Piemakers await awards presentations at Melton church

Judges assess the entries at the British Pie Awards yesterday at St Mary's Church, MeltonIMAGE Pullman Jack's Kitchen

Dozens of judges chomped their way through hundreds of tasty entries in Melton Mowbray’s St Mary’s Church yesterday and everyone will gather back there tomorrow to hear who will win each of the 24 classes before the overall Supreme Champion is announced.

This is the 16th year of the awards, with a record 147 judges taking part, ranging from expert piemakers, including Royal Chef Mark Flanagan, to passionate amateurs.

The pies, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free products, range from traditional British fillings to innovative and whacky ones.

Judges for the class 13 for Chicken and Vegetable Pies at the British Pie Awards 2024 in Melton

Wonderful pie fillings from around the globe included Chicken Katsu Pie, Duck Legs and Spring Onion in Hoisin Sauce Pie, plus a Greek-inspired Feta and Greens Filo Pastry Pie.

This year saw the introduction of a new category for Fusion Pie, which combines the British tradition of a fully enclosed pastry with fillings based on flavour profiles from around the world.

Chairman Matthew O’Callaghan said: “We’ve been blown away with the level of pie craftsmanship coming through this year.

"The introduction of a new class of Fusion pie demonstrates the level of innovation that’s coming through the industry and the standard to get a winning pie at the awards is higher than ever.

"Not only have we seen hundreds of entries but we’ve got pies from across the British Isles, coming from bakers, butchers, restaurants and pubs."

Following a series of strong years for the vegan and vegetarian categories in 2023, it seems meat-based pies have made a comeback, dominating the top eight categories including Beef and Alcohol Pie, Chicken with Other Meat Pie and Pork Pie, to name a few.

Vegan and vegetarian pies continued to feature in the top 10 categories; entries this year included pies filled with Confit tomato artichoke and charred shallot to a Gluten Free Mushroom Bourguignon Pie, showcasing the increased quality and innovation coming through the meat-free sector.

Sponsor of the Supreme Champion Award, Simon Taylor, of the Melton Building Society, added: “We live and breathe a good pie in Melton Mowbray and this year, we’re in awe of the talent and expertise coming through in pie making.”