Local pies judged some of the country’s best at British Pie Awards 2022

We all love a good pie – and the annual British Pie Awards celebrates the best of the best from across the country.

This year the event, held during British Pie Week, saw almost 1,000 pies entered (976), a record number of entries.

The pies come from across the country – from the North of Scotland to the South of Cornwall, from Wales and from Norfolk – to be judged in the ‘Cathedral of Pies’, the magnificent 12th Century St Mary’s Church in Melton Mowbray.

And this year saw several local piemakers handed awards for their excellent pies.

Ate Days A Week, who will soon be opening a new restaurant in the city centre, won four awards, including a prestigious Gold for their Lamb Pie Of The Tiger.

They also won Silver for their Madrassive Attack pie and their Ox Cheek Pie of the Tiger pie, and a Bronze for their Salt & Pepper Chicken Pie Of The Tiger.

“Winning at the British Pie Awards is absolutely massive for us, and it is wonderful to know that we’re up there with the very best pie makers in the country!” says owner Andy James.

“We entered four different pies and all of them were awarded, with our rosemary lamb, potato and mint getting Gold!

“This one being awarded Gold is just remarkable, as this was the very first pie we sold less than 18 months ago when we started making pies.

“Alongside this, I re-entered our Silver award winner from last year (made with ox cheek, beef shin, Parmesan and pickled potatoes) as well as a brand new one, Madrassive Attack, and a very popular one from the restaurant, salt &pepper chicken and curry sauce, as these gave such a variety and a chance for us to show how varied our range of pies is and will continue to be.”

Ate Days A Week were not the only local winners this year.

The much-loved Great North Pie Co, who will soon be opening a pie and mash cafe in the city centre in addition to their Altrincham Market site, picked up two awards to add to their collection.

They were awarded Bronze for their Corned Beef and Potato pie, and also for their Chicken and Bovril Balti pie.

Meanwhile H.M. Pasties, a Bolton bakery set up by Lee Wakeham, an ex-offender with the aim to ‘bring out the good inside’ by employing ex-offenders to make and sell delicious handmade Cornish-style pasties, also won three awards.

They were awarded Silver for their Cheese & Onion pie and Bronze for their vegan Leek & Mushroom pie, while their Chickpea Curry Pasty, even more impressively, won the overall vegan category at the British Pie Awards 2022.

Also based in Bolton, Frasers Butchers received Silver for their Pork Pie and their Huntsman pie, and Bronze for their classic Meat & Potato pie.

And Patel’s Pies, which can be found at Bernie’s Grocery Store in Heaton Moor, A Taste of Honey in Didsbury and music venue Band on the Wall in the city centre, won Silver for both their Aloo Matar pie and their Chickpea & Paneer pie.

Over in Wigan, Baldy’s Pies picked up a Gold for their Fisherman’s Pie, and a Bronze for their Big Jim pie, made with braised beef shin, bone marrow, confit onion and pistachio crumb.

Elsewhere in the region, the Cheshire Pie Company in Sandbach picked up a whopping seven awards, while Glossop butchers Mettrick’s picked up Bronze for their Free Range Pork & Caramelised Onion Pie.

The British love of pies is reflected in an annual spend of £1 billion on pies.

Now we’ve got a few more local ones to add to our shopping lists.