Pie perfectionists from across the UK are invited to enter the 2017 British Pie Awards. The world-famous Awards, which are to be held on Wednesday 8th March 2017 in Leicestershire town and pork pie capital, Melton Mowbray, are in their ninth year.
The Awards, held during British Pie Week (6th-13th March 2017) celebrate our nation’s love of pies – one of the icons of British cuisine. Hot or cold, sweet or savoury, the British eat millions of them every year. The 2016 awards saw an astounding 816 pies entered from 132 professional bakers, butchers and chefs and judged by over 100 top pie aficionados.
This year, for the first time, pie makers can apply online by filling out an application form on the British Pie Awards (BPA) website. There are only a few simple rules that must be adhered to: All pies are to be totally encased in pastry, with a closed top, and must fit into one of the 21 pre-assigned classes. All entries, except the annual themed class (see below), must be commercially available in the UK.
Matthew O’Callaghan, Chairman of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, said: “We’re so looking forward to another Awards celebrating the craftsmanship, creativity and innovation of Great British pie makers. Each year we’re impressed by the increasing number of entries, all of which are of a superb calibre– we can’t wait to taste this year’s offerings.
“The 2016 awards received a lot of media attention as a pasty took home the Supreme Champion title. Many were very surprised to see a pasty win however, the definition of a pie is a filling totally encased in pastry – pies come in all shapes including round pies, square pies and pasties so we see a huge variety of entries.”
Supreme Champion of the 2016 British Pie Awards, John Nicholl of Huddleston’s Butchers, said: “We were absolutely thrilled that our Beef Skirt and Vegetable Pastie was named the best pie in Britain – particularly as we were shortlisted amongst so many other talented pie makers in the most prestigious pie competition in the UK.
“We have always worked hard at Huddleston’s to make special pies for our customers and we were so humbled to take the pie title back to Cumbria, to share with them. In over 20 years of entering competitions we have never had the level of exposure that the British Pie Awards has given us- our business has gone from strength to strength and it’s been fantastic to see our reputation grow as a result. My advice to anybody who is thinking of entering the awards this year is to go ahead and apply- you could be missing a golden opportunity!”
A pie to celebrate regional specialities
Each year the awards have a themed class that encourages pie makers to get creative with their baking. For the 2017 awards, in celebration of the magnificent traditional pies associated with different regions across Britain, bakers, butchers and chefs are invited to create a Regional Pie.
For this category, the awards will be welcoming everything from the Forfar Bridie in Scotland to the Midland’s Bedfordshire Clanger – as long as it is traditionally associated with a region and follows BPA rules of what constitutes a ‘pie’.
Although judged to the same standards as other classes this category is all about the ‘wow factor’, with more freedom to choose fillings, pastry type and presentation – as long as the pie stays true to the traditional regional recipe. Unlike the other classes, pies do not have to be commercially available to be entered.
How to get involved
Entry to the Awards will open on 16th November and run until 17th February 2017. It’s open to anyone who sells pies commercially in the UK, with a special rate for companies with fewer than 5 pie makers. This year, for the first time, pie makers are able to enter the awards by filling out an online entry form on the website, where there is also a full list of this year’s classes:
For more information click here