Who'll eat all the pies?

The St. Mary's Country Inn will host an unusual, if tasty, competition next week as members of Jersey’s Slow Food Group slug it out for the title of Best Pie as part of British Pie Week.

The Great Pie Bake Off is being staged by the Slow Food Group, Classic Herd and Liberation Group, who are putting up a prize for the best use of their Ale to make a steak and ale pie.

More than 50 members of the Slow Food Group are expected to attend the event and 20 people have entered the competition. Judges will sample and score each for quality, use of local ingredients and, of course, taste!

Liberation Group is supporting the event through the use of the St Mary’s Country Inn, providing accompaniments to go with the pies and giving competitors discounted Ale to make their culinary creations. Mark Crowther, Chief Executive said: "The Slow Food Group shares our ethos of using the best quality ingredients and preparing dishes in a caring way. Ale has been a part of our diet for centuries and is not only a great ingredient in the cooking process, it’s also ideal as a drink to go with the finished dish. We support the efforts of the Slow Food Group to promote good, healthy food using quality local ingredients."

Competitors can enter any pie they like, sweet or savoury, but they must be homemade. Rod Bryans of the Jersey Slow Food Group said: "We run a number of events for our members throughout the year, from a visit to the Liberation Brewery to a tour of local farm shops. We have a growing membership and next week's event will be open to the public so they can come along and find out more about what we do. The Bake Off is a bit of fun but there is a serious underlying message: that good food needs to be prepared slowly and with care, using the great local produce we have here on the Island to create a healthy and delicious meal."

The Great Pie Bake Off is being held at the St Mary's Country Inn on Tuesday 8th March and is free to attend. Members of the Slow Food Group will receive free chips and a complimentary drink from Liberation Group but all are welcome.