AS the deadline to enter the Scotch Pie Club’s World Scotch Pie Championship approaches, one past winner shares his experience of spending a year as the World Scotch Pie Champion.
“Irvines won in 2011,” says Maurice Irvine, “and I have to say that it did wonders for our business. We are 99 per cent retail but we saw a real increase in footfall into our shops and people didn’t just want to try our world championship pies. There was a real interest in our entire product range.
“I have been asked many times what I think it was that made our pie stand out, we have made some changes of course to have brought our pies to the standard they are but I couldn’t tell you what it is that we do could I now?
“What I will say is that our products are a culmination of years of experience, huge passion, really understanding what our customers want and not trying to be too quirky.
“But what is best about the competition in my view is that head teacher moment, you know when your old head teacher comes up to you and says they are really proud of what you have achieved That’s what winning this competition meant to us at Irvines.
“The huge sense of pride, to have been judged by your peers to be the best, the incredible.
“We love what we do here and you can’t buy the pat on the back this win gave us.”
In addition to Scotch pies and new category, Football Pies, bakers and butchers are invited to enter their best sausage rolls, bridies and speciality savouries.
Entry forms are due in by 19th November and products should be delivered to Carnegie Conference Centre, Halbeath Road, Dunfermline,KY11 8DYbetween 9.00am and 11.30am on Tuesday 27th November 2012.
Butchers and bakers across Scotland will have the opportunity to become recognised as producing the highest-quality savoury products around the globe with awards given to those producing the best products in each category. The winner of the Scotch Pie category will be declared as the World Champion.
The competition, which has run for 14 years, aims to highlight that bakers and butchers create high quality artisan pastry products. Recognising the ‘great and the good’ in this way rewards excellence and raises the bar in the industry.
Alan Stuart, competition founder, said: “The World Scotch Pie Championships truly are a benchmark. We have a huge number of hard working butchers and bakers who deserve recognition for delivering great products, day in and day out.
“I am looking forward to sampling for myself some of the best products on the market today and to seeing who the judges pick out as having produced something that I know will be world-class.”
The competition is supported by Scottish Bakers and the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders. Both trade associations actively support and promote bakers and butchers in Scotland by encouraging and sharing best practise.
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