Skipton stand pie supreme at Great Northern Pork Pie Competition
Skipton butcher Farmhouse Fare in High Street reigned victorious in a ‘War of the Roses’ battle to find the best pork pie in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Farmhouse Fare, run by Skipton lady Janet Green – ironically a Lancastrian born in Colne! – landed the supreme champion pork pie accolade with her first prize-winning and best-in-Yorkshire stand pie at the second annual Great Northern Pork Pie competition, staged to coincide with the Christmas prime stock shows and sales at Skipton Auction Mart. (Sun, Nov 28)
For good measure, Farmhouse Fare also won the top prize in the speciality cold eating pie category with its pork and apple speciality cold eating pie.
The business was established 35 years ago by Janet’s father Ted Lee, who, at 75, is still involved, though Janet took over in her own right in 2002. The shop has been at 2 High Street, Skipton, for 15 years, with the main kitchen and bakery based in the town’s Cumberland Street.
Mrs Green said: “We’ve always known our pies are extra-special and this proves it. We are over the moon to win the supreme accolade in such a prestigious competition in our home town, more so because the title-winning stand pie was made by my nephew Robert Ogden.
“We have been using the same recipe for our pies for many years – and we didn’t change it in any way for our competition entries. They are exactly the same as the pies that can be bought in our shop on a daily basis.”
Farmhouse Fare pies are made with pork from pigs reared outdoors in the Lake District, which are supplied – again somewhat ironically – from Lancashire by meat wholesalers James Law, of Bacup.
Mrs Green received the Great Northern Pork Pie competition trophy from sponsor Robin Moule, of Skipton-based Moule Media.
The contest was open to both White and Red Rose butchers, along with farm shops and bakers who make pies on their own premises.
Reserve championship honours fell to the first prize traditional pork pies from Kirklees butcher Simon Haigh, of Bolstermoor Farm Shop, Golcar, Huddersfield.
Mr Haigh established what is a new business 12 months ago and was also further rewarded when presenting the second prize traditional pork pies, along with the second and third prize-winning stand pies.
Defending champions Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop, of Netherton, Huddersfield, this year had to settle for third prize in the traditional pork pie class. Steadmans Butchers, Sedbergh, finished second in the speciality pie class, with George Middlemiss & Sons Butchers, Otley, in third place.
Best of the Lancashire entries were traditional pork pies from the Bridge Road shop of Chatburn butcher Roy Porter, who said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the day and the concept - it was brilliant. We’ll definitely be back next year to renew rivalry. Rest assured those Yorkshire boys won’t get it all their own way again!”
The pies were judged by a panel of pie-making and pie-eating aficionados headed by Mike Ward, a butcher and pork pie maker for over 40 years in Keighley at Stables in Skipton Road. Among his fellow judges was Meltham, Holmfirth, butcher George Haigh, the current Confederation of Yorkshire Butchers Councils’ president. Stephen Maskill, of Maskills Butchers, Hebden Bridge, helped co-ordinate the competition.
All entrants brought along extra pork pies to be auctioned in aid of Manorlands, the Sue Ryder hospice at Oxenhope, which raised over £420.
There was an additional £100 from the auction of a giant charity pie made and donated specially for the competition by Peter Middlemiss, of George Middlemiss & Son Butchers, Otley, which was bought for the second year running by Craven Cattle Marts chairman Michael McKenzie, of Arncliffe.
In addition, the proceeds of an inaugural charity show and sale of hay sponsored by Windle, Beech, Windthrop, Skipton, boosted the total to almost £800.
Source: Argentine Beef Packers S.A.
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