Keelham Farm Shop wins coveted pork pie title, as sausage crown falls to Hofmann’s Butchers in Wakefield

Keelham Farm Shop in Thornton, Bradford, was crowned Supreme Pork Pie Champion at the UK’s biggest regional meat trades competition.

Keelham, which will soon be opening a second shop in Skipton, took the coveted crown at the 26th annual Great Yorkshire Pork Pie, Sausage & Products Competition held in Bradford, on Sunday, November 16.

In total, more than 40 different businesses submitted over 250 individual product entries.

There were a number of successes for H Hofmann and Sons Butchers, from Wakefield, including the Supreme Champion Sausage.

Robinson’s Farm Shop in Score Hill, Northowram, Halifax, took three first places, including a new open small pork pie class, along with becoming reserve supreme sausage champion.

Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop in Netherton, Huddersfield, was reserve supreme pork pie champion.

It was only the second time Keelham Farm Shop had entered the pork pie section of the competition, and their recent acquisition of Amblers Bakery, also in Thornton, has clearly paid off. They clinched supreme championship honours with their first prize small pork pie.

Lee Scott, butcher manager at Keelham, said: “We took over Amblers about 18 months ago because it was going to close. It had been going since the late 1800s and had a great reputation. We’re still using their same recipe for our pork pies, although we’ve added a different jelly. We’re absolutely delighted to win these prizes. It’s the most important competition for us.”

The Brighouse & Denholme Road shop clinched an awards windfall, also finishing as runner-up in the speciality sausage class, third in thick pork sausage class and being highly commended in both the black pudding and beef burger classes

Keelham has been a real success story and is due to open its second shop early next year. Lee added: “We’re looking forward to coming to Skipton. We already buy supreme prime cattle and lamb champions from Skipton Auction Mart, as we only want the best quality meat. One of our key brand values is to use Yorkshire products, so Skipton is perfect because it’s the nearest mart to us and it sells top quality livestock.”

It was a real family affair for H Hofmann and Sons, from Wakefield, this year, with the Supreme Champion Sausage the star prize in their five-strong trophy haul.

Hofmann’s, which was founded in 1896 and is Wakefield’s oldest butcher, was also named thick pork sausage champion, speciality sausage champion and took runners-up prizes in the thin pork sausage category and the large pork pie category.

Owner Nigel Hofmann said: “Last year, my daughter Emily was named supreme pork pie champion, so this year we got my son Harry involved in the pies too. We’re all absolutely delighted with how we’ve done.

“This is like the Oscars of the meat industry. The Yorkshire event is the biggest in the country, so to win here is fantastic. We’ve been attending the awards for the past 26 years and it’s really helped us gradually get better and better.

“All of are these products are the same as those we sell in the shop, so it’s good for our customers to know that what they’re eating is of prize-winning quality.”

Robinson’s Farm Shop in Score Hill, Northowram, took home four trophies, including thin pork sausage champion, speciality pie champion and reserve supreme champion sausage. It was also named the open small pork pie champion, a new category added this year to attract non-Yorkshire businesses. It included entries from Lancashire and County Durham.

Robinson’s Rachel Robinson said: “It was the first time we’ve won and looking at the standard of the competition, we were pleasantly surprised to do so well.

“The speciality tomato and ginger pie is my daughter Jane’s own recipe. She’s over the moon, as she was a bit nervous because it’s the first competition she’s entered. The small pork pie was also her recipe.

“Winning these awards means so much because of the quality of the competition. You don’t realise who you are up against and some of the people here have been entering for years. We sell all of these award-winning products in our shop, so it’ll also be very good to be able to promote the high quality of our produce.”

Weegmann’s Butchers in Otley is the place to go for beefburgers, after it was named category champion.

Howard Carver, from Weegmann’s, said: “It’s a really great award to win, as you feel as if you’re doing it right. It shows the customers that we take a lot of care to produce the best quality goods we can.”

Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop in Netherton took the large pork pie title and was also named reserve supreme pork pie champion. Craig Midwood, from Hinchliffes, said: “We’re absolutely delighted ““ it’s nice to win, especially when we’re up against such large competition.

“We’ve entered a few times in the past, but hadn’t won anything for three or four years, so it’s nice to grab a first prize again. It’s an important competition for us and it means an awful lot.”

B & M Collins, of Cleckheaton, also enjoyed a successful event, winning the black pudding class and finishing as runners-up in the speciality pie category.

The New Kid on the Block award, open to first-time competition entrants, went to Fodder, which is located on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, and was runner-up in the beef burger class.

Farmer Copleys, of Purston, Pontefract, was runner-up in the open small pork pie class and third in the speciality pie contest.

Cannon Hall Farm Shop in Barnsley also took home two trophies ““ runner-up in the small pork pie category and a third place for its black pudding.

Villa Farm Shop in Huddersfield took third place in the thin pork sausage category and third place in the speciality sausage category.

P & I Hopkins, of Bradford, came third in both the large and small pork pie categories, and F & J Walker, of Halifax, was runner up in the thick pork sausage category. Bentley’s Butchers, of Pudsey, finished third in the open small pork pie class.

*Full list of winners:*
Supreme Champion Pork Pie, for the Ted Jones Trophy and product donation by William Jones Packaging: Keelham Farm Shop, Thornton.
Reserve Supreme Champion Pork Pie, for the Willis Hall Cup for Pork Pie Excellence: Hinchliffe Farm Shop, Netherton.
Supreme Champion Sausage, for the Towers Thompson Trophy and product donation by WR Wright & Sons: H Hofmann and Sons, Wakefield.
Reserve Supreme Champion Sausage, for The Devro Cup: Robinson’s Farm Shop, Score Hill, Halifax.
Thin pork sausage, for the Oris Shield: 1 Robinson’s Farm Shop, Score Hill, Halifax. 2 H Hofmann and Sons, Wakefield. 3 Villa Farm Shop, Huddersfield.
Thick pork sausage, for the Ripon Select Foods Shield: 1 H Hofmann and Sons, Wakefield. 2 F & J Walker, Halifax. 3 Keelham Farm Shop, Thornton.
Speciality sausage, for the Gordon Rhodes Shield: 1 H Hofmann and Sons, Wakefield. 2 Keelham Farm Shop, Thornton. 3 Villa Farm Shop, Huddersfield.
Black Pudding, for the WR Wright & Sons Trophy: 1 B & M Collins & Sons, Cleckheaton. 2 Geo Middlemiss & Son, Otley, 3. Cannon Hall Farm Shop, Barnsley.
Large pork pie, for the Norman Binks Cup: 1 Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop, Netherton. 2 H Hofmann and Sons, Wakefield. 3 P & I Hopkins, Bradford.
Small pork pie, for the Interbake Shield: 1 Keelham Farm Shop, Thornton. 2 Cannon Hall Farm Shop, Barnsley. 3 P & I Hopkins, Bradford.
Speciality pie, for the John Spencer Memorial Trophy: 1 Robinson’s Farm Shop, Score Hill, Halifax. 2 B & M Collins & Sons, Cleckheaton. 3 Farmer Copleys, Purston, Pontefract.
Beef burger, for the WR Wright & Sons Shield: 1 Weegman’s, Otley. 2 Fodder, Harrogate. 3 Riverside Butchers, Stamford Bridge, York.
Open small pork pie, for the Dalziel Trophy: 1 Robinson’s Farm Shop, Score Hill, Halifax, 2 Farmer Copley, Purston, Pontefract, 3 Bentley’s of Pudsey.
New Kid on the Block, for the McDonnell’s/Dick Knives Trophy: Fodder, Harrogate.