'It’s been a bit mental with all the orders - they’ve gone through the roof'

Piemaker Ian Jalland celebrates after Brockleby's Pies won the Supreme Champion title at the British Pie Awards 2023 their Moo and Blue pie

Winning his industry’s top award has led to piemaker Ian Jalland enjoying a whirlwind of TV appearances and a tenfold rise in sales.

Staff at his Asfordby Hill-based Brockleby’s Pies were ecstatic to hear their Moo and Blue judged the Supreme Champion at this year’s British Pie Awards.

Ian and many in his team went to the presentation lunch on Friday at Melton’s St Mary’s Church and winning the top accolade is a game-changer for the company, which was founded 20 years ago.

Judges rated the steak, ale and Stilton cheese pie ahead of 900 entries from across the nation.

Piemaker Ian Jalland on the BBC Breakfast sofa on Saturday morning, with Roger Johnson and Naga Munchetty, after Brockleby's Pies won the Supreme Champion title at the British Pie Awards 2023

Ian told the Melton Times: “Everyone was buzzing when it was announced - it was quite an emotional feeling.

“I’ve never won anything so big in my life before.”

The pies were judged last Wednesday, when Ian appeared live on ITV1’s popular This Morning show, three days before the result was declared.

After Moo and Blue’s victory at the presentations on Friday, he was then invited on to the BBC Breakfast sofa the following morning. The TV exposure and local media coverage sparked an upsurge in pie sales for the firm.

Piemaker Ian Jalland celebrates after Brockleby's Pies wins the Supreme Champion title at the British Pie Awards 2023 with their Moo and Blue pie

“It’s been a bit mental with all the orders - they’ve gone through the roof,” said Ian.

“So we are just trying to get ourselves organised so we can get those out the door and not let anyone down.

“We haven’t had any chance to celebrate winning.

“We had to get back straight after the awards to pack pies and load vans.”

The company, which had already been selling up to 10,000 pies a week, has a dozen full-time staff and another 18 part-timers and many of them have been working flat out since the awards.

Ian explained: “We do mail order and a home delivery business, which is called Pie Drop and which we set up during the pandemic, and orders have increased tenfold.

“It’s gone from us being able to offer a delivery within a couple of days to ‘sorry you are going to have to wait three weeks’.

Brockleby’s Pies has won over 30 awards and high placings at previous British Pie Awards but Ian said they weren’t overly confident this year.

He said: “In the past we’ve had four category winners but it’s been about 10 years since we’ve won anything.

“We were a bit disillusioned with it all to be honest.

“I said to the production team this year ‘you choose the pies you want to put in’ and it clearly worked.”

So what is the secret of the Moo and Blue’s success?

“I think it’s the rich sauce,” said Ian.

“We try to make sure with this pie that you’ve got the hint of Stilton but it’s not overpowering so it suits all palates.”

Ian’s family has farmed in the Melton area for more than 500 years.

His father, Robert, still farms aged 82 at Upper Broughton and produces beef for his son’s pies.

Meanwhile Brockleby’s Pies is preparing to move to a new site at the vacant former Melton technical college building on King Street, hopefully later this year or early next year.

Ian added: “There has been a delay on the move but we have planning permission there and we are in the process of getting ready for it.”