World Pie Eating Championship
Encyclopedia
The annual World Pie Eating Championship is usually held at Harry's Bar on Wallgate, Wigan
, Greater Manchester
, England
. The competition has been held since 1992. In 2006, a vegetarian version was added after "relentless pressure" from the Vegetarian Society
.
In the 2006 competition, the meat and potato pies were all 12 cm (5 in) in diameter with a depth of 3.5 cm (1.5 in). In the separate vegetarian contest, the pies were 10 cm (4 in) by 3 cm (1.2 in).
In the 2007 competition, entries included a competitor's dog, Charlie, who had eaten 20 pies and damaged a further 10 the night before the competition, nearly jeopardising the event.
, won the inaugural contest in 1992 when he ate four pies in three minutes.
, Bolton
and local Wigan pies were sidelined, resulting in a four-man strong protest.
A similar situation arose in 2009, with pies being sourced from Adlington
.
when Wigan miners were starved back to work before their counterparts in surrounding towns and were forced to eat "humble pie
".
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The competition has been held since 1992. In 2006, a vegetarian version was added after "relentless pressure" from the Vegetarian Society
Vegetarian Society
The Vegetarian Society is a British registered charity established on 30 September 1847 to "support, represent and increase the number of vegetarians in the UK."-History:...
.
In the 2006 competition, the meat and potato pies were all 12 cm (5 in) in diameter with a depth of 3.5 cm (1.5 in). In the separate vegetarian contest, the pies were 10 cm (4 in) by 3 cm (1.2 in).
In the 2007 competition, entries included a competitor's dog, Charlie, who had eaten 20 pies and damaged a further 10 the night before the competition, nearly jeopardising the event.
1992
Dave Smyth, a painter from HindleyHindley, Greater Manchester
Hindley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester, England. Lying three miles east of Wigan it covers an area of 1044 hectares. Historically a part of Lancashire, Hindley which includes Hindley Green borders the towns of Ince-in-Makerfield and Leigh within Wigan...
, won the inaugural contest in 1992 when he ate four pies in three minutes.
2005
Anthony "The Anaconda" Danson, a weight trainer from Lancashire, managed to eat seven pies in three minutes, setting a new record.2008
Fred Wyatt, a 61-year-old warehouse packer won the 2008 Championship, which was broadcast live on the internet by pay-per-view.Imported pies
Controversy was caused in 2005 when pies were imported from nearby FarnworthFarnworth
Farnworth is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located southeast of Bolton, 6 miles south-west of Bury , and northwest of Manchester....
, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
and local Wigan pies were sidelined, resulting in a four-man strong protest.
A similar situation arose in 2009, with pies being sourced from Adlington
Adlington, Lancashire
Adlington is a town and civil parish in Lancashire, England, near the West Pennine Moors and the town of Chorley. Six miles northwest of Bolton, it became a separate parish in 1842 then grew into a town around the textile industry. It has a population of 5,270.-Toponymy:The last element 'ington'...
.
Quantity to speed
More controversy was caused in 2006 when the competition was changed (to meet government healthy-eating guidelines) from the number of pies consumed in a given time, to the fastest time to consume a single pie.Lack of stock
Controversy struck again for the third year running when the competition actually ran out of pies before the competition had finished.Background
Wiganers are proud to be called pie-eaters, but the nickname is not thought to be because of their appetite for the delicacy. The name is said to date from the 1926 General StrikeGeneral strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
when Wigan miners were starved back to work before their counterparts in surrounding towns and were forced to eat "humble pie
Humble pie
To eat humble pie, in common usage, is to apologize and face humiliation for a serious error. Humble pie, or umble pie, is also a term for a variety of pastries, originally based on medieval meat tripe pies.- Etymology :...
".