British Pie Week: Yorkshire firm which makes ‘best pie in world’ flies flag with fabulous new creation

Yorkshire Handmade Pies, which under founder James Sturdy has built up a formidable reputation for classic hand-crafted pie making, is entering its latest creation – a delicious-sounding outdoor reared pork, black garlic and orchard pie – in The British Pie Week Awards.

The Ripon-based company, which was launched in 2020, will be hoping to repeat the success of its steak and kidney pie last year which won the coveted three stars in the Great Taste Awards 2022, making it one of the world’s best pies. The firm prides itself on a strong ethos of sustainability and provenance.

"We are passionate about sourcing truly ethical and sustainable ingredients for our award-winning pies which is why we form long-term partnerships with local Yorkshire farmers,” said Mr Sturdy. “There are so many intricate layers to this pie but the star of the show is, of course, the delicious outdoor reared pork, which is stunning. British Pie Week is a great excuse to eat a pie and we’ve created a champion one.”

Yorkshire Handmade Pies’ new creation offers an unusual combination of outdoor reared pork, black garlic, red wine, cherries, apples and figs, all wrapped in crisp light short crust pastry with a balance of sweet and savoury flavours.

The succulent pork in the new pie is sourced from British native high welfare outdoor reared pigs from Anna’s Happy Trotters, a fourth-generation farmer based in Gringley on the Hill.

Anna’s pigs are fully free range meaning that the pigs are outside from start-to-finish, not housed in barns.

Anna’s Happy Trotters founder Anna Longthorp said: “We’re incredibly proud that our high welfare outdoor reared pork is the star of the show in Yorkshire Handmade Pie’s new pie. Our focus on rearing our pigs fully free range is why people choose our pork and I am a big believer in being responsible when it comes to eating meat."