in Providence. I feel like I’ve been a barber since I was 10. I became the barber for a number of basketball players from Providence College, and at one point Rick Fox was a client of mine when he was with the Lakers. Eventually I opened my own shop in Attleboro and I now have a number of Patriots as clients, as well as some celebrities.



Willow Tree: Who are some of the folks you’ve had as clients? 

Terrence Manning: Teddy Bruschi, Junior Seau, Cory Dillon, Rodney Harrison, Kevin Faulk, Bill Bellamy, Larenz Tate (from Rescue Me), and Diggy Simmons.

Willow Tree: That’s very cool Terrence. So tell us about your history with Willow Tree, and what makes you such a big fan. 

Terrence Manning: I had never had any chicken salad until I moved up here, and I have to say that when I first tried it (not Willow Tree’s, just chicken salad in general) I didn’t like it. I always thought it was pretty tasteless. Then an ex-girlfriend of mine got me into Willow Tree Chicken Salad. She loved it. I gave it a try and I was hooked. This has to be the best chicken salad I’ve had in my life! I don’t know what you put in it, but it’s amazing.

Willow Tree: That’s great Terrence. Have you tried any other Willow Tree products? 

Terrence Manning: Eventually, I went to your store and tried the chicken pie as well. I love that too. What’s different about it is that it tastes so fresh. Now I bring the chicken salad to work for lunch. Usually I put it on a wrap with lettuce and tomatoes. The chicken pie makes a great dinner.

Willow Tree: You seem pretty busy. What do you do while you’re waiting for your Willow Tree Chicken Pie to cook? 

Terrence Manning: I’m usually blogging while it’s cooking. I always recommend Willow Tree to every one of my friends. I won’t eat any other kind of chicken salad!

Willow Tree: Thank you Terrence! And much continued success with your salon.

The Jogging Concierge Reviews Willow Tree Chicken Pie

Date: July 10, 2012 | Author: Willow Tree Farm | Leave a Comment
Category: Blogger Reviews, Chicken Pie, Uncategorized, Willow Tree

 Many thanks to Alaina, the Jogging Concierge, for her review: http://www.joggingconcierge.com/2012/07/06/willow-tree-chicken-pot-pie/

Based on the fact that I love chicken, vegetables and pie, one would assume that chicken pot pie would be on the top of my list of “things I like to eat.” Well, up until a few years ago, that was absolutely wrong. I actually couldn’t stand the soggy crust. But I think it must have just been the pot pie I tried, because I’ve had some great pies since then.

About a month ago, I commented on my friend Michelle’s blog when she posted about her dinner of Willow Tree chicken pot pie. Lo and behold, a few days later I received an e-mail asking if I wanted a coupon to try their pies! “Absolutely!” I replied.

Willow Tree is a local Massachusetts company that started in the late 19th, early 20th century. They started as the main poultry and egg distributer in the Attleboro area, until they were advised to go into the chicken pot pie business. There popularity grew almost over night. They have a main store in Attleboro and Willow Tree pies are sold at several local grocery stores. Mine was purchased at Shaws. 

I was given a complimentary coupon to try the Willow Tree pie, and in return, to give my honest review on the product.

During the 1 hour and 15 minutes that it took to cook, the kitchen smelled great. I couldn’t wait to dig in.

The crust was crumbly and flaky, and I loved that it didn’t get soggy at all. The crust was only on top though and the bottom of the dish was all chicken and vegetables. There were huge chunks of chicken, but a little bit more vegetables would have been great. They did taste fresh though and not at all soggy. It was a tad salty for my liking though, but the flavor was delicious. Next time, I would probably take the advice of putting a smear of butter on the crust since the flavor was a bit lacking.

David and I easily finished off the pie, which he agreed was flavorful as well. Probably the only major downside of the dish was that David found a chicken bone in his slice. Woops! And based on the varieties that they offer, I would love to try the pot pie with roasted potatoes.

Thank you Willow Tree for allowing me the opportunity to try your product!!