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Source: Scottish Bakers

John Gall, managing director of Brownings.the Bakers

Kilmarnock-based Brownings the Bakers has won the World Championship Scotch Pie Awards for the second time.

Organised by Scottish Bakers, the annual awards see butchers and bakers from north of the border battling it out for the top prize in Scotch pie making, along with 10 other categories including football pies & savouries, macaroni pie, steak pie, sausage roll, cold savoury, haggis savoury, and bridie.

As well as being crowned scotch pie champions, Brownings won diamond in the apple pie category, silver in hot savoury for its Butter Chicken Pie, and bronze in vegetarian savoury for its Cauliflower, Leek & Truffle Oil Pie.

Brownings also won the competition in 2017, meaning the business is one of five to achieve the accolade twice. The other companies are: Thos Auld & Sons from Greenock (2001 and 2002); Boghall Butchers from Boghall (2005 and 2009); The Kandy Bar from Saltcoats (2014 and 2016); and James Pirie & Son (2018 and 2020, and also the Champion of Champions title in 2021).

“I’m absolutely delighted to have won the best scotch pie at the World Championship Scotch Pie Awards for the second time,” said John Gall, managing director of Brownings. “It’s a privilege to have won this award with so many amazing bakers and butchers entering their products.

“I couldn’t have done this without my amazing team at Brownings, who have worked so hard particularly for the last two years in challenging circumstances,” Gall added.

The competition’s annual judging day, which was held in a Covid-safe setting late last year, saw over 70 butchers and bakers enter more than 400 pies for judging by more than 50 experts in the field.

“We have overcome everything Covid could throw at us this year to celebrate the best pies and as always the results do not disappoint,” said Alasdair Smith, chief executive of Scottish Bakers.

“Brownings the Bakers can be rightly very proud of their achievements. We took delivery of over 400 entries this year, so to win is no small feat and to know that every winning product was lovingly made from scratch from locally sourced ingredients, freshly made daily by skilled craftspeople just goes to show the skill, creativity and hard work of each and every entrant,” Smith added.