A PIE filled with minted Wensleydale lamb and potato has been crowned supreme champion at this year’s British Pie Awards.
The savoury creation, made by Lydia Sunter, who owns Middleton-in-Teesdale Fish and Chip Shop, scooped top spot on Friday at the 16th annual awards held in Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.
Hundreds of bakers took part in the contest which had 24 classes and about 160 judges.
Ms Sunter, who has been making her own pies for the last 12 years for the fish and chip shop, used lamb from her brother David’s Wensleydale hill for the filling.
She said: “I’m completely overwhelmed and I’m still in shock.”
Ms Sunter had not planned to attend the awards lunch, but after a phone call mid-week from chairman of the awards body, Matthew O’Callaghan, headed to Leicestershire with her partner Jonathan Scott.
She added: “He [Matthew] said we should come down and I assumed we’d won our class. But at the lunch when they said we’d won supreme champion as well I couldn’t believe it.
“I know it’s a brilliant pie, but to go against 900 other pies and win is just amazing.”
Judges said her entry was a “come and eat me pie” and the “pastry is a poem”. Ms Sunter picked up first place in the lamb class before being crowned supreme champion.
It is not the first time Lydia and David have brought home accolades from the national event. They have picked up a number of silver and bronze awards since they began entering in 2016.
