A MEATY pie created in the heart of the Cotswolds has been crowned Pie of the Year in an annual pub competition.

The Rich Cow pie at the Greyhound pub in Siddington, made up of beef, back bacon and chestnut mushrooms, beat off 38 other entries to be named winner of Wadworth's yearly pie awards.

It was made by head chef Jamie Kilby at The Greyhound, one of the Wadworth pubs, who said he was over the moon to have won.

"It was great just to have made it to the final – especially with two of my colleagues from the pub entering pies as well," said Jamie.

"I absolutely love beef pies so it was an obvious choice for my entry and I enjoyed experimenting with various herbs to create my pastry. I like to think it perfectly complements the richness of the beef filling."

Wadworth food development manager Scott Ferguson said there was a fantastic standard of entries this year.

"There were lots of interesting and inspiring flavour combinations using the best of our local and seasonal produce," he said.

"The quality of all six final pies was exceptional, making it tough to decide on an overall winner. Jamie’s pie was extremely well-executed, and it was clear a lot of thought had gone into the pie itself and its presentation.

"In the end it was the incredible flavour combination of both pastry and filling that saw it come out on top with the judges."

Runner up entries included a confit duck pie and a stag and stout pie. A pie made of minced beef and a side of jellied eels also caused a stir amongst the judges.