A fish and chip shop in Barnard Castle is crowned Supreme Champion at the 2024 British Pie Awards

The pie-oneering awards also crowned the first-ever Fusion Pie winner

Barnard Castle’s Middleton-In-Teesdale Fish & Chip Shop has been declared the Supreme Champion at the 2024 British Pie Awards.

Hosted in Britain’s pork-pie capital Melton Mowbray, the awards saw the delicious Minted Wensleydale Lamb & Potato Pie by Middleton-In-Teesdale Fish & Chip Shop overcome tough competition from some of the UK’s most innovative pie-makers to take the crown.

Middleton-In-Teesdale Fish & Chip Shop’s award-winning pie initially competed - and won - against 35 other contenders in the hotly contested Lamb Pie category.  After being highly commended by judges, who were also tasked with choosing one overall winner from all the winning entries, Middleton-In-Teesdale Fish & Chip Shop was awarded Supreme Champion. Its Minted Wensleydale Lamb & Potato Pie was hailed as the best pie in Britain or ‘Pie of Pies’.

Middleton-In-Teesdale Fish & Chip Shop has been serving customers in Barnard Castle since 1950, with husband and wife team David and Lydia Sumter taking the helm in 2012. With the customer philosophy ‘Only the best will do for you” in mind, the eatery is not only known for its delicious fish and chips but its handmade pies which Lydia has been making daily for the last 12 years. They are known as a local sensation.

Judges were also impressed with the Minted Wensleydale Lamb & Potato Pie with comments including “this is a come and eat me pie”, that the “pastry is a poem, perfectly seasoned and wonderfully flakey” and that the “filling is very well balanced, meat is beautifully tender and the mint is coming through well.”

The pie-oneering awards, now in its 16th year, celebrate the nation’s most delicious pies – from the traditionally British to the tantalisingly innovative and totally whacky. The contest comprises 24 different classes or types of pie including traditional favourites as well as Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free Pies. 

Stand-out winning pies in other categories included a tasty Wagyu Beef & Ale Pie by Martin’s in Shropshire and a Butternut Chilli & Vegan Cheese Pie concoction by Turner’s Pies in Chichester.

This year’s awards have also seen the introduction of a new category for Fusion Pie, which combines the British tradition of a fully enclosed pastry but with fillings based on flavour profiles from around the world.  Pie experts entered in their droves, rustling up a delicious storm of global flavoured pie fillings including twists to popular takeaway favourites like a Chicken Katsu Pie, Duck Legs & Spring Onion in Hoisin Sauce Pie, and a Greek-inspired Feta & Greens Filo Pastry Pie. However, it was Pieminister’s Harissa & Chicken Pie that went on to make history, becoming the first-ever winner for the Fusion Pie class.

The British Pie Awards recruited the most qualified pie connoisseurs to judge every single entry. A record 147 judges’ are on the panel, with extensive industry experience between them.  This year, the judging panel included representatives from the prestigious cookery school Cordon Bleu, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant and The Royal Chef as well as a plethora of chefs and pie experts.

Matthew O’Callaghan, Chairman of the Melton Pork Pie Association and host of the British Pie Awards, said:

“These awards celebrate the expert skill of British pie makers across the nation, and we have been blown away with the level of pie craftsmanship coming through this year. It’s been interesting to see the uptake with our new category, too, Fusion Pies. From Greek-inspired Feta & Greens Filo to White Chocolate, Pear & Creme Brulee concoctions, the creative flair of 2024’s awards has made it a very enjoyable year.”

O’Callaghan continues

“On Wednesday we had the pleasure of tasting some delicious pies, and Middleton-In-Teesdale Fish & Chip Shop stood out against the competition to triumph in the Lamb Pie category, and then go on to be crowned Supreme Champion, which is no easy feat. The winning pie was evenly baked with tender pieces of lamb, soft potato and a subtle minted sauce that was absolutely delicious. I’d like to offer my congratulations to Lydia and the team, a well-deserved winner.”

Barnard Castle’s Middleton-In-Teesdale Fish & Chip Shop takes over the title of Supreme Champion from Leicestershire-based Brockleby’s Pies, who smashed the competition in 2023 with its Moo & Blue Pie beating off competition across the categories to become the first ever winner from the Free-From category.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

1. Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Class

Tesco Melton Mowbray Pork Pie 440g by Samworths Savoury Pastry (Leicester)

1. Pork Pie Class

Pork Pie by AE.Chambers Ltd (Nottingham)

1. Cold Eating Savoury Pie Class

Robinsons of Stilton. Chicken and Ham Pie by Robinsons of Stilton Ltd (Peterborough)

1. Pastry Class

Chicken Bhaji Pasty by Proper Cornish Ltd (Cornwall)

1. Dessert Pie Class

Turner's Dutch Apple Pie by Turner’s Pies Ltd (Chichester)

1. Steak & Kidney Pie Class

Measures Traditional Steak & Kidney Pie by Measures Butchers (Cambridgeshire)

1. Beef Pie Class

Pure South Beef & Peppercorn Sauce Pie by Fuud Ltd by FUUD Ltd (Leigh-On-Sea, Essex)

1. Beef & Alcohol Pie Class

Martins Wagyu Beef & Ale Pie by Martins (Shropshire)

1. Beef & Cheese Pie Class

The Crown signature steak & stilton pie by Stine Hospitality Ltd (Asfordby, Leicestershire)

1. Beef & Vegetable Pie Class

Ox Cheek & Shin of Beef w/ Root Vegetables by Mēs Pies And Wine (Brent, London)

1. Meat & Potato Pie Class

Turner's Steak & Potato Pie by Turner’s Pies Ltd (Chichester)

1. Lamb Pie Class

 Minted Wensleydale Lamb & Potato by Middleton-In-Teesdale Fish & Chip Shop (Barnard

Castle, Durham)

1. Chicken, Chicken & Vegetable/Herb Pie Class

Chicken & Mushroom Pie by The Outdoor Pig Company (Alcester, Warwickshire)

1. Chicken with Other Meat Pie Class

Chicken Leek and Ham Hock Pie by Bowring Butchers (Nottingham)

1. Game & Speciality Meat Pie Class

Pheasant, Venison, Bacon, Black Pudding & Quail Egg Pie by The Bell Hotel & Pie Shop (Buckinghamshire)

1. Hot-Eating Savoury Pie Class

The Bell's Christmas Pie by The Bell Hotel & Pie Shop (Buckinghamshire)

1. Fish Pie Class

WeeCOOK Fishwife Pie by WeeCOOK (Carnoustie in Angus, Scotland)

1. Vegetarian Pie Class

The Bell's Sweet Potato, Spinach and Coconut Curry Pie  by The Bell Hotel & Pie Shop (Buckinghamshire)

1. Vegan Pie Class

Butternut Chilli & Vegan Cheese Pie by Turner’s Pies Ltd (Chichester)

1. Pub Pie Class

The Two Brewers Steak & Stilton Pie by Paul's Proper British Pies (Buckinghamshire)

1. Sports Pie Class

Cheeky Beef & Fondant Potato by Paul's Proper British Pies (Buckinghamshire)

1. Fish & Chip Shop Pie Class

Cheesy Potato & Onion Pie by The Cods Scallops (Nottingham)

1. Free From Pie Class

Italian Job (Melanzane Pie) by Kavanaghs (Oakham, Rutland)

1. Fusion Pie Class

Pieminister Harissa Chicken Pie by Pieminister (Bristol)

1. Supreme Champion ‘Pie of Pies’