Bury man named World Pie Eating Champion at annual contest in Wigan

It's the contest that's drawn pie lovers to Wigan for over 20 years, and the 2024 World Pie Eating Championships at Harry's Bar on Wallgate certainly did not disappoint.

It was fast paced, dramatic and full of controversy - what more could you want?

For starters, there was the not so small matter of the pies themselves. Bigger than usual AND sourced from out of town in Morecambe; it was a source of disgruntlement for some of the 20 competitors taking part on the day.

As a result, and for the first time ever, the judges revealed plans to introduce a half time break to give contestants chance to regain composure mid-pie.

What they hadn't anticipated was that one contestant would finish the pie before the whistle blew - in a questionably quick 15 seconds.

Not wholly convinced by the legitimacy of the performance, judges opted to hold a pie-off with the top three competitors.

It was a messy, grotesque, and absolutely hilarious affair which resulted in 43-year-old Michael Chant from Whitefield in Bury taking the title.

On a high from the win, Michael thanked his father for inspiring his performance: "My dad taught me ever since I was little - at the tea table, them that eats fastest gets the mostest."

When it came to handing over the trophy, there was another blunder when the prize went crashing to the floor, breaking into pieces. Organiser Tony Callaghan said: "They say things come in threes. We've got a pie from out of Wigan, a winner from out of Wigan and the trophy slipped out of my hand and smashed!"

There were no prizes for the other participants, but no doubt they take home some indigestion as a reminder of the day.

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