Pork pie making gets first world champions
EVENT RAISES MONEY FOR EMERGENCY MEDICS
WINNERS have been crowned of the first World Amateur Pork Pie Championships.
Vince Howard, from Oakham, took the title in the traditional pork pie category, which required the pie to be hand-raised with hot water crust pastry and only fresh pork meat and seasoning used in the filling.
James Dodson, from Whissendine, took the crown for Class Two, where home cooks could choose filling and topping.
The only stipulation was the pie must contain at least 50 per cent pork and be set in hot water crust pastry.
James’s pie won the judges over with its spicy twist, using fresh chillies, which also won him the overall title of World Amateur Pork Pie Champion.
The competition took place at the Grainstore Brewery, in Oakham and was hosted by Rutland Pork Pie Appreciation Society.
It started with two friends making pies together and has snowballed to monthly meetings with up to 40 people and social media followers as far away as Egypt, India, New Zealand, Australia, America and Canada.
The winners of the two categories each took home a celebratory tankard and trophy sponsored by Moores Estate Agents.
More than 25 people entered the awards, which were judged by a panel of expert tasters led by Vernon Stokes, an award-winning baker from Hambledon Farms.
Vince, one of the founding members of the Rutland Pork Pie Appreciation Society, said: “This was a fantastic celebration of the iconic pork pie in the county that is famous for it.
“We were delighted with the number of entrants and the quality of the pies that were entered.
“It was also great to see so many come along to enjoy the atmosphere and support those who had entered.
“We hope to make the contest an annual occasion and look forward to bringing more people together over a mutual love of pork pies.”
The contest supported East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme (Emics), a network of volunteer doctors with training in pre-hospital emergency medicine, who assist East Midlands Ambulance Service at life-threatening emergencies. It raised more than £4,000, with additional donations from Freemasons.
Emics founder, Dr Tim Gray, who was one of the judges of the competition, said: “It has been a fantastic day and great fun.
“More importantly it has raised a lot of money which will be used to purchase and maintain vital equipment used by our volunteers.”
Vince said: “As a firefighter for 30 years, it’s a great feeling to make pies and know it’s in aid of a great cause.”