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The winners of the Global Pasty Championships have been announced, with a surprise upset in three of its categories.
Almost 100 bakers took part in the inaugural event, which was held at the picturesque Lost Gardens of Heligan near the Cornish fishing village of Mevagissey. The competition closed Cornish Pasty Week. Despite the event’s location and the fact that Cornwall literally gave its name to the product in question, the winner of the Cornish Pasty Individual category is actually from Bristol.
Vanessa Farr, who did at least travel to Cornwall to bake her triumphant pasty, said: ‘I’m pleased to win this because I was up against professional bakers as well as amateurs, so this is a big one.’
There was further risk of controversy in the Alternative Pasty category, as Max Baker, an appropriately named fellow Bristolian, won with a savoury item that combined chicken with BBQ sauce. A third winner from Bristol came in the form of Finley McKeever, who took the Alternative Pasty Junior category thanks to a chicken fajita creation.
There was some consolation for Cornwall when local business Phat Pasty took the crown in the Cornish Pasty Company category, while Rowe’s Bakery, another Cornish establishment, triumphed in the Alternative Pasty Company category with a baked good that included feta butternut squash, spinach and red onion pastry.
Partly organised by the Cornish Pasty Association, the celebrations also named the World’s Fastest Crimper in a separate competition that saw around 80 kids and adults race against the clock to see who could crimp a pasty as quickly as possible.
Rowe’s employee Michaela Dash was the fastest adult, finishing in 5.38 seconds, while eight-year-old Megavissey native Darcey Hill was the fastest child, crimping her pastry in just 13.68 sections. ‘It really brightened my day,’ Hill commented upon collecting her well-earned award.
The crimping competition proved such a draw that one participant, Yuriko Shigyo, travelled from Tokyo to take part for the second time. Shigyo said: ‘I really enjoyed returning to the crimping competition. The gardens here are so beautiful. I’m looking forward to coming again next year to enter the pasty contest.’
The Cornish Pasty Association’s website boasts that ‘the not so humble pasty is worth £65m to our economy’, while Cornish Pasty’s are estimated to generate an annual £300m to the UK’s economy.
Here are all of the finalists at the inaugural Global Pasty Championships
Cornish pasty junior
- First: Leo Weller from Liskeard
- Second: Jago Porter from St Austell
Alternative pasty junior
- First: Finley McKeever from Bristol, with a chicken, peppers, mushroom and onion fajita pasty
- Second: Josie Farr from Bristol, with a pepperoni, mozzarella, tomato and onion pasty
- Third: Ruby McKeever from Bristol, with a cheese, bean and veggie sausage pasty
Cornish pasty individual
- First: Vanessa Farr from Bristol
- Second: Richard Searle from Watchet in Somerset
- Third: David Timmins from St Austell
Alternative pasty individual
- First – Max Baker from Bristol, with a chicken in BBQ sauce pasty
- Second – David Timmins from St Austell, with a macaroni cheese, bacon and onion pasty
- Third – David Timmins from St Austell, with a beef steak and kidney and bacon lardon pasty
Cornish pasty company
- First: Phat Pasty
- Second: Rowe’s Bakery
- Third: Proper Cornish
Alternative pasty company
- First: Rowe’s Bakery with a feta, butternut squash, spinach and red onion pasty
- Second: Rowe’s Bakery with a cauliflower, cheddar and mozzarella pasty
- Third: The Vegan Pasty Company with a soya mince vegan pasty
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