Christian Barrington, Mud’s Founder and Chief Pie Maker, found fame on Channel 4’s ‘Aldi’s Next Big Thing’, which he won with his Chip Shop Chicken Curry Pie. It seems he’s on a winning streak!
Artisan pie company MUD FOODS from Midhurst, has triumphed at the prestigious British Pie Awards, winning CLASS CHAMPION for our Game Pie and CLASS CHAMPION for our Gluten-Free Chicken, Ham and Leek Pie.
We also won Highly Commended for our Wild Venison in Red Wine Gravy and Highly Commended for our Gluten-Free Steak and Kidney Pie. As well as many Gold, Silver and Bronze medals for our other pies.
The British Pie Awards, which has been going for 14 years, is judged in Britain’s pie capital, Melton Mowbray and attracts pie producers large and small from across the land. This year over 900 pies were entered into 23 classes – sweet and savoury. There were some surprise entries too, with everything from fusion pies, such as balti and vindaloo, to kebab pies. However, traditional meat-based pies dominated the top four classes. A team of 140 judges was required for the monumental task of deciding on the winners. Competition was stiff – there’s a lot at ‘steak’!
Christian said, “This is a very special year for us, it feels like quite a momentous occasion. It’s a hat trick for our Game Pie, as it’s the third time it’s been crowned a champion winning pie! And it’s also the first time being crowned champion with one of our recently-launched gluten-free range. I’m very proud and thankful to my fantastic team of pie-oneers, who work tirelessly to keep our standards at the highest level.”
Mud prides itself on sourcing all our ingredients from trusted local producers, as close to home as possible. One of the unique things about Mud is that we make our pastry with butter, not margarine, and we give our pastry time to relax, using the natural method – not the fast way, with additives to bypass nature. We think you can taste the difference.
Mud started out in 2009 selling its pies and squiches (that’s a square quiche!) at local farmers’ markets and built up a devoted fan base through word of mouth and recommendation. We soon branched out into retail shops, farm shops, pubs and restaurants and, in the last 3 years, our online pie shop has taken off and we’re delighted to be selling nationwide.
