The Ninth Pie: 1988 - Bicentenary of the First Denby Dale Pie
In 1985, discussions began on having a ninth Denby Dale pie event, this time to celebrate 200 years of The Pie. A new Committee was formed and once all the formalities were had, the date was set for another September pie day.
This now was to be the biggest pie ever, with the intention of feeding 50,000 people, the decision was made to make it a two day event – and the marketing campaign began with a vengeance.
The Dish
Due to the many changes in Environmental Health regulations since 1964, the cooking of the pie had to be handled very differently, and so the dish design had to ensure that the pie could be paraded around the village without it dropping below the legal temperature – otherwise the pie would not be allowed to be eaten!
A complex design that circulated hot water around the half-ton dish measuring 20ft by 7ft by 1 ½ ft deep was created.
The Pie
The contents of the pie included 3,000kgs English beef, 3,000kgs potatoes and 700kgs onions; Scissett Middle School children planted some of the vegetables that were used.
The meat was cooked in steam kettles in ¼ tonne batches and then placed into the pre-heated dish.
Pie Day
Police estimated that at least 100,000 people attended the Saturday, with 50,000 attending the Radio One roadshow on the Sunday. The Guinness Book of Records recorded the pie as the biggest Meat and Potato Pie in the World.
The pie day raised £8,000 and this was used to purchase Wither Wood, at the back of the Gilthwaites estate, and is managed by the Woodland Trust.
