The pork pie crown is back in Huddersfield.

Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop reclaimed its title as Britain’s best at a fiercely contested pork pie bake-off.

The annual pork pie makers’ competition at the Old Bridge at Ripponden attracted dozens of entrants from across the country.

And after narrowly missing out on a hat-trick of titles last year, the Netherton based farm shop team were delighted to win back their trophy.

A panel of judges declared Hinchliffe’s to be the finest pie out of almost four dozen entrants.

And it was a double celebration for Hinchliffe’s pie-men Craig Midwood and Denzyl Weavill after they won the Artisan Pie category as well at the first time of asking.

Video Loading

Hinchliffe’s head butcher and pie maker Craig Midwood said he was delighted to grab the trophy back from Nottinghamshire’s Mellors, who pipped him into second place in 2013.

He said: “Because we won it two years on the bounce last year was a bit of an eye-opener. There’s great pie makers out there so we wanted to give this year’s effort that bit of extra detail.

“It feels great to get our trophy back and good to win the speciality class the first time we’ve tried it.”

The event, now in its 22nd year, is run by the Calderdale based Pork Pie Appreciation Society.

Along with the experienced pie munchers of the society, judges this year included esteemed Holmfirth artist Ashley Jackson and 11-year-old Joe Hollis, grandson of founder of the pork pie club, Kevin Booth.

He said: “I started the pork pie club 30-years ago and the standard of pies over the years has gone up considerably.

“There’s good pork pies here and then there’s great ones. Nobody deserved to lose; they’re all winners.”

Ashley said he’d been delighted to be asked to help judge the final 12 pies.

“I’m a pie man,” he declared.

“I was brought up in Barnsley and we had Albert Hirst who was one of the most famous pie makers in Yorkshire but they used to supply the pits so when the pits went, they went.”

Mr Jackson said he liked his pies to be peppery.

“If you have to put a sauce on it, it’s no good,” he said. “The pie should stand on its own. One stood out to me, as soon as I bit it I knew that was it, it was lovely.

But it comes down to what you like, just like a painting.”

The event, organised by president, Mr Booth and society secretary Peter Charnley, raised hundreds of pounds for Holme Valley and Halifax mountain rescue teams.

There was another win for Huddersfield as Bolster Moor Farm Shop claimed second place in the Artisan category.

In the standard pie category, second place went to Robinsons Farm Shop, Northowram, Halifax, third to Hoffmans, Wakefield and fourth to Duncan Firth of Boston Spa, Wetherby.

www.porkpieclub.com