Image courtesy of Eden Project
 
On Saturday, March 3, competitors from around the world met at Eden Project in Cornwall, United Kingdom to create some of the best pasties in the world. Pasties (not to be confused with pastries) are baked dishes associated with Cornwall that are typically filled with meats and vegetables.

This year, an American competitor went home with one of the top honors. Virginia’s The Pure Pasty Co. won the Open Savory Company prize with a pineapple-shaped pasty that contained barbecue chicken, sweet potato, courgette, red pepper, sweetcorn, and pineapple.

The Pure Pasty Co. is the first American competitor to win this specific award. Its owner, Mike Burgess, is a native of the U.K. and opened a shop in Vienna, Virginia in 2010 to bring pasties to America. “We are ecstatic with the win,” says Burgess. “The winning pasty is a real team effort - an American fusion.”

Other awards were given out to the best Cornish pasty or savory pasty in the sub-categories of Company, Professional, Amateur, and Junior. This year’s World Pasty Championships was the seventh edition, the culmination of Cornish Pasty Week run by the Cornish Pasty Association.