BAKERS from across Yorkshire are being offered the chance to have their winning recipes sold in an award-winning farm shop as part of an exciting competition to find the region’s best pie-maker.

Cannon Hall Farm, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, has teamed up with Barnsley Independent Alzheimer’s and Dementia Support (BIADS) charity to help raise crucial funds for people with dementia and their carers. The competition is open to anyone who thinks their pie is a winner – and a judging team including world-renowned author Milly Johnson will decide who should get the coveted prize, a beautiful trophy and the chance to have their pie produced commercially by the bakers at Cannon Hall Farm and sold through the farm shop, with all the proceeds going to charity.

The competition will culminate in a judging in front of a live audience, in the exciting demo kitchens at Cannon Hall Farm Food Festival which is a free event held at the farm bank holiday weekend. The event attracts 50,000 visitors each year and includes amazing cookery demos, live music, artisan traders, funfair and a beach.

Cannon Hall Farm selects a different charity partner each year – and after hearing that it costs £200,000 a year for the dedicated Dementia Support Centre to stay open, decided that the BIADs Pie Off competition was just the right fit.

Richard Nicholson, whose family run the tourist attraction which has been open to the public since the late 80s, said: “It really is an important cause and as soon as we heard about the Pie Off challenge we knew it would be a great fit for our Food Festival. We hope to see (and taste) lots of pies, and who knows, we might find a new best-seller in the farm shop!”

BIADs Chief Officer, Linda Pattison added: “We are delighted and excited to have been chosen as Cannon Hall Farm Food Festival’s charity of the year. Over the years I personally have seen Cannon Hall Farm transform into an amazing visitor attraction – a jewel in Barnsley’s crown – and during the festival am looking forward along with our volunteers to telling people who visit our stall about the work we are doing to support those affected by dementia in Barnsley, whilst also fundraising. We are extremely grateful for this opportunity and are looking forward to the August bank holiday weekend.”