A PIE-MAKER based in Denby Dale – home of the world’s biggest pies – has just met a senior Government official.

Dame Deirdre Hutton, who chairs the Food Standards Agency, met some of Yorkshire’s key food producers at an event hosted by the Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber at Rudding Park, Harrogate.

They included Janet Purcell, co-founder of the Denby Dale Pie Company, which last year raised £250,000 from two regional funding groups to invest in new plant and machinery to cope with the growing demand for traditional pies.

The company has built up a reputation for making frozen pies made with high-quality, local ingredients.

It has also worked with leading national retailers to develop products for their own brand luxury ranges.

The Food Standards Agency is an independent Government department charged with protecting consumers’ health and safety interests.

Dame Deirdre, who was on a fact-finding mission, discussed the impact of the agency’s work on food production.