Great Taste Awards 2015: 14 stars for 10 exceptionally good pies.
For the 10th consecutive year, the excellent quality and taste of Pieminister’s pies has been recognised in this year’s Great Taste Awards. Receiving more awards this year, than in any other. Pieminister gained a total of 14 stars, across 10 different pies.
Seen as the fine food ‘Oscars’, this is the largest blind food awards and their gold stars are recognised by the world’s greatest food producers.
Pieminister pies. Made in Bristol, with 100% free range British meat
The Great Taste Awards are decided by a notoriously critical panel of food judges and this year only 31% of the entries were accredited with golden stars.
The big winners
This year’s big achievers, with not 1 but 2 golden stars, were Wild Shroom, Kate & Sidney and Deer Stalker.
Jon Simon, Pieminister founder and MD says: “The Great Taste Awards have always been very important to us. By inviting a discerning and distinguished panel of Great Taste judges to taste our pies, it’s a great way to ensure that our standards just get higher and higher. And by proudly displaying our gold stars, pie fans can pick our pies knowing that they’re about to enjoy the very best British pies there are”.
2 star performers
Wild Shroom – Made with 3 different types of mushrooms (porcini, portobello & chestnut) asparagus, white wine & cream. The judges were impressed by the greenness and bite of the asparagus. This pie is also approved by the Vegetarian Society.
Pieminister’s Wild Shroom is available from Waitrose.
Deer Stalker – A wild British venison pie made with free range British oak smoked bacon and green lentils, slowly cooked in red wine. This pie is flavoured with thyme and juniper berries. The judges’ praised the venison as having ‘bags of flavour and being really tender’.
Kate & Sidney – A British beef steak, kidney & craft ale pie using Seven Ale from Bristol Beer Factory. Made with 100% farm assured British beef. The judges ‘delighted’ in eating this pie.
1 star performers
Moo (British beef steak & craft ale), Matador (British beef steak & chorizo, olive and butter bean), Free Ranger (free range British chicken & ham, leek and thyme ) and Fungi Chicken (free range British chicken & mushroom) were all awarded one golden star, crediting them with the ‘Simply Delicious’ stamp.
Pieminister’s festive pie range, were also entered into this year’s awards for the first time, with all 3 pies – Mistle Moo, Christingle and Deer Santa – receiving 1 star each. Pieminister’s festive pies have been sold since 2007 and have become a regular feature on people’s Christmas food shopping list.
Pieminister’s Christmas range – Deer Santa – available from Waitrose & Ocado from the 16th November 2015.