National success as Shropshire pie maker wins at prestigious British Pie Awards
David Martin's wagyu beef and ale pie has been delighting diners across the county in recent months – but now it has the experts' seal of approval too, scooping a coveted prize at the British Pie Awards.
This week has actually been National Pie Week, and David, who only opened Whitchurch's Martins Homemade Pies and Ready Meals' shop in November, has done his bit to make sure Shropshire has its name on the national stage.
The pie-maker secured the top prize in the beef and alcohol category of the British Pie Awards – beating more than 90 other entries in the hotly contested section.
There was a second celebration too – as Martins also secured the 'best newcomer' award.
David, who is 36, said he was gobsmacked at taking the titles – adding: "I don't think I have won a trophy since I was in Cubs."
Held in Melton Mowbray, the Leicestershire town known for its pork pies, the awards were contested by hundreds of pie-makers across a host of categories.
David described the winning wagyu beef and ale pie as "absolutely epic", hailing the quality of the ingredients.
The wagyu beef comes from Alternative Meats in Whitchurch, via two Welsh farms, and David uses 'Darwin's Origin' beer from Salopian ales.
Each pie is hand rolled, crimped, with the ingredients individually weighed out.
David's background is as a renowned chef, having worked in some of the country’s finest Michelin starred and rosetted restaurants across a 17 year period.
Most recently he had been a senior development chef at the Complete Food Group, before deciding to set up his own pie shop, with a commitment and belief that everyone should be able to enjoy great food at home.
He said: "I quit my job and threw myself in to it. Everyone thought I was mad but it is starting to pay off."
He said the business was growing, adding: "I just want people to have quality food in their freezer.
"It means people can just pull it out, put some chips on and have a cracking tea."
David said his only worry now was finding somewhere to display his new trophies.
Meanwhile Matthew O’Callaghan, Chairman of the Mowbray Pork Pie Association and host of the British Pie Awards, said Martins had been a worthy winner.
He said: “This year's awards have seen a wonderful celebration of the nation’s love of pies; the atmosphere has been amazing and the level of creativity is off the scale.
“On Wednesday we got to try the phenomenal pie entries, and Martins triumphed over incredibly tough competition for best in the Beef & Alcohol Pie category. These awards celebrate the skill and ingenuity of British pie makers across the UK, and I’d like to congratulate them as a worthy winner.”
The British Pie Awards said they had recruited "the most qualified pie connoisseurs to judge every single entry".
A record 147 judges were 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.
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