A business based in the suburbs of Washington DC has won one of the categories in the World Pasty Championships held in Cornwall this weekend (3 March).

Pure Pasty Co of Vienna, Virginia, took top place in the Open Savoury Company category, with a barbecue chicken pasty made with sweet potato, zucchini, red pepper, corn and pineapple.

Head of the business, Cheshire-born Mike ‘the Pasty’ Burgess, said: “We are ecstatic with the win. The winning pasty is a real team effort – an American fusion.”

Proper Cornish took the title of Cornish Pasty Company.

More than 200 pasties were entered into the competition, which took place at Cornwall’s Eden Project.

A group of pasty enthusiasts from Bristol who entered the competition every year – it is now in its seventh – was presented with the Pasty Ambassador award. This was the first time the award has been given to a group rather than an individual.

The group includes Don McKeever, the most decorated pasty-maker in the history of the World Pasty Championships, with three wins and one second place.

“It’s a huge surprise to be named pasty ambassadors,” said McKeever. “We’ve worked hard over the years and we really enjoy the event. It’s really nice for the whole group to get the recognition this year. The guys who couldn’t make it will be delighted and we’ll share the trophy around during the course of the year.”

The full list of winners is:

Open Savoury Junior

  1. Jodie Heath, 12, from Bodmin, with a Cornish smoked seafood pasty
  2. Imogen Hawkins, nine, from Wadebridge, with a chicken pasty
  3. Naomi Hawkins, 7, from Wadebridge, with a gammon pasty

Cornish Pasty Junior

  1. Summer Lovejoy, nine, from Plymouth
  2. Jodie Heath, 12, from Bodmin
  3. Rhys Heath, 15, from Bodmin

Open Savoury Company

  1. The Pure Pasty Co, with a BBQ chicken pasty
  2. Warrens Bakery, with a vegan yellow Thai pasty
  3. The Cornish Bakery, with a Cornish smoked haddock pasty

Cornish Pasty Company

  1. Proper Cornish
  2. Cornish Premier Pasties
  3. The Cornish Bakery

Open Savoury Professional

  1. Luisa Ead from Padstow, with a winner winner chicken dinner pasty
  2. Yvonne Hollyoak from Bodmin, with a broccoli and cauliflower cheese pasty
  3. Abbi Flower from Bristol, with a Moroccan Chickpea Pasty

Cornish Pasty Professional

  1. Danny O’Flynn from Trevone
  2. Chris Bartolini from Millbrook
  3. Yvonne Hollyoak from Bodmin

Open Savoury Amateur

  1. Glyn Meredith from Porthleven, with a skirt, cheese, peppers, paprika, garlic and coriander pasty.
  2. Jon Lovejoy from Plymouth, with a lasagne pasty
  3. Gillian Francis from St Cleer, with a pork, smoked streaky bacon, paprika and red chilli pasty

Cornish Pasty Amateur

  1. Gillian Francis from St Cleer
  2. Jules Curnow from Helston
  3. Emma Pugsley from London

The championships marked the culmination of the first-ever Cornish Pasty Week. As part of the initiative, trade group the Cornish Pasty Association met MPs to explain the importance of the product to the local economy.

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