Pork pie is Britain's best

Bosses of a butcher's based in Cannock today revealed the recipe for Britain's best pork pie had been cooked up over the last four years.

Robert Jones, director of Walter Smith Butchers (Birmingham Ltd), had developed its award-winning pork pie over recent years and was delighted it scored top marks. The butchers, in Market Hall Street, was crowned Supreme Champion in the Great Taste Awards.

It scooped an impressive four awards at the London final of the Great Taste Awards – which are described as the Oscars of the food industry.

The pork pie was competing against 4,500 other fine food products in the event, which is organised by The Guild of Fine Food.

Mr Jones, who started working for Walter Smith aged 14 and is now 43, said the Great Taste Awards were the absolute accolade for a fine food retailer.

The pork pie was awarded a 3* gold award before the awards ceremony, then got down to the last eight out of 4,500 products.

It went on to win regional award for the Heart of England; the best specialist food in England; then the best specialist food in Great Britain before being awarded the Supreme Champion award.

"All the staff at Cannock deserve a massive round of applause," said Mr Jones.

"We are the first butchers ever to win the Great Taste Awards, no one has ever done that previously," he added.

Four years ago Mr Jones decided to develop a new pork pie for Walter Smith – founded back in 1885 – as he wasn't happy with what they were selling at the time.

"I tried lots of different pork pies but realised the only way to do this was to make my own pie," he said.

"The pork pie is my own recipe, and I have designed it. Rather than trying to make a pie for a price, I started off using the best ingredients I could find, whatever it cost, then work out how much to sell it at. And I came out with this pie."