Melton Mowbray, England
My Official Rulings on What Counts as a Pie
At the British Pie Awards, a pie's filling must be completely enclosed in pastry. Many foods have asked me where they stand.
More than 1,000 pies were entered in the British Pie Awards, judged in a church in Melton Mowbray, and the winner was a chicken pie from Wigan. To count, a pie’s filling must be completely enclosed in pastry. That raised some questions.
My Rulings
Shepherd’s pie. Mashed potato on top, no pastry at all. Not a pie. Sorry, shepherds.
A pastry lid on a dish of stew. That’s a stew wearing a hat.
A pork pie. Pastry all the way around. A pie, and a proud one. Melton Mowbray agrees.
Apple pie with a lattice top. There are holes in the top, so the apple can see out. Not enclosed. Sadly, not a pie.
Pizza. Some people call it a pie. It has no lid at all. It’s a very open pie, and I can’t allow it.
A pie chart. No pastry anywhere. But it’s round and it has slices, so it gets a certificate for trying.
Appeals
Every food has the right to appeal. So far I’ve heard 14 appeals, from the stew, the pizza and the lattice apple, among others.
I took each one very seriously and examined the evidence closely, with a fork. Then I ate the evidence, which unfortunately means all 14 appeals had to be dismissed, for lack of evidence.
The court will sit again next week. The court would like more pork pie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a pasty a pie?
Under the rules, yes. It's a filling, all wrapped up in pastry. A pasty is a pie that travels.
Which pie won?
A chicken pie from Wigan, with a crunchy crumb topping on its pastry. Fully enclosed. I checked the photos.