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Pasties from Bristol, Sheffield, Plymouth and Cornwall triumph at the World Pasty Championships at the Eden Project today (Saturday February 29)

A decorated amateur baker from Bristol has taken a top prize at today’s World Pasty Championships at the Eden Project in Cornwall.

WPC 2020

World Pasty Championships 2020 winners at Eden

Pasties from Bristol, Sheffield, Plymouth and Cornwall triumph at the World Pasty Championships at the Eden Project today (Saturday February 29)

Vanessa Farr, who won in the prestigious Cornish Pasty Amateur category, is part of a dedicated group of friends from the city who have been attending the competition since the first one in 2012.

She previously won the category at the championships in 2017 and bagged third place in 2013 and 2014 and second place last year (2019).

Vanessa bakes her competition pasties in Padstow, Cornwall to ensure they can be defined as Cornish.

Vanessa had to leave Eden before the awards ceremony so her friend and fellow Bristolian Chloe McKeever collected the trophy on her behalf.

Vanessa said: “I think it’s amazing and hilarious to be crowned champion once again. Consistency is the key.

“There’s so much variation in the Open Savoury categories, but the Cornish pasty categories only allow a finite number of ingredients and you can only make little tweaks to improve. I think Cornish pasties are the only pasties.

“This is our annual pilgrimage – we love it.”

Daisy Lovejoy, eight, from Plymouth won prizes in both junior categories. She was victorious in the Cornish Pasty Junior class and came third in the Open Savoury Junior section with a pasty filled with lasagne.

Daisy is the latest in a fine Plymothian pasty lineage, with her elder sister Summer a previous champion and her dad Jon boasting a staggering five second place awards to his name.

Daisy said: “It feels good to be a world champion and to beat my sister! My favourite thing to put in a pasty is lasagne.”

Jodie Heath, 14, from Bodmin added to her impressive tally of five top-three finishes at the World Pasty Championships with a victory in the Open Savoury Junior category with a sweet and sour chicken pasty, her second win.

Another big winner was amateur baker Jan Micallef from Sheffield who took top honours in the Open Savoury Amateur class with a goat’s cheese, pear and walnut pasty.

Clutching her trophy, Jan, who came to the Championships with husband Paul and mother Pam, said: “To win is absolutely fantastic. I’m really excited. This is going to be my Facebook picture now. We will celebrate. I’m going to have a wonderful pint of your Proper Job ale.”

David Timmins from St Columb Road claimed his third World Pasty Championships title with the Cornish Pasty Professional gong while Nick Brown from Liskeard claimed his second with the Open Savoury Professional for his ham hock, cheddar and apple chutney pasty.

Rowe’s Cornish Bakers had a strong showing following their Cornish Pasty Company win last year (2019). They were victorious in the Open Savoury Company category with their chicken, leek, potato and onion pasty.

The Phat Pasty Co. from Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire won the coveted Cornish Pasty Company category.

Dave Meneer has been the head judge of the World Pasty Championships every year since the beginning and was given the coveted Pasty Ambassador award for his outstanding contribution to the competition.

Led by Dave, a team of more than 40 judges evaluated nearly 200 pasties, mainly from Cornwall but some from further afield, including entries from Canada and the USA.

Among the award sponsors are St Austell Brewery, leading millers Heygates, Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, and Carters Packaging.

To deliver the championships Eden works closely with the Cornish Pasty Association, the industry body which represents the £300m-a-year baking industry west of the Tamar. All members are producers of certified genuine Cornish pasties.

All through the day, Eden served up a fabulous feast of music headlined by Celtic folk-punk giants Black Friday. Also high on the bill were Huw and the Greater Good, whose live shows inspire audiences to throw down their inhibitions like never before.

The full list of winners is:

Cornish Pasty Company
First – The Phat Pasty Co.
Second – Cornish Premier Pasties (hand-layered gourmet)
Third – Cornish Premier Pasties (mixed gourmet)

Open Savoury Company
First – Rowe’s Cornish Bakery with a chicken, leek, potato and onion pasty
Second – The Pure Pasty Co. with a lamb jalfrezi pasty
Third – The Pure Pasty Co. with a cheese and onion pasty

Cornish Pasty Professional
First – David Timmins from St Columb Road, Cornwall
Second – David Collings from Fowey, Cornwall
Third – Phil Price from Bodmin, Cornwall

Open Savoury Professional
First – Nick Brown from Liskeard, Cornwall with a ham hock, cheddar and apple chutney pasty
Second – Jack Edensor from Bodmin, Cornwall with a garlic chicken and wild mushroom pasty
Third – Jill Martin from Deal, Kent with a lentil, tomato, ginger, celery and mushroom pasty

Cornish Pasty Amateur
First – Vanessa Farr from Bristol
Second – Terry O’Connor from County Longford, Ireland
Third – Emma Pugsley from London

Open Savoury Amateur
First – Jan Micallef from Sheffield with a goat’s cheese, pear, shallot and walnut pasty
Second – Lois Wild from Truro with a black olive, cheese and sweet red pepper pasty
Third – Steve Foreman from Bristol with a venison, port and wild mushroom pasty

Cornish Pasty Junior
First – Daisy Lovejoy, aged eight, from Plymouth
Second – Arran Kerr, eight, from Callington, Cornwall
Third – Izaac Rogers, 10, from Newquay, Cornwall

Open Savoury Junior
Frist – Jodie Heath, 14, from Bodmin, Cornwall with a sweet and sour chicken pasty
Second – Amy Meredith, 10, from Porthleven, Cornwall with a chilli sausage ragu pasty
Third – Daisy Lovejoy, eight, from Plymouth with a lasagne pasty