UK pie capital hosts festival of pies and spirits

This year's PieFest is running alongside SpiritsFest on Saturday and Sunday

Melton Mowbray's beloved PieFest is getting a spirited upgrade as it joins forces with another popular local celebration.

Organisers are running the event on Saturday and Sunday between 10:00 and 16:00 BST alongside SpiritsFest, celebrating the growing distillery sector in and around the area.

Already known as the UK's pie capital, the Leicestershire town will once again host competitions for the best pies in various categories as part of the British Pie Awards.

The addition of the spirits festival gives visitors the chance to meet local drinks producers at the Livestock Market in Scalford Road.

Explaining the art of making a good pie

A Pie Theatre will host talks and demonstrations on the history of pies, while workshops will give visitors the chance to try making their own.

Categories range from traditional meat pies to vegetarian and sweet varieties, while the spirits on offer include artisan gin, rum, whisky and vodka.

Event organiser Matthew O'Callaghan said: "The British eat over a billion pounds worth of pies every year.

"We host the British Pie Awards, where almost 1,000 pies compete for the title of 'Supreme Pie', so it seems only logical to organise a festival celebrating the British Pie.

"We used to run a separate Spirits Festival, but with the food calendar already supporting four food festivals (Cheese Fair, PieFest, ChocFest and the East Midlands Food Festival) we thought it best to combine it with PieFest until we can develop the festival in its own right.

"Sadly the number of independent distillers in the area has declined, but we're hoping other independent distillers in the area will replace them."