Sunderland care home rises to challenge for British Pie Week

Barnes Court care home, in High Barnes, celebrated the annual event with their own pie cook-off competition.

Their cook-off contest saw staff members, residents and their family members at the home submitting their best homemade pies and recipes which were then anonymously taste tested and judged.

Residents had the opportunity to bake their own pies with head chef Lynne Brown in the home’s kitchen in the morning before the afternoon’s pie tasting party.

Residents, staff and guests at Barnes Court, which provides nursing, residential and dementia care as well as specialist care for young people with physical disabilities, tucked into the “pie’d and tested” recipes including steak and sausage, corned beef and onion, plum and rhubarb and even a saveloy dip pie.

The winning star barker was Barnes Court manager Mandy Mackley, who baked a delicious curry pie in the savoury category and banoffee pie in the sweet category.

She was presented with an engraved chopping board as a trophy from competition judge resident Linda Allen.

Mandy said: “We place a lot of importance on providing our residents with the food they love.

“Many grew up enjoying home-cooked pie dishes so we thought that it would be a great way to celebrate British pie week by trying a selection of traditional and newer recipes.”

The event was just one in a series of pie cook-off competitions happening in Maria Mallaband and Countrywide Care Homes across the whole of the North East and North Yorkshire regions.

Winners and other notable entries from each home will have their winning recipe published in a recipe book, delivered to the Care Group’s homes across the region.

British Pie Week was week-long opportunity for Brits to celebrate the nation’s comfort food favourite.

Up and down the country, people baked their favourite recipes at home or ventured out to pubs, restaurants, and pie shops.