Perfect pies score ten out of ten at New Forest championships
A RINGWOOD farm shop has won a top prize for its “perfect pies” after judges scored them 100 out of 100.
Crow Farm was thrilled to be crowned Traditional Pork Pie Champions for 2019 in the Great Hampshire Sausage and Pie Competition.
It was the second year running the shop has taken the title and the third time since starting to make the pies five years ago.
Owner Sally Ward said: “We are absolutely over the moon. To get a score of 100 means our pork pies are perfect.
She continued: “We make the pies fresh daily, and we sell about 70-80 every day – people just love them. The pork comes from a local farm and we follow a traditional recipe, making everything from scratch.”
Sally also paid tribute to her staff for their help in winning the award, saying: “I would like to thank everyone who works here for all the effort they put in. Without them this wouldn’t have been possible, they have all been absolutely fantastic.”
Crow Farm was also awarded six gold medals and one silver for its Old Thumper pork pie, a speciality made for Ringwood Brewery using their ale.
The golds were for its small and large pork pies, traditional pork sausage, a pork and blue vinny sausage, Gouda and red onion marmalade banger, and pork and sundried tomato and olive sausage.
Sally was presented with the top prize by competition organiser Hampshire Fare at a glittering event held at the Holiday Inn near Winchester last week.
It was a great night for butchers and farm shops in the New Forest, with Danestream Farm store in New Milton winning a staggering 11 gold medals for its best sellers including New Forest venison, New Forest red wine and watercress sausage, and pies including chicken, bacon and leek, Hampshire mixed game and red wine, and pigeon, sundried bacon and port.
This year’s Sausage and Pie competition attracted 205 entries in 12 categories, which were judged by a panel of experts from across the UK.
Other local winners were butchers H. G. Witt in Fordingbridge, which took home two championships – one for best home cured bacon and best lamb/beef sausage with its spicy beef and sweet chilli banger. It was also awarded gold medals for two other flavours of sausage.
Farmer Nigel Witt paid tribute to his son Graham, who makes the products that are sold at farmers markets in Hampshire and London.
“He is the genius, he creates everything with quality meat and original recipes,” he said. “All our products are made using our own cattle and pigs raised on the farm.”
Graham accepted the award on the night with his son Alastair, who is eight. “He helped his dad to pack those particular sausages so he had a hand in the win,” said Nigel.
Other New Forest winners included: A Pinch of Salt Curing Co., New Milton, which won silver for its red wine salami, Roy Hunt Produce, New Forest, which picked up four gold medals, and T Bartlett & Sons, New Milton, which was awarded a gold medal for its Hampshire Hog sausage.
The Butchers Shop in Milford-on-Sea was handed seven gold medals for its sausages including traditional pork, pork and cider, lamb and mint, beef sausages, Beachcomber pork and Drayman’s pork.
It also won gold for its home cured back bacon and silver for their hickory smoked back bacon plus their pork and spring onion bangers.
The Farmers Butcher, Bramshaw, won two gold medals, one for its smoked honey sausage and smoked back bacon. It was also awarded silver medals for its Chaurice and Lincolnshire sausages and faggots.
