Vegan Pie Beats Out Pork to Win British Pie Awards

Meat butcher shop Jon Thorner’s won the “Supreme Champion” title for its vegan pie during the 10th annual British Pie Awards hosted by Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association. The winning pie featured a sweet potato and butternut squash filling and was a first for Jon Thorner’s, which beat out 866 entrants (68 of which competed in the vegan category) during the competition. “We’re so thrilled at the level of success our vegan pie has had,” owner Jon Thorner said. “There are a number of challenges to making a good vegan pie and this has cracked it,” head judge Colin Woodhead said about the winning vegan pie. “The pastry was exceptional with a crispness that complimented the filling.” The British Pie Awards added a vegan category for the first time this year to modernize the competition to reflect changing consumer tastes. “We started off small with the idea to celebrate pies, because they’re one of the great contributions to the world from British cuisine,” competition chairman Matthew O’Callaghan said. “The pie is for everybody.”