PIE KING Andrew Chisholm has led his Airdrie bakery business to victory at the World Scotch Pie Championships.
Mr Chisholm choked back tears as he accepted the top prize on behalf of JB Christie during the ceremony, which saw the upper crust of the baking fraternity converge on the Carnegie Conference and Business Centre in Dunfermline.
“We thought it might be too spicy,” he said, “but people in Airdie and Coatbridge like our pies. This is massive, but I’d like to point out I’m really just picking up the trophy. I’m merely the figurehead.”
Having worked at the Hutchisons flour mill in Kirkcaldy for more than two decades, Mr Chisholm, who lives in Dunfermline, only bought the JB Christie business a few months ago.
Paying tribute to his staff, he said: “I’ve not changed anything in the bakery they do it all on their own.
“This means an awful lot to me. It was a big decision to buy my own business after 25 years working on the technical side.
“Both my father and my grandfather were bakers, but never with their own business.”
Butchers and bakers across Courier Country were recognised in the annual awards.
Robert Corrigan of Corrigan’s Pies near Newburgh was delighted his game pie scooped the Maclean Cup for best overall savoury product, on top of a diamond award for best cold savoury.
Mr Corrigan said: “All our pies are hand-made and everything is done in small batches, which means we can guarantee the seasoning is the same in every batch.”
Stephens of Dunfermline topped the hot savoury category with their steak and haggis pie, while Macdonald Brothers Butchers of Pitlochry received diamond awards for best sausage roll and best fish pie with a salmon, prawn and broccoli bake.
T & R Skinner of Stirling took the best steak pie prize.
Competition founder Alan Stuart said: “I am a proud man. Once again we have brought together the best pies and baked goods in the land and today we can really celebrate the achievement of our hard-working butchers and bakers.
“My heartfelt congratulations go to our winner, and indeed everyone today taking away a prize. They are all winners in my book.”