Alliance Group has secured three awards at this year’s British Pie Awards, taking home the crown for best beef pie with a Best in Class and Gold for its Pure South Beef and Peppercorn Pie and Silver for its quintessential New Zealand filling - Pure South Minced Beef and Cheddar Pie. Like the UK, pies are a firm favourite on menus in New Zealand, so it’s fitting for a New Zealand producer to excel in the British pie awards in a celebration of a culinary tradition cherished across both nations.
The annual awards ceremony, which took place this month in Melton Mowbray, showcased the craft of bakers, butchers and other producers in the pie industry in a nationwide celebration of the diverse varieties of British pies. With stringent criteria across 24 categories, roughly 1,000 pies are judged every year.
Helen Scott, Regional General Manager at the Alliance Group, says: “We're thrilled to receive recognition for our Pure South pies, which can be tailored to operators’ preferences, from the fillings to the pastry, to the pie top. Made for chefs, by chefs, a diverse range featuring diced, pulled, or minced meat fillings infused with premium spices, stocks, and sauces, and encased in puff, shortcrust, or filo pastry, our pies provide caterers with a best-in-class product for their menus.”
The Pure South brand is the best-tasting New Zealand grass-fed beef, lamb and venison that meets the requirements of the world’s most discerning customers. Farmed by a co-operative of farmers, not a corporate, it’s all free range and naturally reared on family farms, with no antibiotics, hormones or GMOs to produce red meat that is lean, tender and delicious. Both Pure South beef and lamb are halal.
These awards follow some major wins at the renowned World Steak Challenge Awards at the end of 2023 where the Pure South Handpicked 55 Day Aged Beef received the title for world's best grass-fed steak and the world's best ribeye steak. Adding to the accolades, Alliance Group also received a gold medal for its ribeye and a silver for its fillet.
Matt Owens, Chairman of the Craft Guild of Chefs and Head of Culinary for Alliance says: "We've created a range of fit for purpose pies that help chefs combat the labour and skills shortages we're all facing in our kitchens. They're guaranteed to be the highest quality, consistent every time and they're made by hand so still give a homemade, rustic feel on menus - to receive the highest award for the beef class for our pie was truly an honour!
“These awards are also a testament to our farmers, who work tirelessly to raise the absolute best New Zealand beef, lamb and venison on our family farms."
Helen continues: “Here at Alliance, we’re delighted to supply award-winning, high quality New Zealand beef to the UK. Following the Free Trade Agreement implemented in May of last year, foodservice operators can offer a point of difference on their menus and feature acclaimed products, while taking advantage of tariff-free imports.”
Contact Alliance to find out how you can list their award winning Pure South pies on your menus, operators should contact: Wayne Thompson, Head of Commercial -
[email protected]
