Top pie title goes to K&A Canalside pub

The Barge at Seend beat 26 other Wadworth pubs that entered the brewery's annual pie competition to win first place with Chef Paul Haynes' beef, stilton and stout creation.  

Paul Haynes, chef at The Barge Inn at Seend 

After the cook-off at Wadworth's new cookery school Paul said: "After coming runner up in last years competition it feels fantastic to have gone one better this year and been awarded the top spot. The pie has been a huge success in our pub and we have sold more than 200 in the last month. 

"I make it using home cooked steak tenderly stewed to give it a delicious tenderness with pieces of Stilton allowed to melt into the pie during cooking — it gives a nice creamy flavour with the subtle hit of the blue cheese. 

"We also used Corvus to make the gravy because of  its deep and rich flavours that perfectly complement the tasty meat and cheese flavour — we serve it with hand cut chips and a side of curly kale. It is a real heart-warming dish on our menu.”

George Stoneman, chef at The Crown, Devizes

Devizes canalside pub is runner-up

Second place went to another canalside pub — The Crown in Devizes. George Stoneman created his 'Jewel of the Crown Chicken & Fennel Filo Pie'. He said: "In the kitchen one day I was making a chicken soup and after adding the fennel to the recipe it occurred to me with a bit of adjusting the dish would taste really nice in a pie.

"With the addition of smoked bacon and the lightness of filo pastry the dish tastes great — and we had some excellent feedback from our customers over the past month."

Scott Ferguson, Wadworth's Food Development Manager was very happy happy with the turnout and said: “With 26 pubs entering this year it was one of the biggest we’ve run.

"Each pub had to create an innovative and unique recipe for a pie and have it on sale for a month before the cook-off to allow for customer feedback — and for a secret inspection by one of our judges... the short-list was then invited to the cook-off at our new Cookery School where the winner was decided."