The Denby Dale Pie
What are the Denby Dale Pies?
The famous Denby Dale Pies are a 220 year old village tradition; usually baked to celebrate national special occasions and events. These are not your normal run-of-the-mill pies – these are monster meat, and sometimes potato, pies that have been registered in the Guinness Book of Records in past years!
This tradition also explains the road sign at the entrances to the village...
Pie History
There have been pie events to celebrate each of the following years:-
Click on the links for much more detail...
- The First Pie: 1788 - Recovery of King George III
The village decided to celebrate King George III’s return from madness. The pie, made from game, was baked at the White Hart pub and served to the villagers in the field behind. - 1815 - The Second Pie: Duke of Wellington’s Victory at the Battle of Waterloo
The French defeat at Waterloo brought to an end 23 years of war and so was seen as a valid reason to bake another pie. - 1846 - The Third Pie: The Repeal of the Corn Laws
The Corn Law Act had made bread too expensive to be part of the ordinary person's staple diet. With help and campaigning from the Anti-Corn Laws League, the law was eventually overturned, ending the "hungry forties". - 1887 – Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee (Find out why two pies were baked!)
Despite much planning, the original pie, when cut open was found to be inedible! Luckily, the ladies of the village came to the rescue.... - 1896 – Fiftieth Anniversary of the Repeal of the Corn Laws
Having learnt from previous episodes in the Pie's history, this was a very successful Pie Day with approximately 2000 portions being sold. - 1928 – The World War I Victory Pie
With the intention of baking the world's biggest pie, tickets for the event were sold around the country and 60,000 visitors were expected to attend. - 1964 – Celebration of Four Royal Births (but do you know who they were?)
Although the main reason for this event was to raise funds for a new village hall, the very rare occurrence of 4 royal births during the year gave a double reason for holding another Pie Day. - 1988 – Bicentenary of the First Denby Dale Pie
Due to the changing Environmental Health standards, a complex design had to be employed for the pie dish, to ensure the finished pie could be eaten. The 2 day event was a success with the pie being entered into the Guinness Book of Records. - 2000 – The Millennium
Around 30,000 people enjoyed the events surrounding the baking of the Millennium Pie. This year's new ingredient was 100kg of John Smith's Best Bitter!
