A PIE, created to a 100-year-old recipe by a family butcher near Selby, has been named best in the country in a national competition.

David Mounfield, who runs JA Mounfield & Son in Bubwith, was named National Champion by BPEX, a national group which monitors butchers across the country, for his 1lb Traditional Pork Pie, at a ceremony in London this week.

David said: “We’re absolutely over the moon. We make the pie from scratch to a traditional recipe and it has always been popular.

“To get the national title is the icing on the cake, particularly after being pipped to the post previously. We couldn’t be happier.”

This was the third time a Mounfield pie had made the national final, after beating off competition at the Great Yorkshire Showground last November to be crowned champion for the north- east.

The pie was tested by a panel of expert judges, one of whom referred to it as “an outstanding pie, like no other I’ve tasted”.

David, who works in the shop with his nephew and stepson, took over the business from his father, and said the secret to the pie’s success was a close-knit team.

He said: “As well as my nephew and stepson in the shop, my sister is in charge of the bakery, and my dad still likes to help out, even at the age of 90.

“The recipe started with my gran and granddad, and we’ve worked on it and just kept tinkering to improve it. Our meat is sourced from local farmers and we have our own abattoir on site, so we have strict control over quality at all times.”

As well as the title, the shop was also presented with an original watercolour of a Gloucester Old Spot pig, which has already taken pride of place by the counter.