Hot Pie was first introduced as an orphan and a baker’s apprentice from King’s Landing in Game of Thrones, but he went on to become a fan favorite – so what happened to him? The character, played by Ben Hawkey, was one of Arya Stark’s closest friends. He made his Game of Thrones debut in the season 1 finale, “Fire and Blood”. After Ned was executed, Arya joined the Night’s Watch recruits in the hope of reuniting with Jon. She cut her hair and went under the name Arry; Hot Pie was one of the fellow recruits that bullied Arya until Gendry stood in his way. The trio eventually grew close and encountered much trouble on their journey, but they stuck together.
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Hot Pie was not much of a fighter, but he proved his worth in other ways. In Game of Thrones season 3, the group was captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners. The Brotherhood took Hot Pie, Arya, and Gendry to the Inn at the Crossroads before continuing with their journey. While there, Hot Pie baked bread for the innkeeper, so the man hired him to work at the inn. The Brotherhood struck a deal to allow Hot Pie to stay there as long as they got free meals. The following season, Brienne of Tarth and Podrick arrived at the inn and informed Hot Pie that they were searching for the Stark sisters. Hot Pie gave them useful information before showing off his direwolf-shaped loaf of bread. That wouldn’t be Hot Pie’s last appearance in Game of Thrones, though.
The skilled baker would make a brief appearance three years later in the season 7 episode, “Stormborn”. Arya stopped at the inn and was reunited with her old friend. Hot Pie assumed that she was traveling back to Winterfell but Arya was confused at why he would think that. He told her that Jon and Sansa took back control of her old home from the Boltons. Arya immediately changed her plans and headed back to Winterfell. Before she left, Hot Pie promised Arya that he wouldn’t get killed because he was a survivor.
Following the Battle of Winterfell, Daenerys made Gendry the Lord of Storm End’s, reviving House Baratheon. Although Hot Pie didn’t appear in the final season of Game of Thrones, it was assumed that he was still alive out there in Westeros. It’s very possible that Gendry found his friend and hired him to be the head baker at Storm’s End. It would also make sense if Hot Pie remained at the Inn at the Crossroads, living out his years as the best baker in Westeros. Maybe Arya stopped by one last time to see her friend before she set out on her solo journey. Hot Pie did promise free ale and pies, after all.
Hawkey ended up taking inspiration from his Game of Thrones character by opening a real-life bakery prior to his final appearance. He established a bakery called “You Know Nothing John Dough” in July 2017 and sold his famous direwolf loaves. The items were only sold through a delivery service in and around London. Due to Hot Pie’s popularity and the intense demand for the tasty treats, deliveries only lasted a few weeks. There’s no word if Hawkey will continue the trade now that the series is over.
