The winning pie was submitted in the Pub Pie category and was made with chicken, ham, mushroom and buttered leeks encased in a suet pastry. It beat competition from around 900 pies created by professional bakers and butchers to take the top title after rigourous assessment from a judging team of pie experts, food writers and celebrity chefs including Charles Campion, Xanthe Clay, Rachel Green and Phil Vickery.
“We don’t compromise on the quality of the pies which we have been making with care and passion for 60 years and to win against so many excellent bakers is an absolute joy,” said Dunkleys’ ‘pie ambassador’ Mark Beeston, who received a trophy and a £1,000 prize.
Other winners at the awards, which were organised and hosted by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, included Walker & Son in the cold Melton Mowbray Pork Pie category, Pieminister in the Steak and Kidney pie class and Chough Bakery in the cold Cornish pasty category. The Small Producer Award went to Morecambe FC.
